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Paraphrasing & Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using someone’s words or ideas without giving them credit, thereby representing them as your own.

Plagiarism includes copying phrases, words, or ideas without credit, as well as copying the structure or outline of sentences or essays.

Even if the plagiarized content doesn't breach copyright, there is still an integrity issue.

To avoid plagiarism, always give credit to your sources and only use sources to support your own ideas and conclusions.

Methods to Incorporate Source Material

Quoting

  • Exact phrases excerpted from a source
  • Framed with quotation marks
  • Attributed to the source

 

Paraphrasing

  • Ideas from a source in your own words
  • Similar in length to the source material
  • No quotation marks
  • Attributed to the source

 

Summarizing

  • Just the main concepts of a source and in your own words
  • Shorter than the source material
  • No quotation marks
  • Attributed to the source
     

Example

Source:

How to start a study group: after the first few weeks, people will start to look familiar. A couple of weeks before the exam, ask a few people who interest you if they want to get together to study. Find a place to meet (like the library). Don’t be afraid to be the one to put it together. Once you get together the first time, it will be easier to do it again. A cool way to make it happen can be via technology.

Harlan Cohen, 2017, The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run into in College, pg 224-225

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/etown-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5320196

Quote:

 “A couple of weeks before the exam, ask a few people who interest you if they want to get together to study… Once you get together the first time, it will be easier to do it again” (Cohen, 2017).

Paraphrase:

Early on in the semester, you can form a study group. The first meeting might be a challenge to organize, but you shouldn’t let that discourage you. Consider meeting in the library and using social media to keep in touch (Cohen, 2017).

Summary:

Setting up a study group is as easy as asking classmates early on in the semester and staying connected outside of class (Cohen, 2017).

Plagiarism:

Ask a few people from your class if they want to get together to study. Don’t be afraid to be the one to put it together. After you meet once, it will be easier to do it again.

Academic Integrity Tutorial