Avoiding Plagiarism

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Avoiding plagiarism is simple! Just make sure you have a Works Cited page and use in-text (parenthetical) citations within the body of your paper. Each in-text citation must have a matching citation on the Works Cited page. And remember...anytime you use the ideas or words from someone else you must give credit to that person. 

Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of others' words or ideas as your own. 

Examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying and pasting from a website to your document without proper citation.

• Buying a paper online, copying from a friend, reusing a paper for multiple classes.

• Not using you own words or voice when paraphrasing or summarizing.

• Not having a Works Cited entry that corresponds with an in-text citation.

A full or complete citation is necessary to avoid plagiarism.

A complete citation will help you to avoid plagiarism by showing a list of all sources used and where those sources were used in the body of your paper.

A full or complete citation requires 1) that the source has to be listed in the Works Cited page, 2) at least one In-text Citation for each source listed in the Works Cited page, and 3) Connecting the In-text Citations and the Works Cited page.
1) Works Cited page (List of sources used)
First you need to create citations for each source used in your research. 

You may need to use a Citation Maker* when you use:

Books

Periodicals in Print

JSTOR

LexisNexis

Otherwise databases will create citations for you.

*Citation Maker Caveat: Garbage In, Garbage Out. Go through line by line. Answer all questions/fill in all blanks (if possible). Double check citations with links below. 

Once you have all of your citations:

• Make a new page titled Works Cited. Center the title.
• Arrange citations alphabetically.
• Use Hanging Indentation (indent 2nd and 3rd lines of citation 5 spaces).
• Double-space between and within entries.

2) In-text Citations (Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due)

In-text citations are used when you paraphrase, summarize or use a direct quote. Anytime you use words or ideas from someone else you must use an in-text citation. 

Paraphrase: Rewrite the main ideas in your own words and using your own voice. A paraphrase can be longer or shorter than the original.

Example: Drinking Caffeine Free Diet Coke can save you 3000 grams of fat per year (Raffa 35).

Summarize: Rewrite the main ideas of a larger work in your own words and using your own voice. A summary is shorter than the original.

 Example: Throughout his work, Rupertus argues that wearing competing colors and patterns makes organic unity easier to achieve.

Direct Quotes: Use the exact words from a source surrounded by quotation marks.

3) Connecting the In-text Citations and the Works Cited page

The first word(s) of the citation is called the signal word/phrase. The signal word/phrase is placed in parentheses and becomes the in-text citation.

If this is the citation listed in the Works Cited page:

"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate Action." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.

Then the signal word/phrase is:

"Blueprint Lays Out" (Notice the quotation marks!)

And the in-text citation looks like this:

("Blueprint Lays Out")

If this is the citation listed in the Works Cited page:

Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New York Times. New York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May 2009.

Then the signal word/phrase is:

Dean (Notice the LACK of quotation marks!)

And the in-text citation looks like this:

(Dean)