A Powerpoint presentation on using source material effectively and responsibly.

1. Using Source Material
Effectively and Responsibly

2. What Is Plagiarism?
 Definition: Using another person’s ideas
or words without giving proper credit by
citing
 Different cultures view intellectual
property in different ways
 In the U.S., especially in academics,
journalism, etc., plagiarism is viewed very
negatively

3. What Can Happen If I Get
Caught Plagiarizing?
 You will be reported to the Dean of
Students who will investigate the issue
 Failure of Assignment
 Failure of Class
 Suspension or Expulsion
 Loss of your own ethos

4. What Counts as Plagiarism?
 An entire essay written by someone else,
including those bought online, shared by a
friend, etc.
 “Cutting and pasting” from the internet or
copying from a print source - using whole
paragraphs, sentences, phrases written by
someone else
 Paraphrasing without providing a citation

5. What Counts as Plagiarism?
 A paraphrase that is too close to the
original source
 Not using quotation marks and an in-text,
parenthetical citation for direct quotes
 Misquoting someone
 Giving credit for a quote or idea to the
wrong person/ source
 Not including enough citation information
so the reader can find the original source

6. What Needs to Be Cited?
 Direct Quotations
 Facts Not Widely Known
 Arguable Statements
 Judgments, Opinions, Claims of Others
 Images, Statistics, Charts, Tables, Graphs,
Numbers
 Results of Studies
 Collaboration with Others

7. What Does Not Need to Be
Cited?
 Common Knowledge
 Facts Available from a Wide Variety of
Sources
 Your Own Findings from Field Research

8. Direct Quotes
 People own both their original ideas AND the
expression of those ideas, the way those ideas
are written down.
 You MUST use quotation marks to indicate a
direct quote, even if the information in the quote
is “common knowledge” as well as provide a
parenthetical citation.
 A direct quote is 3 or more words in a row taken
directly from the source (does not include terms
that are more than 3 words, such as “The United
States of America.”)

9. Paraphrasing or Summarizing
 If information that needs to be cited (the
results of a study, for example) is put into
your own words, that is called
paraphrasing or summarizing, and you do
not need to use quotation marks.
However, you DO need to include a
parenthetical citation.

10. Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism
 Let the sources support YOUR ideas, instead
of the other way around
 Make sure you completely understand what
the source is saying
 Take notes from the sources, extracting only
the essential information
 If you must copy an entire sentence, put it in
quotation marks immediately and be sure to
copy it exactly as it appears in the original
source
 Indicate in your notes which source the
information came from (author, title, page
number)

11. Summarizing
 This is when you write the main idea of
the source in your own words.

12. Paraphrasing
 This is when you include the details and
examples of the original source, but
rewrite them in your own words and
sentence structures
 Be careful not to change the meaning
intended by the author
 Be sure to cite with a parenthetical citation

13. Direct Quotes
 This is when you copy the exact words of
the author.
 You need to include quotation marks
around the quoted words AND a
parenthetical citation

14. When to Use Direct Quotes
 If the quote can not be paraphrased
effectively
 If the author said it “just right”
 If it is a specific definition
 If quoting the author (say, your
interviewees) can help your ethos

15. How to Use Direct Quotes
Effectively
 Make the quote as short as possible
 Only include the elements you need; you often
do not need to include the whole sentence
 Introduce the quote with your own language
 Be sure to include a parenthetical citation with
author’s last name, year, and page number
 For quotes over 40 words long, use the block
quote format (on Purdue OWL, under “In-text
Citations: The Basics,” entry “Long Quotations”)

16. Avoid “Floating Quotes”
 Do not just drop a quote into your paper
 You should ALWAYS introduce the quote
with your own words
 Oftentimes, you will need to explain or
interpret the quote for your audience,
explaining how it supports your points

17. Use Signal Phrases
 Best to use when you know the author’s name
 Always use the author’s full name the first time
you use it; then, use only the last name each time
afterwards
 Make sure to use a verb that accurately describes
what the author is doing in the quote
 In academic writing, the signal phrase usually
comes at the beginning of the sentence
 In APA style, verbs in a signal phrase should be
in the past tense (-ed)

18. Example Signal Phrases
 Smith (2008) noted
 Jones (2010) asserted
 Gomez (2011) contended
 Baker (2009) suggested
 You can often use a “that” after the verb:
Smith (2008) noted that “poverty is a
global problem” (p. 28).

19. Introduce Quotes with a Whole
Sentence
 Another way to introduce quotes is with
an entire sentence of your own, followed
by a colon (:)
 A number of side effects make HIV
especially painful: “fatigue, nausea, and
dehydration can cause patients with HIV
considerable pain and discomfort” (Smith,
2008, p. 12).

20. Integrating Quotes into Your
Own Sentence
 You can add or change words in the quote
that help to make the sentence
grammatically correct or to clarify
pronouns, but do not make changes that
change the meaning of the quote.
 Use brackets [ ] around words that are
added or changed in any way

21. Examples
 Original Quote: “They often suffer from
dehydration as a result of their disease” (Smith,
2008, p. 12).
 Your sentence: Smith (2008) pointed out that
“[children with HIV] often suffer from
dehydration as a result of their disease” (p. 12).
 Original Quote: “The problem is that HIV causes
many serious side effects” (Smith, 2008, p. 12).
 Your sentence: HIV can “[cause] many negative
side effects” (Smith, 2008, p. 12).

22. Integrating Quotes into Your
Own Sentence
 You can also omit words that are
unnecessary, but do not take out words
that are important to the meaning of the
quote
 Use ellipses (three periods in a row . . .) to
indicate space where words have been
omitted

23. Example
 Original Quote: “Dehydration, or a severe
depletion of fluids in the human body, is
one serious side effect of HIV” (Smith,
2008, p. 12)
 Your Sentence: Smith (2008) explained
that “dehydration . . . is one serious side
effect of HIV” (p. 12).

24. Using Sources Summary
 Avoid plagiarism and its negative consequences
 Remember what does and does not need to be
cited
 Direct Quotes are 3 or more words in a row
taken directly from a source and need both
quotation marks and a parenthetical citation
 Be sure paraphrases are different enough from
the original
 You can change or omit words from a quote, but
be sure not to change the meaning of the quote
 Use signal phrases to introduce quotes