2. Why cite?
• Locate and verify your information/data so
that other readers or researchers can find and
use that data
• You are giving that individual the credit for all
the hard work they did in obtaining that
information in the first place.
3. Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and not giving
them credit for it. You would be saying that you are the
person who originally wrote the material.
– For students, it could mean receiving a failing grade for the
assignment, academic probation or being expelled from
college.
– For faculty, it would mean having their position terminated and
the possible ruination of their career.
• Think of Plagiarism as being the unethical side to using
some one else’s work without citing it correctly.
You can use a work
legally under
copyright and still
commit plagiarism.
4. Plagiarize Defined
• According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
– To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s
own
– To use (another’s production) without crediting the source
– To commit literary theft
– To present as new and original an idea or product derived from
an existing source
• Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing
someone else’s work and lying about it afterward. (For
more information see: Plagiarism.org)
5. Can words be stolen?
• Yes, they can.
– According to U.S. Law, the expression of original
ideas is considered intellectual property and is
protected by copyright laws.
6. Actions considered plagiarism:
• Turning in someone else’s work as your own
• Re-submitting a paper you have written from a previous course (Self
Plagiarism)
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source
without giving credit
• Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the
majority of your work, whether you give credit or not
7. Prevent Plagiarism
• Cite Your Sources!!
– Simply acknowledge that
certain material has
been borrowed and
provide your audience
with the information
necessary to find that
source.
• According to the Athens
State Handbook:
– Major Infractions …
• Dishonesty, such as
cheating, plagiarizing, or
knowingly furnishing false
information to the
University.
8. Direct Quote
“Well, the primary reason is that over the past 25 years, globalization
and technology have increased the rewards for intellectual skills, vastly
increasing the value of a college degree. Education and family
background are replacing the old barriers of class based on race and
gender. The income gap between college graduates and those without
university degrees doubled between 1979 and 1997. In the 1930s and
1940s, only half of all American chief executives had college degrees.
Now virtually all do, and three quarters of them also hold advanced
degrees, such as an M.B.A.”
“Rich Man, Poor Man” by Mortimer Zuckerman, published in U.S.
News & World Report , June 12, 2006, pages 71-72
9. Plagiarism of previous quote
The value of a college degree has increased dramatically in the
past century. The income gap between college graduates and
those without university degrees doubled between 1979 and
1997. In the 1930s and 1940s, only half of all American chief
executives had college degrees. Now virtually all do.
Did this person plagiarize ? YES
• All of the italicized section is an exact copy of the original
work by Zuckerman.
– No quotation marks “ ”
– No in-text citations
10. Quote paraphrases
The value of a college degree has increased
dramatically in the past century. The difference in
income between people with college degrees and
those without has doubled since 1980, and almost
all American CEOs now have college degrees.
• So, is this good to go? Not yet!
– No proper credit given to the original author.
11. Cite to avoid plagiarism
• Properly cite any source we use in our
research
• Give credit to the authors of all the
information you use in a paper
– Except
• Information that is generally known by anyone who
might be reading the paper
• Your own original thought or idea
12. General In-text citation format:
For APA
A. Author’s last name
B. Date of Publication
C. For exact quotes, give
page or paragraph
numbers at the end of
the quote
• (Zuckerman, 2006, 71)
For MLA
A. Author’s last name
B. Page number where
the quote or
paraphrased material
can be found
• (Zuckerman, 71)
13. Long Quotes (@40 words or more)
APA
• indent it ½ inch on each side with NO
quotation marks
Zuckerman (2006) has shown that the value of a college
degree has increased dramatically in the past century.
Over the past 25 years, globalization and
technology have increased the rewards for
intellectual skills, vastly increasing the value
of a college degree…. The income gap between
college graduates and those without university
degrees doubled between 1979 and 1997. In
the 1930s and 1940s, only half of all American
chief executives had college degrees. Now,
virtually all do and three quarters of them also
hold advanced degrees, such as an M.B.A. (p. 71).
MLA
• free-standing block with NO quotation marks
The importance of having a college education was never more
clearly stated than in this passage:
Over the past 25 years, globalization and
technology have increased the rewards for
intellectual skills, vastly increasing the value of a
college degree…. The income gap between
college graduates and those without university
degrees doubled between 1979 and 1997. In the
1930s and 1940s, only half of all American chief
executives had college degrees. Now virtually all
do, and three quarters of them also hold
advanced degrees, such as an M.B.A. (Zuckerman
71)
14. Paraphrasing
Your own rendition of essential information and
ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a
new form.
• Summarize the original ideas of the author and
convey the important points
• Restricted use of too many exact quotes and
paraphrasing is encouraged
• Cite the source
15. In-text citing Complete Works
APA
• Idea from another work
but NOT directly
quoting or making
reference to an entire
book, article or other
work
– Author and year of
publication
MLA
• Referring to a complete
work (book or article)
– Only need to use the
author’s last name
16. In-text citing Unknown Author
APA
• No author
– Use the first few words
from the title inside
quotation marks
– Use same words in the
Works Cited list
MLA
• No author
– Use the first few words
from the title inside
quotation marks
– Page number
– Use same words in the
Works Cited list
17. In-Text citing an Indirect Source
• APA
– Use the original source’s
author’s name in your
text
– List the source you found
it in inside your in-text
citation
• Johnson argued that ….
(as cited in Smith, 2003,
p. 102)
• MLA
– Use the original author’s
name in your text
– Use the abbreviation
“qtd.” to indicate the
source you actually
consulted
• Ravitch argues … “social
service centers, and they
don’t do that well” (qtd.
in Weisman 259).
Note: It is usually best to locate and cite an original source directly
