Avoiding Plagiarism: A Tutorial on Proper Citation

Using Sources in your Work:
A Tutorial on Avoiding Plagiarism
GRADE 11 & 12

NOTE:
To move through this tutorial, use the
mouse to click on the arrow at the
bottom right of your screen.

Agenda for This Tutorial
 Pretest your knowledge of plagiarism by
looking at some sample situations.

 Learn more about plagiarism:
• What plagiarism is and how one can avoid it
• When to cite your sources
• How to cite your sources

 Take a quiz to verify your understanding.
 Pledge that you will avoid plagiarism.

Definition of Plagiarism
 Plagiarism is:
• To steal the words or ideas of another
person

• To pass off the words or ideas of
another person as one’s own

• It doesn’t matter whether the theft is
intentional or accidental. Either way, it
is plagiarism.

You know this…
don’t you?
 Sure you do. Teachers have been
talking (and talking, and talking)
about plagiarism—and how you
should avoid it.

 Let’s see what you know about
plagiarism. In each of the following
examples, determine whether the
student committed plagiarism or not.

Jack’s Situation
Jack has an English paper due tomorrow.
He read the book and paid attention
during class, but he has no idea what to
write about.
Jack logs onto the Internet “just to get some
ideas about topics for his paper.”
He finds a great idea and begins writing his
paper using the topic he found. He is very
careful to avoid copying any text or words
from the Internet article he found.

Is this plagiarism? Yes No

You must choose from the blue
buttons at the bottom of the page.

Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.

Click here to
return to previous slide

You said…
Jack did plagiarize.
You are right. Jack’s actions constitute
plagiarism.
• By taking the ideas of the source
without citing them in the paper, Jack is
committing plagiarism.
• Even though he put the ideas in his own
words, Jack is stealing the intellectual
property of the source.

You said…
Jack did not plagiarize.
You are wrong. Jack’s actions constitute
plagiarism.
• By taking the ideas of the source without citing
them in the paper, Jack is committing
plagiarism.
• Even though he put the ideas in his own
words, Jack is stealing the intellectual property
of the source. You are wrong. Jack’s actions
constitute plagiarism.
• He could avoid plagiarism if he cites the source
of the ideas in his paper.

Jill’s Situation
During history class, Jill is asked to
find some background on Fidel
Castro’s rise to power.
Jill does a Google search and arrives at
Wikipedia’s article on Fidel Castro.
Without using quotation marks, Jill
cuts and pastes several sentences
from Wikipedia into her assignment.


You said…
Jill did plagiarize.
You are right. Jill’s actions constitute
plagiarism.
• By taking the words from the Wikipedia
article, Jill is committing plagiarism.
• She could avoid plagiarizing if she
quotes the article in her assignment and
includes an entry describing the source
in a bibliography at the end of her
paper.

You said…
Jill did not plagiarize.
You are wrong. Jill’s actions constitute
plagiarism.
• By taking the words from the Wikipedia
article, Jill is committing plagiarism.
• She could avoid plagiarizing if she
quotes the article in her assignment and
includes an entry describing the source
in a bibliography at the end of her
paper.

Gretel’s Situation
Gretel is a freshman who feels
overwhelmed by the high school.
When her science teacher assigns a
short worksheet on quarks, Gretel is
confused and frustrated.
During lunch, Gretel “borrows” her
friend’s paper and copies the
answers onto her own paper.


You said…
Gretel did plagiarize.
You are right. Gretel’s actions
• Even if Gretel’s friend gave permission
for Gretel to copy her work, it is still
plagiarism.
• Gretel is guilty of plagiarism. She tried
to take credit for the words and ideas of
another person.

You said…
Gretel did not plagiarize.
You are wrong. Gretel’s actions
• Even if Gretel’s friend gave permission
for Gretel to copy her work, it is still
plagiarism.
• It is plagiarism when a student tries to
take credit for the words and ideas of
another person without acknowledging
the original source of the work.

Hansel’s Situation
Hansel is a senior who has already
been accepted to college.

When his teacher assigns a paper on a
subject that Hansel wrote a paper on
as a sophomore, Hansel decides to
turn in his old paper again.


You said…
Hansel did plagiarize.
This example does not have a clear
right or wrong answer. Although it
may not technically be plagiarism,
Hansel’s reuse of his own paper is
prohibited by the rules of academic
integrity.
• So, if caught, Hansel would be in trouble
for his actions.

You said…
Hansel did not plagiarize.
This example does not have a clear
right or wrong answer. Although it
may not technically be plagiarism,
Hansel’s reuse of his own paper is
prohibited by the rules of academic
integrity.
• So, if caught, Hansel would be in trouble
for his actions.

Jacob’s Situation
Jacob is a sophomore who is creating a
digital story using images from the
internet.

Without giving the source and the
name of the photographer, Jacob
uses photographs found doing a
Google Image search.


You said…
Jacob did plagiarize.
Although this is not technically
plagiarism, Jacob’s actions are
wrong. The use of images or
drawings created by anyone other
than you requires citation of the
artist’s name and the source of the
image.
• So, if caught, Jacob would be in trouble
for his actions.

You said…
Jacob did not plagiarize.
Although this is not technically
plagiarism, Jacob’s actions are
wrong. The use of images or
drawings created by anyone other
than you requires citation of the
image.
• So, if caught, Jacob would be in trouble
for his actions.

How did you do?

Just to make sure you know
what actions are plagiarism,
please read the following…

Robert A. Harris, author of The Plagiarism Handbook, states that

The following actions are clearly
examples of plagiarism:
 Downloading and submitting a free
paper from a website.
 Buying and submitting a paper
purchased from a paper mill.
 Copying verbatim another writer’s
work—either in print or online—
without using quotation marks.

Harris continues his description by explaining that

The actions below are also plagiarism,
although many students don’t realize it:
 Inadequate paraphrasing, such as merely
substituting synonyms while keeping syntax
and other aspects the same
 Rearranging another writer’s words or
sentences
 Using another’s ideas, facts, or artistic products
without attribution
 Using unique phrases from another writer
 Copying the organizational or syntactical
structure of another writer, even if you
change the words used.

Wait, there’s more…
According to Harris

These are also plagiarism:
 Cutting and pasting to create a paper from
several sources without citing those sources.
 Quoting less than all the words copied.
 Changing some words but copying whole
phrases.
 Paraphrasing without attribution
 Summarizing without attribution
 Faking a citation

OK, I get it…
there are lots of ways to
plagiarize.

And, yes,
I know that it is wrong.

But,
if I am not caught,
I won’t be penalized.

So, what is the benefit
of citing my sources?

Four good reasons for citing
sources in your work:
• Citing reliable information gives
credibility to your work.

• Cheating is unethical behavior.

• It is only fair to give credit to the
source—otherwise, you are stealing the
source’s ideas.

• It is only fair to give credit to the
source—otherwise, you are stealing the
source’s ideas.
• The consequences are severe—
plagiarism is not worth the risk.

OK, fine…
there are reasons to not plagiarize.

But, I’m busy. Very busy.
And school doesn’t matter.
And the assignment is stupid.
And my teacher won’t catch me.
And other kids are doing it.
And I need a good grade.
And it is due tomorrow!
So, what am I supposed
to do?

Well, first of all,
you should not fall for those excuses!
 They are excuses for cheating.
(By the way, your teachers and principals won’t believe
that they are reasonable justification for cheating, either!)

 And it isn’t hard to avoid plagiarism!
• Just cite the source of any ideas or words you
take from anyone else.
• Then, provide a bibliography or Works Cited
page to show where the borrowed material
originated.

So:

(1) What do I need to cite?

(2) How do I cite?

Read on for the answers…

What do I need to cite?
Did you
 This chart will think of Yes.
it?
help you decide
what must be No.
cited.
• It was created by
Robert A. Harris in Is it
The Plagiarism common
Yes.
Handbook. knowledge?

No.

Cite it. Do not cite it.

So—the rule is:
Did you
think of Yes.
If you created it it?
or thought of it,
No.
you do not need
to cite the source.
Is it
common
If you did not knowledge?
Yes.

create the
No.
content, you must
cite the source.
Cite it. Do not cite it.

The one exception to
that rule is for
“common knowledge.”
Did you
You do not need to think of Yes.
it?
cite the source of an
unoriginal piece of No.
information IF:

(1) an educated
person should know Is it
common
the information, knowledge?
Yes.

OR,
No.
(2) it is a fact that
could be found in an Do not cite it.
Cite it.
encyclopedia.

So, you don’t need to cite a fact,

but you must cite the source of opinions
and ideas that are not your own.

And, you must cite anytime you use the exact
words of the source—even if the words are
presenting common knowledge.
You must always cite the source of ANY direct quotation.

So, you don’t need to cite a fact,
for example: Rand wrote Anthem.
OR
Ayn Rand was born in 1905.

but you must cite the source of opinions
and ideas that are not your own.
for example: Dorothy Gale believed that Anthem is an inspiring story (75).
OR
According to Joe Smith, Equality 7-2521 represents the human spirit (15).

And, you must cite anytime you use the exact
words of the source—even if the words are
presenting common knowledge.
You must always cite the source of ANY direct quotation.

So, let’s check to see that you
understand when you need to cite
the source and when you don’t…

Answer the following questions and
choose the correct answer.

Test Case #1
Jack isn’t sure if he needs to cite the source of the
information below. He found the fact online.

“Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president.”
What do you think? What should Jack do? Pick one of
the answers below.

Cite the source. Do not cite the
This means he will:
(1) Either: source.
a) Surround with quotation marks, or This means that the information is a
b) Put the quotation into his own words, commonly reported fact. It is generally
changing the syntax, structure, known and available from many sources.
& organization
(1) Jack should verify the information in at
(2) Include a lead-in giving the source’s name, least two sources, then

(3) Give the page number, and (2) Jack will write the well-known
information in his own words.
(4) List the source in a bibliography

You must choose one of the
buttons at the bottom of the page.

Read the situation and then choose
one of the options presented.

Click here to
return to previous slide

You are incorrect.
In this case,
citation is not necessary.
 Jack does not need to cite the source
of quote the information because it is
general knowledge.
 Because Abraham Lincoln’s status as
the 16th President of the US is a fact
that is verifiable in many places, Jack
can use the information without
citation.

You are correct!
Jack does not need to cite this
information.
 Jack does not need to cite the source
of quote the information because it is
general knowledge.
 Because Abraham Lincoln’s status as
the 16th President of the US is a fact
that is verifiable in many places, Jack
can use the information without
citation.

Test Case #2
In her paper on Affirmative Action, Jill found one source that
explained that Affirmative Action “evens the field of play by
wreaking equity on all players.”

In her paper, Jill uses the phrase “wreaking equity” but she puts
all the other parts of the source into her own words.
What should Jill do? Pick one of the answers below.

Cite the source. Not cite the source.
This means she will: This means that the information is generally
(1) Either: known and available from multiple sources.
a) Surround with quotation marks, or
b) Put the quotation into her own words, (1) Jill should verify the information in at
changing the syntax, structure, least two sources, then
& organization
(2) Jill will write the well-known
(2) Include a lead-in giving the source’s name,
information in her own words.
(3) Give the page number, and

(4) List the source in a bibliography

You are correct!
Jill must cite this information.
 Jill needs to cite the source of the
paraphrase because the idea belongs
to the source.
 Further, because Jill uses the unique
phrase “wreaking equity,” she must
include that phrase in quotation
marks, indicating that it is a direct
quotation from the source.

You are incorrect.
In this case, citation is necessary.
 Jill needs to cite the source of the
paraphrase because the idea belongs
to the source.
 Further, because Jill uses the unique
phrase “wreaking equity,” she must
include that phrase in quotation
marks, indicating that it is a direct
quotation from the source.

Test Case #3
Gretel found a very helpful article in an online
database. She very carefully made sure that she
rewrote the content of the article using her own
personal style; she changed the author’s syntax and
organization so that it fit seamlessly into her paper.

What should Gretel do?
Cite the source. Not cite the source.
This means she will: This means that the information is generally
(1) Either: known and available from multiple sources.
a) Surround with quotation marks, or
b) Put the quotation into his own words, (1) Gretel should verify the information in at
changing the syntax, structure, least two sources, then
& organization
(2) Gretel will write the well-known
(2) Include a lead-in giving the source’s name,
information in her own words.
(3) Give the page number, and
(3) Gretel must include a bibliographic citation
(4) List the source in a bibliography on her Works Consulted page.

You are correct.
In this case, citation is required.
 Gretel paraphrases the source’s idea
and content. She must give credit to
the source.
 She must provide her audience with
the source of the idea that she
borrowed.

You are incorrect!
Gretel must cite the source of this
information, even though she put it
in her own words.
 Gretel paraphrases the ideas of the
source, so she must cite the identity
of the source.
 Gretel must provide her audience
with the source of the material that
she borrowed.

Test Case #4

Jacob found a photograph online that shows
the historical period he’s discussing in his
paper. He wrote his own caption and placed
the image on the title page.
What should Jacob do?

Cite the source.
Not cite the source.
This means he will:
Either:
a) Put the artist’s name and This means that the image was
source directly beneath something that Jacob created
the image, or without manipulating other
people’s works.
b) List the source in a
bibliography

You are correct.
In this case, citation is required.
 Jacob uses somebody else’s creation;
therefore, he must give credit to the
source.
 He must provide his readers with the
image that he borrowed.

You are incorrect!
Jacob must cite the source of this
image.

 The image is not the creative
property of Jacob. Therefore, he
must cite the identity of the creator
and the source where he found the
image.

So, now you can identify
what must have a citation…

Now you need to know
how to use and cite a
source!

How to Cite a Source
 It’s easy. Just provide your audience with
the source of any ideas or words that are
not your own.
• First, carefully mark the beginning and end of
the source’s words or idea.
• Then, provide a bibliography to show where the
borrowed material originated.

 In fact, listing your sources shows your
audience that you are an informed, well-
researched writer!

How to Cite Direct Quotations
 Provide a bibliographic entry to show where the
borrowed material originated.
 Park, Beth L. Understanding Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Lebo
University Press: Pittsburgh, PA, 2008.

 Carefully mark the beginning and end of the
source’s words or idea.
• Use a lead-in to introduce the source
• Use quotation marks to surround the words of the source
• Provide the page number (or another citation) after the
closing quotation marks.

• EXAMPLE:
 According to literary critic Beth L. Parks, Equality 7-2521 finds
peace through “his search for the height of his own potential”
(24).

How to Cite Paraphrases
 Provide a bibliographic entry to show where the borrowed
material originated.
 Park, Beth L. Understanding Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Lebo University
Press: Pittsburgh, PA, 2008.

 Carefully mark the beginning and end of the source’s material.
• Use a lead-in to introduce the source
• Put the source’s original words into your own words:
 It isn’t just about using synonyms to replace words.
 You must change the syntax, sentence structure, & organization of the
original.
• If you find yourself just changing a word here or there, ask yourself if a
direct quotation would work. If it would work, then use a direct quotation.)
• Provide the page number (or another citation) after the closing
quotation marks.

• EXAMPLE:
 According to literary critic Beth L. Parks, Equality 7-2521 separates
himself from the society by striving to improve the world around him
(24).

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Can you identify plagiarism
when you see it?
 Try the following four examples. On
each you will see the source material
and the student’s usage of that
material.

 Use the buttons at the bottom of the
screen to choose if the example
shows acceptable use or plagiarism.

Acceptable Use or Plagiarism?
Example 1
Original source text:
In 1990, voters in Pennsylvania
Student’s Text:
were disposed to believe that
Voters in Pennsylvania believed that the Republican nominee,
the Republican nominee,
Barbara Hafer, opposed abortion rights, but the Democratic
Barbara Hafer, opposed abortion governor, Robert Casey, favored a right to abortion. But the
rights, and that the incumbent reverse was true, even though Democrats are more likely to be
Democratic governor, Robert “pro-choice”. “In general” doesn’t apply to “this specific.”
Casey, favored a right to
abortion: the reverse was true.
In general, Democrats are more
likely to be “pro-choice” and
Republicans “pro-life,” but not
in this case. A good rule is “in
Student’s Bibliography:
general” doesn’t necessarily
No references given.
apply to “this specific.”

Brooks Jackson and Kathleen
Hall Jamieson. Unspun: Finding
Facts in a World of
Disinformation. (73)
CHOOSE ONE: Acceptable Use Plagiarism

You said that the example showed
Acceptable Use

You are incorrect.
 Use the arrow at the bottom of this
screen to return to the example.

 Reread the example and see if you
can determine why it is plagiarism.

Plagiarism
You are correct!
 The paraphrase was inadequate and
the student did not give credit to the
source of the idea by having a
citation.
 To adequately paraphrase, the
student must change the words and
the sentence structure.

Example 2
Original source: Student’s Text:
In 1954, Albert Hastorf and Hadley
Cantril published a classic study
Psychologists investigated how fans
about how a Princeton and Dartmouth interpreted a violent game between
football fans saw a penalty-ridden Princeton and Dartmouth and found that,
game in which the Princeton although a Dartmouth player was the
quarterback was taken off the field
seriously injured only after a Princeton
with a broken nose and a mild
concussion and a Dartmouth player player was, the majority of Dartmouth fans
later suffered a broken leg. They believed Princeton started the roughness.
found that 86 percent of the
Princeton students said that
Dartmouth started the rough play,
but only 36 percent of the Dartmouth Student’s Bibliography:
students saw it that way. Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall
Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall
Jamieson. Unspun: Finding Facts in a
Jamieson. Unspun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation. New York:
World of Disinformation. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007.
Random House Trade Paperbacks,
2007. (74)


Acceptable Use
You are incorrect!

can determine why it is plagiarism.

Plagiarism
You are correct!
 This example is plagiarism because the
student neglected to include a parenthetical
reference in the text of the paper.
• She correctly marks the opening boundary of the
paraphrase with her phrase “Psychologists
investigated…”
• However, she does not provide the closing
boundary by giving a parenthetical reference to
the source material: “…started the roughness”
(Brooks, 74).

Example 3
Original text from Student’s Text:
the source: A psychology professor in California researched the
theory that if people were provided a reason to do
Robert Levine, a psychology
professor at California State something, they would be more likely to do it. At a
University, Fresno, tried different bake sale, he tried to sell cookies by asking “Would
pitches during a campus bake you like to buy a cookie?” and later asked “Would you
sale. Asking “Would you like to like to buy a cookie? It’s for a good cause.” When he
buy a cookie?” resulted in provided a reason for the sale, people were six times
purchases by only two out of
more like to buy a cookie – even though they didn’t
thirty passersby. But his
researchers sold six times as know what cause was benefitting (80).
many cookies when they asked,
“Would you like to buy a cookie?
It’s for a good cause.” And none Student’s Bibliography:
even bothered to ask what the Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
good cause was.
Unspun: Finding Facts in a World of
Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Disinformation. New York: Random House
Jamieson. Unspun: Finding Facts Trade Paperbacks, 2007.
in a World of Disinformation. New
York: Random House Trade
Paperbacks, 2007. (80)


Acceptable Use

You are correct!
 The student adequately paraphrases
by changing the words and the
syntax. He provides the source in
his bibliography.

Plagiarism

You are incorrect!

can determine why it is fair use.

So, to review…
 Plagiarism is a serious offense. Not
only does it carry heavy penalties,
but your integrity is damaged when
you plagiarize.
 Plagiarism is easily avoidable—just
cite the sources when you use the
words or ideas of another person.

 If you have any questions, see your
teacher or school librarian!

Final Directions:
 Your teacher has a written quiz for you to
take on the subject of plagiarism.
 Your teacher also has a honor code sheet.
You will sign it in order to verify that you
have receive this training.
 You will then have your parent sign the
honor code.
 Your English teacher will collect these
signed forms.

Sources Consulted
DeSena, Laura Hennessey. Preventing Plagiarism:
Tips and Techniques. National Council of
Teachers of English: Urbana, IL, 2007.

Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism Handbook:
Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing
with Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing: Los Angeles,
2001.

Valenza, Joyce Kasman. “What is Plagiarism? (And
Why You Should Care).” Springfield High School
Media Center Information Literacy Lessons.
Springfield School District.

Avoiding Plagiarism: A Tutorial on Proper Citation

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