The document provides guidance on avoiding plagiarism when taking notes and writing research papers. It explains what plagiarism is and discusses strategies for taking notes without directly copying from source materials. The document demonstrates the difference between a plagiarized version and a legitimate paraphrase of an example passage. It also offers tips for properly paraphrasing, such as thoroughly understanding the original source before paraphrasing in your own words while avoiding direct quotes whenever possible.

1. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
A How-To Guide

2. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
 Easier
 What
 How
said than done!
is plagiarism?
can we avoid it?

3. NOTE TAKING PROBLEM
Rosa Parks has been
called the mother of the
U.S. Civil Rights
Movement.
Rosa Parks
By Lynn Paul
Rosa parks was very important in U.S.
history. She has been called the mother of
the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

4. NOTE TAKING CORRECTION
1
“Rosa Parks has been called
the mother of the U.S. Civil
Rights Movement.”
Rosa Parks
By Lynn Paul
Rosa parks was very important in U.S.
history. Some historians dub her “the
mother of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement”
(“Rosa Parks”).

5. 1
Rosa Parks is considered the starter of
the civil rights movement because of
her bravery when she wouldn’t
relinquish her seat on a bus for a
Caucasian man.
Rosa Parks
By Lynn Paul
Rosa Parks is an important
symbol of the civil rights
movement. She showed
bravery when she wouldn’t
relinquish her seat on a bus for
a Caucasian man.

6. 1
• Rosa wouldn’t let a white man have
her seat on the bus
• Inspired others to join a bus boycott
• Bus boycott triggered other civil
rights activists and actions that
started the civil rights movement
Rosa Parks
By Lynn Paul
Rosa Parks is an important
symbol of the civil rights
movement. Some people say
that when refused to let a white
man take her seat on a bus she
started a chain of events that
started the civil rights
movement.

7. HERE’S AN EXAMPLE FROM PURDUE’S
ONLINE WRITING LAB
The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and
as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper.
Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear
as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the
amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking
notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed.
(1976): 46-47.
A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take
notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper.
In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist
of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount
of source material copied while taking notes.

8. The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and
as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper.
Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear
as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the
amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking
notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed.
(1976): 46-47.
Good notes:
• Many students’ research papers contain too many quotes
• Quoting less during note taking can help avoid the problem
• Generally, less than 10% of a final paper should be quotes
A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote too much. Taking good
notes can help solve the problem. Most notes should be
paraphrased, and direct quotes should only be used when they
are really needed (Lester 46-47).

9. EXPLAIN THIS MYSTERIOUS PARAPHRASING
PROCESS….
1)
2)
3)
4)
Re-read the original source until you thoroughly
understand it
Stop looking at the original source!
Use your own words and sentence structure to
capture the idea you’ve read.
Double check your paraphrase to make sure that
a) it’s accurate and b) it’s substantially different
from the original quote

10. QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE “DOUGLAS
MACARTHUR” IN THE AMERICAN HISTORY
DATABASE
“As a leader, MacArthur possessed a brilliant
grasp of strategy and enjoyed greater
success at coordinating massive land, sea,
and air forces than any of his contemporaries.
His World War II conquests were numerous,
impressive, and achieved at relatively little
cost.”

11. QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE “BOB DYLAN” IN
THE AMERICAN HISTORY DATABASE
“A central figure in the folk movement of the
1960s and 1970s, Bob Dylan, first known for
protest songs, moved far beyond the narrow
tradition of folk music and ultimately
influenced the content of rock as well. Some
people considered him to be the "poet
laureate" of his generation.”

12. QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE “JOHN F. KENNEDY ON
THE AMERICAN HISTORY DATABASE

The administration of John F. Kennedy, famous for
its youth and style, ushered in a period of hope,
vigor, and commitment for the United States that
would be cruelly cut short by Kennedy's
assassination and more critically evaluated with the
passage of time.