This document discusses plagiarism, paraphrasing, and proper citation in APA style research papers. It defines plagiarism as using another's work without giving them credit. Paraphrasing is summarizing another's work in your own words, which still requires citation. Self-plagiarism involves reusing your own previously published work without citation. The document provides guidelines for paraphrasing, including developing a focus statement and putting ideas in your own words rather than just rearranging the original. Direct quotes should be limited, and any borrowed facts or ideas must be properly cited.

1. APA Research Papers
Paraphrasing versus Plagiarism

2. What is Plagiarism?
 Plagiarism (the intentional or unintentional theft of
intellectual ideas), occurs whenever any information
is used from another source without giving the
author(s) of that source credit for the information.
 You must document sources every time you borrow
any information, including facts, statistics, numbers,
ideas, concepts, names, locations, or dates.
 Even if you are paraphrasing or summarizing
information, you must still provide a citation for that
information.

3. Avoid Plagiarism

4. Self-Plagiarism
Self-plagiarism occurs when writers utilize work they
have previously published, or submitted for another
course, either whole or in part.
As a scholar, you are expected to contribute new
knowledge to your field of study, not merely reproduce
extant knowledge, even if it is your own.
If you incorporate sections of a paper your previously
wrote into another paper, you must cite the material.

5. GSU’s Plagiarism Policy
Misconduct in research runs contrary to Governors
State University’s mission as an institution of
higher education, undermines the public trust
placed in the research enterprise of our nation’s
colleges and universities, and wastes valuable
public and private resources. Therefore, it is the
policy of Governors State University to neither
condone nor tolerate research misconduct by any
member of its community.

6. Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarizing

7. What is Paraphrasing?

8. What is Paraphrasing?
 Paraphrasing is the process of summarizing another
author’s work, with respect to your topic and
incorporating it in the body of your paper.
 Properly paraphrased sentences are not quotes.
 Instead, these rephrased sentences concisely convey
your idea framed in the context of another author’s
research.
 When writing an APA research paper, you are
expected to integrate material gathered from various
sources via paraphrasing.

9. Paraphrasing in APA
 When writing in APA, the use of direct quotes should
be limited.
 APA style is about conveying ideas, concepts, and
research through clear, concise, well articulated
arguments.
 APA papers encourage writers to synthesize
information mastered in courses and learned via
experience, observation, and research to examine the
status quo, and explore or create new academic
arguments.

10. How to Paraphrase
 Find the main idea within a direct quote that you
plan on using.
 Read that quote multiple times until you have a
strong understanding of it.
 Take that idea and write it down on a separate piece
of paper. Ignore everything else the author said that
isn’t that idea.

11. How to Paraphrase cont.
 While paraphrasing, you want to take the most
important aspect of what an original author is
saying, and put it in your own words.
 When paraphrasing, you do not want to merely
rearrange the original author’s words, but refocus
them to support the purpose of your writing.
 To properly paraphrase, it is important to have a
strong focus statement.

12. The Importance of a Focus Statement
 Your focus statement will let you know how to
properly paraphrase, and what pieces of an article
are important to sample for your essay.
 The authors of the piece you are citing have their
own specific purpose for writing, which is different
than your purpose, so you will want to refocus their
ideas with your thesis in mind.
 While paraphrasing work, it is important to
remember the goal of using outside sources is to
support your work, so you will have to refocus the
paraphrase so it specifically deals with the focus of
your essay.

13. Paraphrased Information
Topic: The importance of meditation in stress
management.
Quote: “Through the implementation of private,
focused, daily meditation in a quiet space, 70% of
participants reported feeling less stressed, while
59% reported feeling more confident in their sexual
relationships, and 68% reported feeling physically
energized” (Corbin, 2001, p. 418).
Paraphrased: Seventy percent of participants
experienced a decline in stress when they meditated
daily in a quiet space (Corbin, 2001).

14. Direct quote
Topic: The importance of meditation in stress
management.
Quote: “Through the implementation of private,
focused, daily meditation in a quiet space, 70% of
participants reported feeling less stressed, while
59% reported feeling more confident in their sexual
relationships, and 68% reported feeling physically
energized” (Corbin, 2001, p. 418).

15. Common Knowledge
Ask yourself these two questions:
1. Did I know this prior to taking the course?
2. Did this information or idea come from me and me
alone?
If you answered “No” to any of these questions, you
MUST cite the information.
Remember, if someone else can take credit for it, you
MUST cite it.
10/15/14

16. GSU Plagiarism Policy

17. Incorporating Citations
 Anytime you borrow thoughts, ideas, concepts, figures, or
theories from an outside source, you need to give credit to
those authors.
 Your citation should be provided immediately after you invoke
a source.
 If you cite a source multiple times throughout a paragraph,
cite the author in the first sentence in which you use their
ideas, and if you readers can make the assumption you are
using the same source throughout the paragraph, you only
need the one citation.
 You will have to re-cite the source if you integrate new authors
in a paragraph, or change to a new paragraph.

18. How to Cite
 In APA style you need to cite the author(s) of the
piece, and provide a year of publication.
 For example, (Smith, 2007).
 For direct quotes, a page number must be included
as well: (Smith, 2007, p. 57)
 Page numbers are not required for paraphrasing.
 Do not forget to place direct quotes within quotation
marks.

19. Incorrect
Studies suggest that consuming fructose in large
quantities can lead to diabetes and obesity, which is
another reason parents should monitor their
children’s diet (p. 89).
Studies suggest that consuming fructose in large
quantities can lead to diabetes and obesity, which is
another reason parents should monitor their
children’s diet (Jackson & Patel, 2005, p. 89).
10/15/14

20. Correct
Jackson and Patel (2005) suggest that consuming
fructose in large quantities “can lead to diabetes and
obesity, which is another reason parents should
monitor their children’s diet” (p. 89).
10/15/14

21. Documentation styles: additional help
 For help with a variety of questions of
documentation styles, be sure to visit the writing
center’s website at
www.govst.edu/owl
 Click on the documentation styles link to locate the
paper template, sample paper, and a variety of links
for citations.

22. Additional Support
Contact your professor regarding the rubric or for
more details on your specific assignment
For library support, please visit the following link or
consult one of our GSU Librarians for research
help: http://www.govst.edu/library
For additional assistance with writing/reviewing
your paper, please schedule an appointment with
the GSU Writing Center at:
http://www.mywco.com/govst

23. When in doubt,
CITE!
10/15/14