The document discusses how to avoid plagiarism in academic writing. It provides guidance on properly citing direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from sources. It explains the differences between intentional and unintentional plagiarism and how to properly paraphrase sources while avoiding plagiarism. Signs of plagiarism and how to properly cite sources are also covered.

1. Plagiarism
What It Is and How to Avoid It

2. How to avoid plagiarism
• Don’t misrepresent anyone else’s work or ideas as
your own.
• Take good, careful notes. Separate direct quotes from
your own ideas.
• Use proper documentation.
• Cite everything that is not common knowledge.
• Document direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries.
• Document statistics, graphs, and charts.
• Put quotation marks around at least 4 words in a row from
a source.

3. How to avoid plagiarism
• Clarify collaboration guidelines
• Find out professor’s requirements
• Don’t submit same work as teammates without
clarification.
• Don’t resubmit all or part of a prior paper without
explicit permission from the professor.
• Don’t sell or provide any academic work to another
student. Both of you are guilty.

4. Signs of intentional plagiarism
• Formatting different from what is taught
• Odd sentences or wording stuck into a paper
• Change in student’s writing ability
• Poorly-written or incomplete citations
• It is always best to “over”-cite than to risk “under”-citing
(when in doubt, cite it!)
• Old references
• Last minute topic changes
• TurnItIn site license at Clemson

5. Unintentional Plagiarism
Ignorance is NOT an excuse
• Failure to cite sources
• Omitting quotation marks where needed
• Incorrect paraphrase

6. Definitions
Paraphrase: “A rewording of the meaning of
something spoken or written” (Webster’s Dictionary).
**Paraphrase: A rephrasing of borrowed material that
has been “spoken or written” (Webster’s Dictionary).
When I paraphrase, I keep the meaning but change
the word order and vocabulary so they become my
own.
• Is it okay to keep the spoken or written part?

7. Steps in paraphrasing
• Read and understand the source.
• Put away the source.
• Make simple list of main points.
• Review source for accurate information.
• Put away source; rewrite in your own words.
• Check your paraphrase against original source.

8. Good paraphrasing is…
• Accurate – same meaning as source.
• Original – different language from source.
• Grammatically correct.
• If NOT, try again.

9. Tips for paraphrasing
• Use different STRUCTURE
• Maintain MEANING
• Vary WORDS (*except proper names, numbers,
technical jargon*)
• Keep similar LENGTH
• Use your own STYLE, even if less perfect

10. Paraphrase or Plagiarize?

11. Example
• Original source:
“If the existence of a signing ape was
unsettling for linguists, it was also startling
news for animal behaviorists” (Davis 26).
• Version A:
The existence of a signing ape unsettled
linguists and startled animal behaviorists
(Davis 26).

12. Explanation
• Original source:
“If the existence of a signing ape was
unsettling for linguists, it was also startling
news for animal behaviorists” (Davis 26).
• Version A: PLAGIARISM
The existence of a signing ape unsettled
linguists and startled animal behaviorists
(Davis 26).

13. Example
• Original source:
“If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling
for linguists, it was also startling news for animal
behaviorists” (Davis 26).
• Version B:
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp
was disturbing for scientists studying language, it
was also surprising to scientists studying animal
behavior (Davis 26).

14. Explanation
• Original source:
“If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling
for linguists, it was also startling news for animal
behaviorists” (Davis 26).
• Version B: PLAGIARISM (structure)
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp
was disturbing for scientist studying language, it
was also surprising to scientists studying animal
behavior (Davis 26).

15. Example
• Original source:
“If the existence of a signing ape was
unsettling for linguists, it was also startling
news for animal behaviorists” (Davis 26).
• Version C:
According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal
behaviorists were unprepared for the news
that a chimp could communicate with its
trainers through sign language (26).

16. Explanation
• Original source:
“If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists,
it was also startling news for animal behaviorists” (Davis 26).
• Version C: GOOD PARAPHASE!
According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists
were unprepared for the news that a chimp could
communicate with its trainers through sign language (Davis
26).
* Note – a few identical nouns are okay (linguists and animal
behaviorists)

17. Paraphrase craze
http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/Paraphrase
Craze/default.htm#page5a

18. Activity 1
"The Antarctic is the vast source of
cold on our planet, just as the sun is
the source of our heat, and it exerts
tremendous control on our climate,"
[Jacques] Cousteau told the camera.
"The cold ocean water around
Antarctica flows north to mix with
warmer water from the tropics, and
its upwellings help to cool both the
surface water and our atmosphere.
Yet the fragility of this regulating
system is now threatened by human
activity."
From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon
(May 1990):17.
Examples 1 & 2 from Online Writing Lab at
Purdue University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print
/research/r_paraphrA1.html

19. Activity 1 Response
According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in
Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism
that controls the earth's climate. He fears that human
activity could interfere with the balance between the sun,
the source of the earth's heat, and the important source of
cold from Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the
oceans and atmosphere ("Captain Cousteau" 17).
Example from Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_paraphrA1.html

20. Research paper
• Make copies of all research sources.
• Underline all sections of sources used in paper.
• Underline all cited material in paper.
• Compare the two, using guidelines for paraphrasing
and avoiding plagiarism.

21. Follow-up
• Did you correctly cite and paraphrase material from
sources?
• If YES, what makes your paraphrase good?
• If NO, what do you need to change?

22. Internal citation
• Cite immediately after direct quote or
paraphrase.
• Place summary citations at the end of the
section.
• Citations go inside the sentence.
• Long quotes are 4+ sentences:
• Double indent (left side only).
• Cite after the final period.
• Do NOT use quotation marks.

23. Works cited page
• All sources used in paper MUST be listed.
• If you do not cite something in paper, you cannot list
it here.
• Use CSE formatting.
• The first word(s) in internal citation MUST match
wording and format on works cited page.

24. Resources
• Online
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
• http://www.citationmachine.net

25. Activity 2
Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the
viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic
of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of
the breeze as necessary to a landscape and
the smell of oranges as essential to a still
life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-
known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces
the southern wall of the city near the sultan's
palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua,
blue, and rose delicately fenced by the
liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse
gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon,
including the subtle presence of the bowaab,
the sentry who sits and surveys those who
pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens,
"Bright Lights." Newsweek (26 March 1990):
50.

26. Activity 2 Response
Matisse paintings are remarkable in giving the viewer the distinct sensory
impressions of one experiencing the scene first hand. For instance, "The
Casbah Gate" takes one to the walled city of Tangier and the Bab el Aassa
gateway near the Sultan's palace, where one can imagine standing on an
afternoon, absorbing the splash of colors and the fine outlines. Even the
sentry, the bowaab vaguely eyeing those who come and go through the
gate, blends into the scene as though real (Plagens 50).