This document provides information on writing, referencing, and avoiding plagiarism. It discusses the stages of research, how to read sources selectively, and how to structure a good academic report. It defines plagiarism and provides examples of what constitutes plagiarism. It also discusses how to reference sources correctly, including using in-text citations and reference lists, and provides examples of citations in APA style. Resources for writing, referencing, and plagiarism are also listed.

1. CT231 • Professional Skills • 2012-13
Week 5.
Writing, Referencing
& Avoiding Plagiarism

3. Stages of Research
Research Tools
Define the Search engines,
research Wikipedia
question
(THINK before Google Scholar
you SEARCH)
Read & Advanced Search
Refine
Library resources:
Read selectively, Books,
actively, Electronic
critically journals,
Databases

4. Read Selectively
• select the LATEST / CURRENT
• select the most RELEVANT
• select by RELIABILITY
(e.g. Source? Bias? Bibliography?)
• select by AMOUNT

5. 1. How do you
write a report?

6. A good report: WHAT?
Introduction
– outline your approach: what report is going to discuss/deal with
– clarify the scope of the report
Body
– 1 point/idea/concept per paragraph
– use readings to support your case or challenge arguments
– cite all sources correctly & completely
– analytical/critical focus
– balanced approach
Summary/Conclusion
– re-visit main points
– raise any inconsistencies in literature
Reference List

7. A good report: HOW?
Plan
– define the purpose
– analyse the audience
– gather information
– structure the material
Write/Re-write
– write a rough draft
– structure the report clearly (see previous slide)
– refine the report using a clear writing style
Cite Sources
– put brief, in-text references wherever you refer to other work
– put full references in the Bibliography
Review

8. Structuring your material
Loose organization
Organization & evaluation
Formal outline
I. xxxx II. xxxx III. xxxx IV. xxxx V. xxxx

9. Academic Report Writing
Referencing Sources
correctly
Avoiding Plagiarism

10. 2. What is
plagiarism?

11. Definition of PLAGIARISM
“failure to provide
proper acknowledgement
of your use of another’s work”
“intellectual theft”
Source: Dartmouth University. (2012). What is plagiarism?
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/sources-citation.html

12. NUIG Definition of PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the act of copying, including or
directly quoting from, the work of another
without adequate acknowledgement…
National University of Ireland, Galway. (2011).
Code of practice for dealing with plagiarism.
www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism

13. NUIG Definition of PLAGIARISM
The submission of plagiarised materials for
assessment purposes or for publication or for public
presentation is fraudulent and all suspected cases
will be investigated and dealt with appropriately by
the University following the procedures outlined
here and with reference to the Disciplinary Code…
National University of Ireland, Galway. (2010).
Code of practice for dealing with plagiarism.
www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism

14. NUIG Definition of PLAGIARISM
All work submitted by students for assessment
purposes is accepted on the understanding that
it is their own work and written in their own
words except where explicitly referenced using
the accepted norms and formats of the
appropriate academic discipline.
National University of Ireland, Galway. (2010).
Code of practice for dealing with plagiarism.
www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism

15. Are these examples of plagiarism?

16. Are these examples of plagiarism?
• Buying/borrowing/stealing a paper or report

17. Are these examples of plagiarism?
• Buying/borrowing/stealing a paper or report
• Hiring someone to write a paper or report

18. Are these examples of plagiarism?
• Buying/borrowing/stealing a paper or report
• Hiring someone to write a paper or report
• Copying from another source without citing your
source

19. Are these examples of plagiarism?
• Buying/borrowing/stealing a paper or report
• Hiring someone to write a paper or report
• Copying from another source without citing your
source
• Building on someone’s ideas without citing your
source

20. Are these examples of plagiarism?
• Buying/borrowing/stealing a paper or report
• Hiring someone to write a paper or report
• Copying from another source without citing your
source
• Building on someone’s ideas without citing your
source
• Using a source very closely when paraphrasing

21. Are these examples of plagiarism?
• Buying/borrowing/stealing a paper or report
• Hiring someone to write a paper or report
• Copying from another source without citing your
source
• Building on someone’s ideas without citing your source
• Using a source very closely when paraphrasing
Yes... these are all examples of plagiarism

22. 3. How do you avoid
Plagiarism?

23. HEART of avoiding plagiarism…
Give credit where credit is due
i.e. reference your sources

24. 4. How do you
reference correctly?

25. Referencing = citing your sources
There are 2 parts to citing your sources
In-text citation Reference List
• idea (Cronin, 2011) at the end of the report;
• “direct quote” (Cronin, 2011, p. 45) full citation for each source

26. In-text citation
• You need to show where in your report you’ve used a
particular source... but the full reference would be too
long to put within the body of your report, e.g.
Sun, J., Flores, J. & Tanguma, J. (2012). E-textbooks and
students’ learning experiences. Decision Sciences
Journal of Innovative Education, 10 (1), 63-77.
• So, you use in-text citations within the body of the
report, in the exact location where you refer to it:
Sun, et al (2012)
• It’s like a shorthand for the full citation, which goes in
the List of References at the end of the report

27. List of references
• The list of references goes at the end of the report,
on its own page
• All sources used must be included in alphabetical
order by author surname
• Don’t separate types of sources (i.e. books from
articles or web sites) in the list of references
• Each in-text citation contained in your report must
match to a full citation in the list of references.

28. What info must be referenced?
… it depends on the source!
Types of sources:
• Book • Lecture
• Edited book • Map
• Newspaper
• Govt. publication
• Conference proceedings
• Graphic illustration
• Web page (not web site)
• Journal article

29. Citation fields?
• Author (individual(s), corporation, organization)
• Title (e.g. book, article, web page)
• Year of publication
• Publisher & place of publication
• Volume & Number (for journals)
• Edition (for some books)
• Page number (for direct quotations, articles, etc.)
These are some of the most common citation fields…
not an exhaustive list.

30. APA style of referencing
There are many styles of referencing; in
CT231 it is recommended that you use
APA style (American Psychological Association).
The following 4 slides contain a few
examples of in-text citations and
reference list items, using APA style.

31. APA EXAMPLE: In-text citation
Idea:
For Giddens (2010), the advent of new
communications technology is leading to the
‘death of distance’ and making it possible to share
knowledge and culture across the globe
instantaneously and simultaneously.
In quoting an idea from someone else, cite the author and
year of publication.

32. APA EXAMPLE: In-text citation
Direct quote:
As Morganstern (2010) notes, “The interruption-rich
environment is a challenge for even the best time
managers” (p. 29).
For direct quotes you cite the author, year of publication, and
the page number where the exact quote can be found.

33. APA EXAMPLE: Reference List
Book:
Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble: What The
Internet Is Hiding From You. London: Viking.
Author. (Year). Book Title. Place of publication: Publisher.

34. APA EXAMPLE: Reference List
Journal article:
Rutherford, J.J. (2010). Wearable technology.
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, IEEE,
29 (3), 19-24.
Author. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume
(number), pages.

35. APA EXAMPLE: Reference List
Web page:
Purdue University. Is it plagiarism yet? (2012).
Retrieved October 1, 2012, from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/
NOTE: you must cite a web page and not a web site –
as with other references, include the author, title and
year of publication.

36. Academic Report Writing
Referencing Sources
correctly
Avoiding Plagiarism

37. 5. Resources

38. www.nuigalway.ie/wrap
WRAP
Writing, Referencing & Avoiding Plagiarism
NUI Galway

39. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
OWL
Online Writing Lab
Purdue University