{"id":721,"date":"2017-10-21T22:52:41","date_gmt":"2017-10-21T22:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jeffersoncc-introliterature\/?post_type=chapter&p=721"},"modified":"2017-11-20T18:04:03","modified_gmt":"2017-11-20T18:04:03","slug":"how-to-avoid-plagiarizing","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-jeffersoncc-introliterature\/chapter\/how-to-avoid-plagiarizing\/","title":{"raw":"How to Avoid Plagiarizing","rendered":"How to Avoid Plagiarizing"},"content":{"raw":"

Tip\u00a0#1:\u00a0Make Sure You Are Very Certain about What Is and is Not Plagiarism<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/t5dRz6ZEkj8\r\n

Tip\u00a0#2:\u00a0Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Complete an Assignment<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nRunning out of time on an assignment is a main cause of\u00a0plagiarism. Rushing to meet a deadline can result in carelessness (leading to unintentional plagiarism \u2013 see the next tip) and the desire\u00a0to find a\u00a0quick,\u00a0easy solution such as copying someone else\u2019s work. Don\u2019t give in to that temptation! Plagiarism is a serious academic offense, and the chance of being caught (which is likely) is not worth it.\r\n\r\nAvoid this situation entirely by starting your assignment far ahead of time and planning out when you will complete each phase of the writing process. Even if your teacher does not require you to turn in materials for each stage of the writing process<\/a> (i.e. brainstorming, creating a thesis statement, outlining, drafting, revising, etc.), set your own personal deadlines for each step along the way and make sure to give yourself more than enough time to finish everything.\r\n

Tip\u00a0#3:\u00a0Document Everything\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nPlagiarism isn\u2019t always a conscious choice. \u00a0Sometimes it can be unintentional, typically resulting from poor documentation of one\u2019s sources during the research phase. For example, sometimes students will write down an idea from a source using words identical to or very close to those in the original, but then when they go to write their paper forget that the material was not already in their own words. \u00a0Adopting good research habits can prevent this type of plagiarism.\r\n\r\nPrint, photocopy, or scan the relevant pages of every source you are using (including the title and copyright pages, since they have the information you need for a bibliographic citation). \u00a0When taking notes by hand (or typed into a file),\u00a0list the bibliographic information for each source you use.\u00a0\u00a0Make sure to put quotation marks around any wordings\u00a0taken directly from the source (and note the page where you found it), and remember to put everything else into your own words right away, so there is no danger of forgetting something is a quote. \u00a0Documenting where all of your ideas, information, quotations, and so on come from is an important step in avoiding plagiarism.\r\n<\/strong>\r\n

Tip\u00a0#4:\u00a0Don\u2019t Include Too Much Material Taken from Other Sources<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2919\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]\"Never Tips for integrating sources into your research.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWriting assignments are about your ideas, your interpretations, and your ability to synthesize information. \u00a0You should use relevant sources to support your ideas using evidence such as quotes, paraphrases, and summaries, as well as statistics and other data. \u00a0But don\u2019t lose sight of the fact that your argument is central!\u00a0Including too much material from other sources can result in a paper that feels like it has been pasted together from a variety of authors, rather than a cohesive essay. \u00a0Such papers also run a much higher\u00a0risk of setting off plagiarism warnings in SafeAssign or other plagiarism-detecting software. \u00a0Try to find a balance: use enough evidence from credible sources to prove your points but don\u2019t\u00a0let the ideas of others take the place of your own thoughts.\r\n

Tip\u00a0#5:\u00a0When in Doubt, Give a Citation<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThere are certain types of information \u2013 typically referred to as common knowledge \u2013 that don\u2019t require a citation when you include them in your writing. \u00a0These are facts that are widely known and can be easily found in a number of sources. They are not ideas that originated with one particular source. \u00a0Examples include scientific facts (for example, that solid, liquid, and gas are three states of matter), general historical information (for example, that George Washington was the first US president), or even information commonly known to certain groups of people but not others (for example, most musicians know that a C major triad includes the notes C, E, and G, even though many non-musicians would have no idea what a C major triad is).\r\n\r\nFor everything else, you need to include a citation, regardless of whether you are quoting directly from the source, paraphrasing it, or giving a summary. \u00a0If you are at all unsure whether something qualifies as common knowledge or not, give a citation. You can also consult a more experienced figure in your field, such as your instructor, to find out if something counts as\u00a0common knowledge or not.\r\n
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In academic writing, the \"Quote Sandwich\" approach<\/b>\u00a0is useful for incorporating other writers' voices into your essays. \u00a0It gives meaning and context to a quote, and helps you avoid plagiarism. \u00a0This 3-step approach offers your readers a deeper understanding of what the quote is and how it relates to your essay's goals.\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n \t
  1. Step 1<\/b>:<\/i> Provide context for the source.\u00a0 If you haven't used it yet in the essay, tell us the source's title and author (if known), and any other information that's relevant, like the purpose of the organization that published it, for instance.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Step 2:<\/i><\/b> Provide the quote itself.\u00a0 Be sure to format correctly and use quotation marks around exact language.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Step 3:<\/i><\/b> Provide a summary and\/or analysis of what the quote says, and how it relates to the subject matter of your essay and your thesis.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

    Tip\u00a0#1:\u00a0Make Sure You Are Very Certain about What Is and is Not Plagiarism<\/strong><\/h3>\n