What's Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas without giving them proper credit.
Plagiarism can be unintentional, such as forgetting to cite your sources in a paper or using an image without giving the creator credit, or intentional, such as buying a paper or using someone else's ideas and passing them off as your own.
Plagiarism is a serious problem, both in academia and in professional settings.
Madison College's Policy
According to the Madison College Academic Integrity webpage, students who plagiarize will be disciplined according to the 10 disciplinary sanctions for academic misconduct listed on the webpage. This could be anything from an oral reprimand to suspension from the institution. The procedures for allegations and appeals also appear on this page. Visit the college's Academic Integrity page for more information.
Quoting and Paraphrasing
Two ways to use someone's ideas are quoting or word-for-word, and paraphrasing, or rewording. Either way, give the original author credit for their idea.
Quoting:
When using someone's idea word-for-word, introduce it either before or after the quote, and put their words in quotations. Then, give the author credit directly after the sentence using the appropriate citation style.
Example:
The source must also be included at the end of the paper in a list of Works Cited, such as this one below which is following the rules of the MLA style.
Paraphrasing
When you take someone's ideas and reword them using your own vocabulary, you still need to give the original author credit.
Example:
As when quoting, the source must be included at the end of the paper in a list of Works Cited, such as this one below which is following the rules of the MLA style.
Books
A Writer's Reference with Resources for Multilingual Writers and ESL by
This version of the best selling college handbook helps both resident and international students understand college expectations and develop strategies for improving their academic English and academic writing. Written by an ESL expert, this booklet includes plenty of helpful charts, activities, exercises, and model papers -- along with notes about where to find additional resources online and on campus. Resources for Multilingual Writers and ESL is also available in a packageable, stand-alone booklet (ISBN: 978-0-312-65685-0). Contact your sales representative or sales_support@bfwpub.com for a copy.
Call Number: 808.2 H118 2011ISBN: 9780312649364Publication Date: 2011-01-21
From Inquiry to Academic Writing: a Text and Reader by
Academic writing is a conversation -- a collaborative exchange of ideas to pursue new knowledge. From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader demystifies cross-curricular thinking and writing by breaking it down into a series of comprehensible habits and skills that students can learn in order to join in. The extensive thematic reader opens up thought-provoking conversations being held throughout the academy and in the culture at large. Read the preface.
Call Number: 808.02 G799ISBN: 9780312601416Publication Date: 2011-07-06
How to Write a Thesis by
This invaluable book covers issues such as working out the criteria for your thesis, writerOCOs block, writing a literature review, making notes into a draft and much more. The author introduces practical writing techniques such as freewriting, generative writing and binge writing as well as what to do when you have the end in sight and when itOCOs all over.
ISBN: 9780335244294Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Rules for Writers by
Beginning college writers come from a wide range of backgrounds and communities. And for many, academic reading and writing skills are ones they must learn and practice. Enter Rules for Writers. It's an easy-to-use, comprehensive composition tool with the quality you expect from authors you trust. It empowers students by teaching them how to meet new expectations and by giving them the practice that builds confidence. With trusted advice for writing well, reading critically, and working with sources, Rules for Writers now has even more help for underprepared and inexperienced writers--sentence guides that foster an academic voice, tips for spotting fake news and misleading sources, more on paraphrasing, and fifteen new "how-to" pages that offer practical help for writing challenges. It's an affordable solution with significant value, especially when paired with LaunchPad Solo for Hacker Handbooks, an innovative practice solution available at no additional cost when package with a new text.
Call Number: 808.042 H118R 2019ISBN: 9781319057428Publication Date: 2018-10-01
Writing History by
An indispensable resource for thousands of history students over five editions, Writing History: A Guide for Students provides a wealth of tips and advice to help students research and write essays for history classes. Bringing together practical methods from both history and composition, it covers all aspects of writing about history, including finding and researching topics, interpreting source materials, drawing inferences from sources, and constructing arguments. It concludes with three chapters that discuss writing effective sentences, using precise wording, and revising. Using numerous examples from the works of cultural, political, and social historians, Writing History serves as an ideal text for any history course that asks students to conduct research. The sixth edition offers better guidance on how to begin a research paper and expanded sections on oral history and visual and material sources
Call Number: 907.2 ST884ISBN: 9780190078416Publication Date: 2020-02-14
Best Practices
Organize your research from the start
- Write your notes as if you are writing a paper. Make note of author and page number whenever quoting or paraphrasing, and include a full citation at the end of your notes for each reading.
- Citation management tools such as Zotero or pasting citations for your sources into a Word document are good ways to track your work.
Cite your sources and format your citations
- Creating citations as you write your paper can be a good way to avoid accidentally plagiarizing sources by failing to cite them. Double check your citations are formatted correctly. The Madison College Citation Guide has some great resources.
Turn in your own work
- Never turn in work you have not written yourself. Madison College's Academic Integrity policy prohibits such actions, and turning in work that is not your own also has serious consequences in the corporate world.
Acknowledge the work of others
- When turning in group projects make sure you properly identify who created which parts. Look closely at assignments to see if it allows for group work or if the work needs to be yours alone.
Ask an expert
- If you are unsure about citations, how to phrase something, or where to find research, ask an expert! Madison College Librarians are happy to help with citations and research and the Madison College Writing Center can help with citations and phrasing.
Common Knowledge
The exception to citing sources is when something is considered common knowledge. But what does that mean?
Common knowledge is information that the average reader would know and accept as reliable without having to look it up.
This includes:
- information most people know, such as that there are four seasons in a year, or that Barack Obama was the first American of mixed race to be elected president
- information shared by a cultural or national group, such as national holidays or the names of cultural heroes
- knowledge shared by members of a certain field, such as the assertion that frequent nurse handwashing reduces the spread of infection in hospitals.
Because of this, common knowledge is contextual - what may be common knowledge in a certain culture or field might not be elsewhere.
How do you know if something is common knowledge? Consider:
- Who is your audience?
- What can you assume they already know?
- Will you be asked where you obtained this information?
Common Knowledge. (n.d.). Academic Integrity at MIT. https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/citing-your-sources/what-common-knowledge
Guide Attribution
Portions of this guide created and developed by Robin Gee, University of Wisconsin - Madison iSchool Practicum student