HOW NOT TO PLAGIARIZE Adapted from Proctor, M. (1997) "How Not to Plagiarize". Online document. Available at http://utl1.library.utoronto.ca/www/writing/plagsep.html

Obviously it's against the rules to buy essays or copy chunks from your friend's homework, and it's also plagiarism to borrow passages from books or articles or Web sites without identifying them. You know that the purpose of any paper is to show your own thinking, not create a patchwork of borrowed ideas. But you may still be wondering how you're supposed to give proper references to all the reading you've done and all the ideas you've encountered.

The point of documenting sources in academic papers is to demonstrate that you know what is going on in your field of study. It's also a courtesy to your readers because it helps them consult the material you've found. So mentioning what others have said doesn't lessen the credit you get for your own thinking - in fact, it adds to your credibility.

That's not to say that questions about ownership of ideas are simple. Typing up references is admittedly a nuisance, but the real challenge is establishing the relationship of your thinking to the reading you've done. Here are some common questions and basic answers.

Can't I avoid problems just by listing every source in the bibliography? No, you need to integrate your acknowledgements into what you're saying. Give the reference as soon as you've mentioned the idea you are using - don't wait till the end of the paragraph. That may mean naming authors ("X says" and "Y argues against X,") and then going on to make your own comment.

If I put the ideas into my own words, do I still have to clog up my pages with all those names and numbers? Sorry - yes, you do. In academic papers, you need to keep mentioning authors and pages and dates to show how your ideas are related to those of the experts. It's sensible to use your own words to save space and to help connect ideas smoothly. But whether you quote a passage directly in quotation marks, paraphrase it closely in your own words, or just summarize it rapidly, you need to identify the source then and there.

But I didn't know anything about the subject until I started this paper. So do I have to give a reference for every point I make? You're safer to over-reference than to skimp. But you can cut down the clutter by recognizing that some ideas are "common knowledge" in the field - that is, taken for granted by people knowledgeable about the topic. Facts easily found in reference books are considered common knowledge: the date of the Armistice for World War I, for example, or the present population of Canada. For such facts, you don't need to name a specific source, even if you learned them only when doing your research. Some interpretive ideas may also be so well accepted that they don't need referencing - that Picasso is a distinguished modernist painter, for instance, or that smoking is harmful to health. Check with your teacher if you're in doubt whether a specific point is considered common knowledge in your field.

How can I tell what's my own idea and what has come from something I read? Careful note-taking helps, so you know what names and dates to attach to specific ideas. It's worthwhile to write summarizing notes in your own words, putting quotation marks around any specific wordings you might want to quote. And make a deliberate effort, as you go through your readings, to note connections among ideas, especially contrasts and disagreements, as well as jotting down questions and thoughts of your own. If you find as you write that you're following one or two sources too closely, deliberately look back in your notes for other sources that take different views - than write about why the differences exist.

So what exactly do I have to document? With experience reading academic prose, you'll soon get used to the ways writers in your field refer to their sources. Here are the main times you should give acknowledgements. a. Quotations, paraphrases, or summaries: If you use the author's exact words, enclose them in quotation marks, or indent passages of more than four lines. But it's seldom worthwhile to use long quotations. In literary studies, quote a few words of the work you're analysing and comment on them. In other disciplines, quote only when the original words are especially memorable. In most cases, use your own words to summarize the idea you want to discuss, emphasizing the points relevant to your argument. But be sure to name sources even when you are not using the exact original words. As in the examples here, it's often a good idea to mention the author's name to gain some reflected authority and to indicate where the borrowing starts and stops. b. Specific facts used as evidence for your argument or interpretation: First consider whether the facts you're mentioning are "common knowledge" according to the definition above. When you're relying on facts that might be disputed within your topic - perhaps newly published data - establish that they're trustworthy by showing that you got them from an authoritative source. c. Distinctive or authoritative ideas, whether you agree with them or not: The way you introduce a reference can indicate your attitude and lead into your own argument. APA Citation Style Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition Follow these color codes: Author(s) Date Title of Article Title of Book Title of Periodical Volume Pages Place of Publication Publisher Other Information

Journal Article: where the page numbering continues from issue to issue

Dubeck, L. (1990). Science fiction aids science teaching. Physics Teacher, 28, 316-318.

Journal or Magazine Article: that start each issue with page one (for magazine articles, include the month and day - see below)

Wilcox, R. V. (1991). Shifting roles and synthetic women in Star trek: The next generation. Studies in Popular Culture, 13(2), 53-65.

Magazine or Journal Article from a Database (for journal articles, do not include the month - see above)

Mershon, D. H. (1998, November/December). Star trek on the brain: Alien minds, human minds. American Scientist, 86(6), 585. Retrieved July 29, 1999, from Expanded Academic ASAP database.

Newspaper Article

Di Rado, A. (1995, March 15). Trekking through college: Classes explore modern society using the world of Star trek. Los Angeles Times, p. A3.

Book

Okuda, M., & Okuda, D. (1993). Star trek chronology: The history of the future. New York: Pocket Books.

Book Article or Chapter

James, N. E. (1988). Two sides of paradise: The Eden myth according to Kirk and Spock. In D. Palumbo (Ed.), Spectrum of the fantastic (pp. 219-223). Westport, CT: Greenwood.

Encyclopedia Article

Sturgeon, T. (1995). Science fiction. In The encyclopedia Americana (Vol. 24, pp. 390-392). Danbury, CT: Grolier. ERIC Document

Fuss-Reineck, M. (1993). Sibling communication in Star trek: The next generation: Conflicts between brothers. Miami, FL: Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 364932)

Notes:

 The references page should begin on a new page, following the last page of your paper.  The title “Works Cited” or “References” should be centered at the top of the page.  The first line of every entry is flush with the left margin, and the second line (if one exists) and all subsequent lines are indented five spaces (tab) from the left margin.  The entries are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name (followed by the first and middle initial)

SOURCE: http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm

The Internet

Author’s last name, First name. (date of publication, if given) “Title of work”. Date of retrieval.

Example:

Ljungren, D. (2002) “Canada to create 10 enormous parks”. Retrieved July 28, 2005 from http://www.pc.gc.ca/

Often web pages do not list authors or dates of publication. In such a case your citation would look like this:

Name of organization. (date of publication, if given) “Title of work” Date of retrieval.

Example:

National Geographic. (n.d.) “Plans for Ten New Canada Parks Met with Skepticism”. Retrieved July 28, 2005 from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazines/ index.html?source=G1506&kwid=national%20geographic|751127245