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| Plagiarism, which literally means kidnapping,
is stealing someone's idea and passing it off as your own. Although it may
be intentional, it is frequently unintentional, a result of your not
knowing when to document your source. Therefore, it is vital that you
understand documentation. Stealing intellectual property is treated as
seriously as the theft of physical property. Consequences for high school
students may include an office referral, suspension, or removal from the
National Honor Society. Consequences for college students may be failure
for the course or even dismissal from that college or
university. |
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| Important Points about
Documentation |
- A fact that is not common knowledge must be
documented. We say that something is common
knowledge if it is widely known by most people in our society. For
example, you would not use a citation to write that the United
States declared independence from Great Britain in 1776.
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- When you write about an idea other than your own,
you must make it clear whose idea it is. Failure to do so is considered plagiarism, which is a form of
academic dishonesty.
- Example: The tone and
structure of this poem suggest peace. [Your idea - no citation
needed.]
- Example: East of Eden
is Steinbeck's best book (Krutch 370).
[Krutch's idea with your paraphrase of his idea; documentation
included]
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- If you want to use someone else's exact words, you
must put them in quotation marks and cite them.
- Example: "Stated in the
barest terms, Good and Evil are absolute things, and in making a
choice between them, man is a free agent" (Krutch 371).
- If the quotation is longer than four lines, use the
block format. [Click here for an explanation and
example]
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- When you paraphrase an author's idea, you must
write the idea in your own words and not just change a few of the
author's words.
- Original source: "The
writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent,
seriousness and passion of which he was capable" (Krutch 370).
- Incorrect paraphrase: "The writer aimed high and summoned all the elements of
creativity which he could (Krutch 370).
[Even though you have
cited the author's idea in your paper, you have follwed his words so
closely that you are still plagiarizing. If you believe that the words
the author used to state his ideas are important, you should quote him
exactly.]
- Correct paraphrase: Steinbeck has used all his creative capabilities to produce
this exceptionally good work (Krutch 370).
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| *Adapted from
the Franklin High School Guide to the Research Paper, Franklin High School, Baltimore County Public Schools, June
2003. |
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| For additional information about avoiding
plagiarism, visit the following links: |
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