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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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