Think of this as coaching on how to meet this requirement. If you need for me to talk with you about this, just ask.
When you use the links
on this webpage, you remain on this
page. The reason is for putting the two things togetheron
one page is
because they share the same simple remedy (a brain trick) and the same Basic Concepts on Plagiarism and “Half-Copy”
Plagiarism. If
you want to go directly to those Basic Concepts, click here.
You must follow common standards to reveal
to your reader who created the words and/or found the facts you are using in
your writing. This is a requirement in courses and in some jobs. |
Before you worry about quoting something,
make sure what you want to quote helps your content. If it does help your content, then make
sure you understand two things: 1.
Click
the basics of facts and citations and quotation
marks
so you know how these two things work together. ·
Citations
= How you show exactly where the reader can find the fact
that you use. ·
Quotation
marks = How you show who created (and
owns) what words. 2.
You
also need to understand both: ·
That
copying the author’s phrases or unique uses of words without quotation marks (“”)and copying the author’s structure
can be what The Bedford Handbook
calls “half-copy” plagiarism ·
That
quotation marks (“”) are not
required for proper nouns (such as the Mississippi River) or common nouns
(such as river). Click here
for examples. Once
you are sure you want to quote (to use the author’s exact words) and
understand those basics above, then use the brain trick (below). |
You must follow common standards to reveal
any changes you made to the author’s words. This may not be just a
punctuation error. You may be misleading your reader about the evidence. |
The rules for showing
what you have taken out (…) of the author’s words or put in ([ ]) are complex
and for most of us they are not worth
learning. Once you are sure you want to quote (to use the author’s exact words)
and understand those basics above, then use the brain trick (below). |
To repeat, The rules for showing what you
have taken out (…) of the author’s words or put in ([ ]) are complex and for
most of us they are not worth
learning. This brain
trick lets you be accurate but avoid learning those rules:
|
Basic Concepts on Plagiarism and
“Half-Copy” Plagiarism—AND Citation
If You Are Puzzled about Plagiarism or “Half-copy”
Plagiarism Being Marked
If you use a fact in the author’s words, citation is not enough; you must also use quotation marks.
What are the rules for citation and use of quotation marks? The rules vary
depending upon whether you are writing:
· A fact from the source in your own words
· A fact in the author’s words (in other words, you are quoting):
They have the same requirements for citation (although your professor may choose not to require it for an assignment as I do for Unit Essays). They have different requirements for quotation marks.
What Kind of Fact Are You Using |
Do You Need Citation (Page # etc.)? |
Do You Need Quotation Marks (“”)? |
A fact in your own words |
Yes Note: I do not require that in the Blackboard’s tiny box for essays or in an essay an on-campus student writes in class. |
No <Notice this. |
A fact in the author’s words |
Yes Note: I do not require that for Unit Essays. |
Yes <Notice this. |
Specifics about this course:
·
I do not require citations for
Unit Essays, but if I do not recognize a fact as being from our source, then
you must show me where it is in our source.
·
On the
other hand, I do require quotation marks
if you use the author’s words. In this course, you may not plagiarize or “half-copy” plagiarize. You may however quote,
but you have to use the rules for quoting. If you want more tips, use this
webpage. If you still have questions,
please ask.
These examples deal with whether you would need quotation marks on these four uses of an author’s words in a paragraph in your paper. What you do depends:
· on what words the author wrote
· on what words you want to write
What the Author Wrote |
What Words You Want to Write |
Do You Need Quotation Marks (“”)? and Why |
the Mississippi River |
the Mississippi River |
No – Proper nouns (like Mississippi River) belong to all of us. |
the green, roaring river |
the river |
No – Common nouns (like river) belong to all of us. |
the green, roaring Mississippi River |
the roaring Mississippi River |
Yes These are the author’s unique string of words so you identify his words them with “”—made larger below so you can see them: Trade was harder because of the “roaring Mississippi River.” |
|
roaring |
Yes This is the author’s labeling of a condition and it is easier to be clear by using the author’s word with “”— with the “” made larger below so you can see them: The author explained that the “roaring” river made trade more difficult. |
Students are usually puzzled about the plagiarism or “half-plagiarism” marking because they lack some basic information. Here are the basics.
1.
The submission of a paper with words from an
author without quotation marks can
be the professor's evidence that you
plagiarized.
Some professors may not notice, but some may call it plagiarism. Do not assume that past responses by
professors guarantee what future professors will want.
2. If you do this, some professors may label your work as “half-copy” plagiarism (term from The Bedford Handbook, page 692) if you:
· Either copy an author’s phrases without quotation marks (“”) ·
Or use the author’s sentence structure and just swap a few words with what
you think are synonyms |
Caution about Plagiarism and “Half-copy” Plagiarism and Survival:
· In my life, I never saw a safe decision made with anything but careful reading.
· In my life in industry, I never saw a job that paid well for passive reading and “half-copy” plagiarism. I saw some people demoted to a lesser job because they did not read correctly.
· In my life after returning to teaching in the community college, I have seen only 1 student who was in a field where she made a living copying words from one place to another.
Copyright C. J. Bibus, Ed.D. 2003-2014 |
WCJC Department: |
History – Dr.
Bibus |
Contact
Information: |
281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu
|
Last Updated: |
2014 |
WCJC Home: |