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 citation for an assignment). 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 |
No <Notice this. |
A fact in the author’s words |
Yes |
Yes <Notice this. |
Specifics about this course:
·
You must
cite. If I do not recognize a fact as being from our source, then you must show
me where it is in our source.
·
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 (and you can quote a lot), 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 A short analogy to make this clearer: With plagiarism, you are reading passively. If the brain were a car, you are trying to ride in the passenger seat. No one is driving your brain car. |
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.
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:
|
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: |