It's Not A Game! Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism
If you’re ever played board games with your family or
friends, maybe you have dealt with someone who cheats at them. Growing up, my
older sister made cheating at board games a science—each time I would catch her
in the act, she would find a new way to cheat next time. These board game
shenanigans meant that playing detective with her cheating was more of the
actual game we were playing. I’m still waiting for the board game police to
show up.
Unlike cheating at board games, though, there are
consequences to academic dishonesty such as plagiarism. Intentional plagiarism is a fairly cut and
dry to understand. When plagiarism occurs, though, it is often unintentional plagiarism.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t carry the same academic
consequences. This isn’t meant to scare you, though, as there are some fairly
easy ways to avoid accidental plagiarism. In this blog post, I want to discuss
two main tips for avoiding plagiarism: correctly citing each sentence that provides
information from a source and correctly paraphrasing points from a source.
Citing Correctly
If you have had a paper review with one of our Walden University Writing Instructors, maybe your instructor
pointed out to you the need to cite each sentence that provides information
from a source, and you wondered, why? For instance, maybe you cited at the end
of a paragraph or cited every other sentence because you were citing the same
source throughout the paragraph. The issue is that each point that comes from a
source is not attributed to a source, so those un-cited sentences suggest to
readers that they are your own ideas when they are actually coming from a
source. Both not attributing ideas to a source and falsely attributing ideas from
a source as your own and are forms of plagiarism.
Correct citation also refers to ensuring direct quotes are properly formatted. For instance, when a direct quote is
included, the page number where the quote was found would be included (as “p.
xx”). For sources with no page numbers, the paragraph number would be included
(as “para. xx”). As well, quote marks
need to be included around the quoted material, otherwise, readers will assume
that the information is a paraphrase. Presenting quoted material as a
paraphrase is a form of plagiarism.
To avoid plagiarism, then, it is important to correctly cite by: 1) ensuring each sentence that provides information from a source
is cited so that information is correctly attributed to the source and not
falsely attributed to you, and 2) ensuring direct quotes are correctly
formatted so the information is not presented as your paraphrase of that
information or point.
Paraphrasing Correctly
Paraphrasing is usually better than quoting since
paraphrasing demonstrates a writer’s command of the material and direct quotes,
especially long ones, can disrupt the flow of points since they are in a
different voice from the author. With this in mind, while incorrectly
presenting a direct quote as a paraphrase is problematic, so is incorrectly
paraphrasing a source. One way a source might be incorrectly paraphrased is
through patchwork paraphrasing which largely means that some of the original source’s wording
is used. For instance, the paraphrase may change a word here and there, or move
around some of the wording of the original source. In this sense, it would be
similar to including a sentence that is a direct quote from a source but
presenting that direct quote as a paraphrase—the original author’s words are
presented as your own. While not as egregious as not citing at all, ineffective paraphrasing can still be considered to be a form of plagiarism.
So, to avoid plagiarism, it is important to paraphrase
effectively. Paraphrasing effectively means that 1) the paraphrase stays true to the original
sources’ meaning, and 2) the paraphrase is in different wording, and has a
different sentence structure, then the original.
I know this seems like a lot of information, but as I noted
in the beginning, the main tips for avoiding plagiarism include correctly
citing each sentence that provides information from a source, or needs to be
supported by a source, and correctly paraphrasing. Plagiarism can be a scary
word, but it doesn’t have to be if you are informed about how to avoid it.
Students can find Walden’s general policy for academic
integrity in the Handbook's Academic Integrity section under Code of Conduct.
While the Writing Center is not involved with any program-specific or overall
university guidance, we do have sources on citing and avoiding plagiarism. For
instance, we have a page on how to cite and how often, a plagiarism prevention checklist, plagiarism prevention modules, and a plagiarism prevention webinar.
Have any questions about avoiding accidental plagiarism?
Have any tips you use to avoid accidental plagiarism? Let us know!
Veronica Oliver is a Writing Instructor in the Walden Writing Center. In her spare time she writes fiction, binge watches Netflix, and occasionally makes it to a 6am Bikram Yoga class.
.png "\"Send me new posts by email\" button")
Never miss a new post; Opt-out at any time
Live Webinar Update: Full Schedule for December!
December is a busy time of year for many of our Walden University students, which is why we've added a few extra Live Webinar Sessions to our schedule for the month. As you continue to build your scholarly writing skills, these hour-long sessions are a great way to learn about a writing concept, practice that concept, and interact with a global group of like-minded audience members.
So check out our offerings below. If any of these sessions pique your interest, click the link to learn more and register now!
Can't make it to one of our live webinars? No worries! We record all of our webinars and publish them in our webinar archive for you to view at your convenience.
The Walden University Writing Center produces a live webinar each and every week. Walden University students are encouraged to participate and practice their scholarly writing skills with one of our instructors or editors.
Never miss a new post; Opt-out at any time
So check out our offerings below. If any of these sessions pique your interest, click the link to learn more and register now!
Webinar Calendar
The Walden University Writing Center produces a live webinar each and every week. Walden University students are encouraged to participate and practice their scholarly writing skills with one of our instructors or editors.
Never miss a new post; Opt-out at any time
Writing Instructor by Day, Doctoral Student by Night
During the day, I’m your usual mild-mannered writing
instructor. I review papers, chat with students, and complete other projects to help Walden University
students achieve their writing
goals. In the evening, however, I become a Walden student with my own
writing goals. I’m working toward a PhD in Education at Walden, so I experience
Walden course assignments as a writing instructor and as a student. However, even
as a writing instructor at Walden, there are times when I’m confused by
assignment instructions or unsure about how to begin writing or organize my
ideas. In these cases, the strategy I share below for tackling course
assignments has helped me to clarify my assignment instructions and start
writing.
The first step in my approach to completing Walden
assignments is to fully understand the assignment. To do this, I copy and paste
the assignment instructions into a separate Word document. This helps me to separate
the assignment from the rest of the coursework on the main course page and
focus only on the assignment elements. After I have copied and pasted the
assignment prompt into a new Word document, I then highlight all of the action
words in the assignment prompt that point to something I have to do within the
assignment.
For example, my highlighted prompt might look like this:
- In a 3-5 page paper, evaluate the importance of Learning Communities in your instructional setting. Analyze obstacles that may prevent the development of Learning Communities. Finally, offer suggestions to combat these obstacles and create strong Learning Communities.
After highlighting my prompt, I now understand that I’m
going to have to evaluate, analyze, and offer suggestions about Learning
Communities in my assignment.
The second step in my strategy is to open a new Word
document that I save and name according to the assignment instructions. This
new Word document will become the space where I complete the assignment. As a
tip for this portion of the strategy, I recommend keeping a blank course template in your doctoral program document folder. I usually
duplicate or copy the blank course template and then rename it to match the
current assignment I’m working on. At this point in the process, I now have a
better understanding of what the assignment requires, and I have a blank
template ready for my ideas.
The third step in my writing process is to organize the
blank template to better suit the assignment that I’m working on. Basically, I alter
the template heading levels to match the assignment prompt. By filling out the
cover page and the heading levels to match the assignment prompts, I create an outline
of the paper that will help me to stay on topic as I draft the assignment and
keep the length to 3-5 pages. After I finish creating the outline for the
headings, I will add each part of the prompt into its appropriate section. For
example, my outline for the above prompt might look like this:
The Importance of Learning Communities
- Here is where I will briefly introduce Learning Communities and what they look like in my instructional setting. I’ll end with a thesis statement that contains my overall argument about Learning Communities.
Evaluation of Learning Communities
- In a 3-5 page paper, evaluate the importance of Learning Communities in your instructional setting.
Analysis of Obstacles
- Analyze obstacles that may prevent the development of
Learning Communities.
Learning Community Suggestions
- Finally, offer suggestions to combat these obstacles and create strong Learning Communities.
Conclusion
- This is where I’ll wrap up my ideas about Learning Communities. I’ll summarize my overall argument about Learning Communities and then show how this information about Learning Communities can be helpful in the future. Showing the importance of the topic or discussing future application of the information are both solid choices when crafting a conclusion.
References
- Here is where I will add references to the course learning resources or to other scholarly articles that will help me make my argument about Learning Communities.
Now that I have an outline for the course assignment, I’m
almost ready to begin writing!
My final step before writing is to begin reading the course
resources for the assignment. You might be wondering why I don’t read the
learning resources before creating an outline for an assignment. While this may
not work for you, I find it helpful to understand the assignment before I begin
the readings for the week. That way, I know what I’m looking for as I read the
scholarly articles and resources. If I find quotes or ideas that I think would
be helpful in my assignment, I add them to the appropriate section in my
outline with an APA-formatted in-text citation and then add that source to my reference list as I go. This
way, once I finish reading the course resources, I have an outline ready, and I
also have scholarly support for my ideas in the appropriate sections.
Once I finish adding in any necessary paraphrased source
material during my reading of the learning resources, I’m ready to begin
writing! I can then begin crafting paragraphs around my source material, using the
MEAL plan to add
topic sentences, evidence, analysis, and lead outs that will help readers
understand my overall argument about Learning Communities.
Although my strategy may not suit everyone, I encourage you
to try it out and see what you think. Please feel free to sound off in the
comments with any strategies you find helpful in completing Walden
coursework—we’d love for you to share your tips for tackling assignments!
Katherine McKinney is a writing instructor in the Walden University Writing Center. She received an M.A. in English from Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at Walden. Katherine's goal as an instructor is to show students that the best writing results from practice, and she aims to provide feedback and resources that will guide students through the invention, composition, and revision process.
Never miss a new post; Opt-out at any time
Happy Thanksgiving from the Walden University Writing Center!
The Walden University Writing Center is closed November 22-23, 2018 to allow our staff to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. We look forward to seeing you again on Monday, November 26!
Even when our Writing Center is closed, there are lots of resources available to you! Check out our website, webinar archive, interactive modules, and other posts here on our blog.
This Thanksgiving and every day, we in the Writing Center are grateful for you, our readers and students. Thank you for being part of this community!
The Walden University Writing Center supports writers at all stages of their degree programs and writing processes. Walden University students are encouraged to participate and practice their scholarly writing skills with one of our instructors or editors.
Never miss a new post; Opt-out at any time
APA Refresh: How Should I Refer To My Anonymous Research Participants?
For some of your work at Walden, you may need to conduct
surveys of your own participants. In these cases, you may be wondering—how
should I refer to these research participants who want to remain anonymous? Do
I need to cite them? Read on for some examples and APA tips on referring to the
participants in your research.
You can use a variety of techniques to refer to research
participants, and APA has some specific recommendations. According to the APAStyle Blog, these include but are not limited to: their roles, pseudonyms,
initials, case numbers, or letters of the alphabet. The APA Style Blog also
suggests that you can alter some characteristics to make participants less
distinguishable, leave out some information about the participant, or combine
participant statements into a composite participant. For more detailed
examples, see section 1.11 of your APA manual, but I’ve also listed a few
below.
Initials: CH stated that they “love writing and visiting the
Writing Center”.
Numerals/Case Numbers: According to participant 7, an online
student, “the Writing Center is the best.”
Composite Statement: Several survey participants indicated
that they enjoy and plan to visit the Writing Center again in the future.
You may notice here that none of these examples are
cited—this is to protect the anonymity of the participants and it is not
necessary to cite your own anonymous research participants. If a participant
would like to go on record, then you should use personal communication rules
for referring to and citing that participant in text.
Keep these rules and handy resources below in mind if you’re
conducting your own research and have anonymous participants.
Never miss a new post; Opt-out at any time
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
