Avoiding Plagiarism and Other Forms of Cheating

This handout is designed to help students avoid the pitfalls of copying, improper paraphrasing, and improper citation use. In it, you will learn or review how to recognize when you must give credit for information you�ve acquired through research, how to paraphrase, and how to properly cite your sources. You will review the Foothill College Honor Code and the consequences of plagiarism in an academic setting.

After reading this handout, you should be able to:

� Define what constitutes plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty.

� Recognize the differences between proper and improper paraphrasing.

� Recognize proper citation use and styles.

� Have an understanding of the Foothill Academic Honor codes and consequences for academic dishonesty.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, cheating and any other way of submitting work not produced according to the terms of the assignment.� For example, turning in a paper written for another class is a form of cheating if you do not get the professor�s permission beforehand.� Altering an assignment after it has been graded without direct permission from the professor is also a form of academic dishonesty.� Although many professors do permit "rewrites," they must be done by permission.

Plagiarism

Longman's Dictionary of Contemporary English defines plagiarism as "the act of using someone else's words, ideas, or work and pretending they are your own" (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, New Edition, 1995).� It includes copying and pasting from a source not cited, failing to indicate clearly when the words you are using are not your own (even if you cite their source), and using another student's work as your own.� Any idea, fact, or sentence belonging to someone else, in whole or in part, must be cited in order to avoid plagiarism.� An exception is made for information considered �general knowledge��knowledge possessed by a large population, which therefore does not �belong� to any individual.� For the purposes of this class, any information from the two textbooks or in-class lectures or discussions will be considered �general knowledge.��

Cheating

Plagiarism is a form of cheating.� Other forms of cheating include (but are not limited to):

� Using a copy of the exam from a prior class

� Using a "ghost writer" or term paper mills or services

� Passing questions or answers to students who have not yet taken an exam or quiz

� Using cheat sheets

� Exam tampering or stealing

Paraphrasing

If you copy the exact words used by one of your sources, you must clearly indicate you have done so by surrounding the words in quotation marks and properly citing the source.� You do not need the quotation marks (only the citation) if you use the general information or ideas, but paraphrase the language of the original source.� This means more than changing a few words or reordering sentences.� You must completely rewrite the entire passage in your own words.

Citing your Work

A citation is simply a correctly-formatted acknowledgement of someone else�s contribution to your knowledge and understanding.� We will use the MLA (Modern Language Association) format in this class.� For explanations and examples of MLA citations, see Preparing a Bibliography at http://www.foothill.edu/ol/bibliography-use.pdf.� �Remember to use caution in choosing your sources�not all information that is published or posted on the internet is accurate.� You are responsible for distinguishing between reliable and unreliable sources.�� If you have questions about a particular source, please talk to me or a librarian.� A final pitfall to avoid is over-quoting.� This occurs when you rely excessively on outside sources for both your information and analysis.� It indicates that you have not understood and analyzed the material for yourself and most instructors will not accept over-quoted papers.� If you have questions about whether your own paper is over-quoted, please talk to me. �

Consequences

Foothill College takes violations of the Academic Honor Code very seriously. It is important to read and understand the Honor Code and the possible consequences of violating it.� You will be asked on the first quiz whether you understand and agree to abide by the Code.� The Code is available at http://www.foothill.edu/services/honor.html.

Sources

This handout was adopted from a course unit designed by a student (Lyn Paulos) and for the students of Foothill College, with advice and help from Dr. Rosemarie Menager-Beeley.� I have made some alterations to make it more relevant to our class, but the information in it is generally applicable.� Other resources you may wish to consult include:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Citations.html

http://www.grinnell.edu/writinglab/CitationGuides/acho

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html

http://socrates.fhda.edu/fh/services/honor.html

http://socrates.fhda.edu/fh/services/honorint.html

http://edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu/~mspears/plagiarism.html

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml