BBI2424 ACADEMIC WRITING/SEM1 2015_16/LECTURE NOTES 3/WEEK4-6

LECTURE NOTES 3

PLAGIARISM IN ACADEMIC WRITING

Definition of plagiarism:

Basically plagiarism means taking ideas or words from a source without

giving credit (acknowledgement) to the author. It is seen as a kind of theft,
and is considered to be an academic crime. In academic work, ideas and
words are seen as private property belonging to the person who first
thought or wrote them. Therefore it is important for all students, including
international ones, to understand the meaning of plagiarism and learn how
to prevent it in their work.

The main difficulty that students face is that they are expected:

 To show that they have read the principal experts on a subject by

giving citations
 To explain these ideas in their own words and come to their own
original conclusions

There are several reasons why students must avoid plagiarism:

 Copying the work of others will not help you develop your own
understanding
 To show that you understand the rules of the academic community
 Plagiarism is easily detected by teachers and computer software
 It may lead to failing a course or even having to leave college

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Acknowledging sources:

If you borrow from or refer to the work of another person, you must show that you
have done this by providing the correct acknowledgement. There are two ways to
do this:

Summary and citation

Smith (2009) claims that the modern state wields power in new ways.

Quotation and citation

According to Smith: ‘The point is not that the state is in retreat but that it is
developing new forms of power…’ (Smith, 2009: 103)

These in-text citations are linked to a list of references at the end of the main text,
which includes the following details:

Author Date Title Place of Publication Publisher

Smith, M. (2009) Power and the State Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan

Degrees of Plagairism:
Although plagiarism is essentially the copying of oemone else’s work, it is not always
easy to define. Work with a partner to evaluate the following situations and decide if
they are plagiarism.
Yes/No
1 Copying a paragraph, but changing a few words and giving a
citation.
2 Cutting and pasting a short article from a website, with no
citation.
3 Taking two paragraphs from a classmate’s essay, without
citation.
4 Taking a graph from a textbook, giving the source.
5 Taking a quotation from a source, giving a citation but not using
quotation marks.
6 Using something that you think of as general knowledge, e.g.
large areas of rainforest have been cut down in recent years.
7 Using a paragraph from an essay you wrote and had marked the
previous semester, without citation.
8 Using the resutts of your won research. E.g. from a survey,
without citation.
9 Discussing an essay topic with a group of classmates and using
some of their work in your own work.
10 Giving a citation for some information but mis-spelling the
author’s name.

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This exercise shows that plagiarism can be accidental. For example in situation (10)
above, when the author’s name is misspelt, is technically plagiarism but really
carelessness. In situation (9) your teacher may have encouraged you to discuss in
groups, and then write an essay on your own, in which case it will not be plagiarism.
Self-plagiarism is also theoretically possible, as in situation (7). It can be difficult to
decide what is general or common knowledge (6) but you can always try asking
colleagues

Avoiding plagiarism by summarizing and paraphrasing

Quotations should not be over-used, hence you must learn to paraphrase and
summarise in order to include other writers’ ideas in your work. This will demonstrate
your understanding of a text to your teachers.
 Paraphrasing involves re-writing a text so that the language is substantially
different while the content stays the same.
 Summarising means reducing the length of a text but retaining the main
points.
Normally, both skills are used at the same time. You will learn these skills in detail
when you begin learning about summarising and paraphrasing.

Exercise 1:
Read the following text and compare the five paragraphs below, which use ideas and
information from it. Decide which are plagiarised and which are acceptable, and give
your reasons in the table.

Railway Manias

In 1830 there was a few dozens of miles of railways in all the world, chiefly
consisting of the line from Liverpool to Manchester. By 1840 there were over 4,500
miles, by 1850 over 23,500. Most of them were projected in a few bursts of
speculative frenzy known as the ‘railway manias’ of 1835 – 1837 and especially in
1844 -1847. Most of them were built in large part with British capital, British iron,
and machines and know - how. These investment booms appear irrational
because in fact few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other
forms of enterprise, most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all: in
1855 the average interest on capital sunk in the British railways was a mere 3.7
per cent.

(Adapted from the Age of Revolution by Eric Hobsbawm, p.45)

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(a) Between 1830 and 1850 there was very rapid development in railway
construction worldwide. Two periods of esp[ecially feverish growth were
1835-7 and 1844-7. It is hard to understand the resaon for this intense
activity, since railways were not paticulrly profitable invetsments and some
produced no return at all. (Hobsbawm, 1995:45)
(b) There were only a few dozen miles of railways in 1830, including the
Liverpool to Manchester line. But by 1840, there were 4,500 miles and over
23,500 by 1850. Most of themwere built in large part with British capital,
British iron, machines and know-how, and most of them were projected in a
few bursts of sepculative feenzy known as the ‘railway manias’ of 1835-37
and especially in 1844-47. Because most yielded quite modest profits and
many none at all these investment booms appaer irrational. In fact few
railways were more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise.
(Hobsbawm, 1995:45)
(c) As Hobsbawm (1995) argues, nineteenth-century railway mania was partly
irrational: ‘because in fact railways were more profitable to the investor than
other forms of enterprise, most yielded quite modest profits and many none
at all: in 1855 the average interest on capital sunk in british railways was a
mere 3.7 per cent. (Hobsbawm, 1995:45)

(d) Globally, railway networks increased dramatically from 1830 to 1850; the
majority in short periods of ‘mania’ (1835-37 and 1844-47). British
technology and capital were responsible for much of this growth, yet the
returns on the investment were hardly any better than comparabl business
opportunities. (Hobsbawm, 1895:45)
(e) The dramatic growth of railways between 1830 and 1850 was largely
achieved using British technology. However, it has been claimed that much
of this development was irrational because few railways were much more
profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise; most yielded quite
modest profits and many none at all. (Hobsbawm, 1995:45)

Plagiarised or acceptable?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)

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Paraphrasing Methods

PARAPHRASING

When we describe something we have heard, we often repeat the same idea but use
different words. For example, if you hear the TV announcer say, “There is an 80%
chance of rain tomorrow,” you may tell a friend, “It will probably rain tomorrow.” This
last statement is a paraphrase. A paraphrase is a restatement of another person’s
ideas using our own words.

You can use paraphrasing in writing as well. Repeating the author’s ideas in your
own words shows that you truly comprehend the original ideas.

THREE CRITERIA FOR A GOOD PARAPHRASE

1. A good paraphrase has the same meaning as the original.

 All main ideas included.
 No new ideas added.
2. A good paraphrase is different enough from the original to be considered your
own writing.
 Uses no more than four or five words in a row from the original source
 Changes grammar and vocabulary as much as possible.
3. A good paraphrase refers directly to (or cites) the original source.
 Include the name of the author and/or the name of the source

Paraphrase examples:

Original: Genuine multitasking too has been exposed as a myth, not just by
laboratory studies but by the familiar sight of a S.U.V. undulating between lanes as
the driver cuts deals on his cellphone.
- Pinker, Steven, “Mind Over Mass Media,” June 10, 2010

Paraphrase 1: Pinker (2010) writes that people can’t really do more than one thing
at a time; we can see this from scientific research projects and also from just
watching a car moving unpredictably down the highway while the driver is talking on
a cellphone.

Paraphrase 2: Pinker (2010) says that both lab research and actual experience
show that people are incapable of doing several things at once. As an example of
this act, he mentions the frequent sight of a person driving dangerously while using
a cell phone.

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EXERCISE 2

Here is an original sentence and two prearranged of it. One of the paraphrases is
well done, but the other does not meet all the criteria for a good paraphrase. Decide
which of the two paraphrases is weak. Identify which of the criteria is missing.

Original: A global village was upon us that more and more resembled an American
buffet table – even if chilis, chutney, and kim chee were added to the mix.

- Rifkin, Ina, Spiritual Perspectives on Globalization, 2003

Paraphrase 1: We came to a big table with food from many different countries, but
it was really like an American meal.

Does the paraphrase meet all three criteria? Yes No (circle one)
If no, what is the problem?
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Paraphrase 2: In this article, Rifkin (2003) says that the whole world seemed
increasingly like the United States, although it also included contributions from
many other cultures.

Does the paraphrase meet all three criteria? Yes No (circle one)
If no, what is the problem?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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PARAPHRASING TECHNIQUE

CHUNKING METHOD

Another way to paraphrase is to divide the original sentences into phrases, or

“chunk” and concentrate on explaining the meaning of each chunk. A chunk is a
group of words that expresses a key idea in the passage you are working with.
Chunks are often noun, adjective, or adverb clauses. This method can be especially
helpful when you are working with longer passages. Here’s how chunking works.

1. Read the original passage several times to develop a basic understanding of

the ideas.
2. Divide the passage into chunks by underlining the main ideas. As you divide
the passage, focus on phrases rather than on main words.
3. Explain each chunk using your own words.
4. Combine these explanations into one or more sentences to create a
paraphrase. As you combine these chunks, you will need to think about how
the ideas are related to each other. It is okay to rearrange these chunks into a
new order for your paraphrase.

Example 1:

Original: It’s estimated that hunger and malnutrition (chunk #1) could be
eliminated globally for less than is spent on pet food in Europe and the US ;
(chunk #2) universal literacy could be achieved (chunk #3) for one third of what
is spent on perfumes. (chunk #4)

-Knickerbrocker, Brad, “If Poor Get Richer, Does The World See Progress?”
The Christian Science Monitor, Jan 22, 2004

Explanation of chunks:

1. Problems of famine could be solved worldwide

2. For less money than it costs people to feed their pets in the US and Europe
3. Everyone could learn to read and write
4. For about 33 percent of the amount that people spend on perfume every year.

Paraphrase: Knickerbrocker (2004) notes that problems of famine could be solved

worldwide for less money than it costs people to feed their pets in the US and
Europe, and everyone could learn to read and write for about 33% of the amount that
people spend on perfume every year.

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Example 2 shows a paraphrase in which the chunks have been arranged in an order
that is different from the original.

Example 2:

Original: There is an element of sacrifice and obligation (chunk #1): women are
expected to make many things secondary once the husband comes along,
(chunk #2) to devote their energies to him and his house and the building of
another family unit. (chunk #3)

- Wark, Penny, “What Does Life Tell Us About Love?” 2003

Explanation of chunks:
1. Women must give up time and energy for themselves
2. After women get married
3. Women are expected to focus on taking care of their husband, home and
children.

Paraphrase: After they get married, (chunk #2) women must give up time and
energy for themselves (chunk #1) because they are expected to focus on taking
care of their husband, home and children (chunk #3) (Wark, 2003)

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EXERCISE 3:
Answer the questions below.

Original: Often procrastination stems from a real or imagined fear or worry that is
focused not so much on the thing that you are avoiding, but its potential
consequences.
- Moore, Rebecca; Baker, Barbara; Packer, Arnold, “ Coping
With Procrastination” 1997

1. How would you divide this sentence into smaller chunks? Underline each chunk.
As you divide the sentences into chunks, remember to focus on phrases rather
than single words.

2. Explain the meaning of each chunk using your own words.

a) ___________________________________________________________

b) ___________________________________________________________

c) ___________________________________________________________

3. Using your explanations, write a paraphrase of the original sentence. It is okay to

arrange in a different order than they appear in the original sentence. As you put
the chunks together, remember to consider how they are related to each other.

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ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICES

The passive is used when the writer wants to focus on the result, not on the cause.

The college was founded in 1925 by Walter Trimble. (passive)

Water Trimble founded the college in 1925. (active)

In the first sentence, the emphasis is on the college, in the second on Trimble. So
the passive is often used in written English when the cause (a person or thing) is
less important or unknown.

Aluminium was first produced in the nineteenth century. (by someone)

The colony was abandoned in the 1630s. (due to something)

The cause of the action can be shown by adding ‘by …

The city was flooded by a severe hurricane.

The passive is also used in written work to provide a more impersonal style:

The findings were evaluated. (not ‘I evaluated the findings’)

Structure:

All passive structures have two parts:

Form of the verb ‘To be” Past Participle

Is constructed
Was developed
Will be re-organised

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EXERCISE 4:
Change the following into the passive.

1. We collected the data and compared the two groups.

2. I interviewed 120 people in three social classes.
3. They checked the results and found several errors.
4. We will make an analysis of the findings.
5. She wrote the report and distributed the copies.

Using Adverbs
An adverb can be inserted in a passive form to add information.

This process is commonly called ‘networking’.

EXERCISE 5:
Change the following sentences from active to passive and insert a suitable adverb
from the box below (more words than sentences). Decide if it is necessary to show a
cause.
optimistically helpfully punctually accurately
eventually vividly carefully profitably

Example:
Active : The recession forced half the companies to go out of business.
Passive : Half the companies were eventually forced to go out of business by the
recession.

a. The Connors family ran the company until 1981.

b. Dr. Weber has predicted that prisons will be unnecessary in the future.
c. They provided pencils for all students in the exam.
d. The researchers calculated the percentages to three decimal places.
e. The students handed in the essays on Tuesday morning.
f. The scientists have researched the life cycle of over 15 types of mice.

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