Avoiding

Plagiarism

Based on Harvard
Referencing System

Tunku Abdul Rahman University College

Compiled by

Dr Chook Ka Joo
Quality Assurance Department
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College

and

Mr Johnny Chin Fui Chung

Faculty of Social Science, Arts and Humanities
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College

2013
For internal circulation only. ©Tunku Abdul Rahman University College. All rights reserved.
 CONTENTS Page

1.0 WHAT CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM? 1

2.0 WHAT IS THE PENALTY FOR PLAGIARISM? 2

3.0 EXAMPLES OF LEARNING 2

3.1 Centre of Learning and Professional
Development, University of Adelaide, Australia
3.2 Capital Community College, the United States
of America
3.3 School of Management, RMIT, Australia
3.4 Learning Guide, University of Leeds, Great
Britain

4.0 HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM 12

5.0 ONLINE RESOURCES: PLAGIARISM AVOIDANCE 13

AND STUDY SKILLS

REFERENCES 14

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System

 TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) University College views plagiarism seriously and
would like students to take proactive actions to be aware of what constitutes
plagiarism and the penalties for plagiarism.

1.0 DEFINITION OF PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism means presenting the work or property of another person as one’s

own without appropriate acknowledgement or referencing (RMIT University
2008). The University College considers plagiarism as a form of cheating in
assessment. Plagiarism occurs when there is evidence of the representation by an
individual, whether intentionally or otherwise, of another person’s work as their
own or use of another person’s work without acknowledgement. This may
include the following:

a. importing phrases from another person’s work without using quotation

marks and identifying the source;

b. making a copy of all or part of another person’s work and presenting it as the
student’s own work by failure to disclose the source;

c. without acknowledging the source, making extensive use of another person’s

work, either by summarising or paraphrasing the work merely by changing a
few words or by altering the order in which the material is presented;

d. using another person’s ideas without acknowledging the source or the

presentation of work which substantially comprises another person’s ideas
and which represents these as being the candidate’s ideas.

Work submitted by a student for assessment is accepted on the understanding

that it is the student’s own work without falsification of any kind. If the student
had relied on any sources for information, acknowledgement of the source must
be made with appropriate reference.

Plagiarism can take many forms – written, graphic and visual forms and includes
the use of electronic and material used in oral presentation. Plagiarism may even
occur unintentionally such as when the origin of the material used is not properly
cited.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 1

2.0 WHAT IS THE PENALTY FOR PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. Any use of another person’s work or

ideas must be acknowledged. If you fail to do this, you may be charged with
academic misconduct and face one or more of the following penalties:

a. the work is marked on its academic merit (taking into account that the work
is not entirely that of the student’s) so that the grade awarded is appropriate
to the work submitted with an additional appropriate punitive reduction in
mark;

b. the student is required to submit the same piece of work purged of all
plagiarism or collusion for a grade capped at the minimum pass grade;

c. the work is marked on its academic merit (taking into account that the work
is not entirely that of the student’s) so that the grade awarded is appropriate
to the work submitted with an additional appropriate punitive reduction in
mark but capped at the minimum pass grade;

d. the student is failed in the examination of any unit or course or part of a unit
or course or the whole of the examination concerned;

e. the student’s name is removed from any pass list;

f. the student is suspended from any University College examination for such
period as the Disciplinary Authority may decide;

g. the student is failed for the whole of the examination concerned and that the
student be required to leave the course(s) and refused readmission to any
course of study in the University College.

3.0 EXAMPLES OF WRITING

3.1 Centre of Learning and Professional Development, University of Adelaide,

Australia

The Centre for Learning and Professional Development at the University of

Adelaide (2005) has developed the following examples to show what constitutes
plagiarism:

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 2

Original Text A

Fox, M & Wilkinson, L 1993, English essentials, MacMillan Australia, Melbourne.

The chunk of text known as the paragraph is a series of sentences, all of which
relate to a particular point you want to make. This means that some paragraphs
are very long and others are very short. Paragraphs are usually more than one
sentence although a one-sentence paragraph can be electrifying. It is more
common to have four or five sentences bunched together around one idea, and it
is considered courteous for the writer to try and vary the length of those fives
sentences to assist understanding and prevent reader fatigue (Fox & Wilkinson
1993, p. 8).

Student A1 wrote:

A paragraph is a series of sentences that relate to a certain point you wish to make.
Some paragraphs will be long and others are short. They are usually more than one
sentence long and more commonly have four or five sentences in them. To be a
courteous writer, it is important to vary the length of the sentences to assist the
reader to understand and to prevent reader fatigue.

Comments:

This writing is an example of plagiarism because there is no indication where the

material has come from. The wording is also very similar to the original with only
a few words changed. A lot of phrases and words have been directly copied from
the original with no acknowledgment.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Student A2 wrote:

According to Fox and Wilkinson (1993), a paragraph is a series of sentences that

relate to a certain point you wish to make. Some paragraphs will be long and others
are short. They are usually more than one sentence long and more commonly have
four or five sentences in them. To be a courteous writer, it is important to vary the
length of the sentence to assist the reader to understand and to prevent reader
fatigue (Fox & Wilkinson 1993).

Comments:

Although the student has attempted to cite the reference here, there is still
considerable amount of plagiarism. The words used are very similar to the
original. It is not sufficient to simply change a word here or there. When
paraphrasing or summarising a passage, you must ensure that you are writing
Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 3
the material in your own combination of words and indicate clearly any sentence
or part of sentences that you are copying directly from the original.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Student A3 wrote:

According to Fox and Wilkinson (1993), paragraphs are developed around a

central concept, incorporating a number of linked sentences. They suggest that the
number of sentences in each paragraph can vary from one to many and that
sentences should be of varying lengths ‘to assist understanding and prevent reader
fatigue’ (Fox & Wilkinson 1993, p. 8).

Comments:

This writing acknowledges where the ideas came from and the student has use
his/her own word combinations. He/She has clearly indicated where there is a
direct quote from the original text by using inverted commas and including the
page number of the original text. This is an example of correct referencing to
avoid plagiarism.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

3.2 Capital Community College, the United States of America

Four students read the following text and used it in their essays in slightly
different ways. Which one would you count as plagiarism?

Original Text B

May, ET 1997, Barren in the promised land: Childless Americans and the pursuit of
happiness, Harvard University Press, Boston.

Because women's wages often continue to reflect the fiction that men earn the
family wage, single mothers rarely earn enough to support themselves and their
children adequately. And because work is still organized around the assumption
that mothers stay home with children, even though few mothers can afford to do
so, child-care facilities in the United States remain woefully inadequate (May
1997, p. 588).

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 4

Student B1 wrote:

Since women's wages often continue to reflect the mistaken notion that men are the
main wage earners in the family, single mothers rarely make enough to support
themselves and their children very well. Also, because work is still based on the
assumption that mothers stay home with children, facilities for child care remain
woefully inadequate in the United States.

Comments:

There is too much direct borrowing of sentence structure and wording. The
student changes some words, drops one phrase and adds some new language,
but the whole text closely resembles May’s. There is no acknowledgment
(citation) of May’s work. Even if May were acknowledged, this would still be
considered as plagiarism because the lack of quotation marks indicates that it has
been put into the student's own words.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Student B2 wrote:

By and large, our economy still operates on the mistaken notion that men are the
main breadwinners in the family. Thus, women continue to earn lower wages than
men. This means, in effect, that many single mothers cannot earn a decent living.
Furthermore, adequate day care is not available in the USA because of the mistaken
assumption that mothers remain at home with their children.

Comments:

The student shows good paraphrasing of wording and sentence structure but
does not acknowledge May's original ideas. Some of May's points are common
knowledge (e.g. women earn less than men, many single mothers live in poverty),
but May uses this to make a specific and original point.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Student B3 wrote:

As May (1997, p. 588) points out, ‘women's wages often continue to reflect the
fiction that men earn the family wage’. Thus, many single mothers cannot support
themselves and their children adequately. Furthermore, since work is based on the
assumption that mothers stay home with children, facilities for day care in this
country are still ‘woefully inadequate’.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 5

Comments:

Although the student now cites May, he/she still borrows too much language
from the original text.

Verdict: Borderline Plagiarism

Student B4 wrote:

Women today still earn less than men — so much less that many single mothers and
their children live near or below the poverty line. May (1997, p. 588) argues that
this situation stems in part from ‘the fiction that men earn the family wage’. May
further suggests that the American workplace still operates on the assumption that
mothers with children stay home to care of them.

Comments:

The student makes use of the common knowledge in May's work but
acknowledges May's original conclusion and does not try to pass it off as his/her
own. The quotation is properly cited as a paraphrase of another quotation.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

3.3 School of Management, RMIT, Australia

Three students referred to McShane and Travaglione’s book for their work.
Which one would you count as plagiarism?

Original Text C

McShane, SL & Travaglione, T 2003, Organizational behaviour in the Pacific Rim,

McGraw Hill, Sydney.

Work motivation and performance increase when employees feel personally

accountable for the outcomes of their efforts (McShane & Travaglione 2003, p.
199).

Student C1 wrote:

When employees feel responsible for their work, they tend to be more motivated
which results in higher performances.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 6

Comments:

These are the student’s own words but not his/her idea or information. He/She
must show where the idea comes from.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Student C2 wrote:

When employees feel responsible for their work, they tend to be more motivated
which results in higher performances (McShane & Travaglione 2003).

Comments:

The source of the idea or information is cited. The page number need not be
included as the example is not a direct quote.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

Student C3 wrote:

McShane and Travaglione (2001, p. 199) state that ‘when employees feel
responsible for their work, they tend to be more motivated which results in higher
performances’.

Comments:

The source of the idea or information is cited. As this is a direct quotation, the
page number of the source is included.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

3.4 Learning Guide, University of Leeds, Great Britain

The following are examples of good and bad practices from a variety of academic
disciplines.

3.4.1 Sport and Exercise Science

Original Text D

Weinberg, RS & Gould, D 2003, Foundations of sport and exercise psychology,

3rd edn, Human Kinetics, Champaign.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 7

The direction of causality refers to whether cohesion leads to performance
success or performance success leads to cohesion (Weinberg & Gould 2003,
p. 185).

Student D1 wrote:

Cause-effect relationships or the direction of causality have proved difficult

to establish. In other words, higher levels of team cohesion may lead to more
successful performances or success may lead to greater cohesion (Weinberg
& Gould 2003).

Comments:

In this example, the original source is clearly referenced, and the reader is left
in no doubt that the Weinberg and Gould’s text has influenced and informed
this section of the essay. As the relevant section of the text is paraphrased
rather than directly quoted, there is no need to give the specific page number
in the text.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

Student D2 wrote:

The direction of causality refers to whether cohesion leads to performance

success or performance success leads to cohesion.

Comments:

The Weinberg and Gould’s text has been directly quoted, yet no reference or
quotation marks are used, and this would, therefore, be considered as
plagiarism. Always include the full correct reference where relevant.

Verdict: Plagiarism

3.4.2 Law

Two examples of good and poor referencing:

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 8

Example 1 – Good Referencing

Original Text E

Akdeniz, Y, Walker, C & Wall, T (eds), 2000, The Internet, law & society,
Longman, Harlow.

...many of these perceived dividends can, unfortunately, be turned against the

vulnerable and the unwary (Akdeniz, Walker & Wall 2000, p. 4).

Student E1 wrote:

There are many proven advantages that have resulted from the development of
the Internet, but it has been observed that ‘many of these perceived dividends
can, unfortunately, be turned against the vulnerable and the unwary’ (Akdeniz,
Walker & Tall 2000, p. 4).

Comments:

This source has been correctly quoted. The quotation is chosen to prove a point
the writers are making in their own words.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

Example 2 – Poor Referencing

Original Text F

JISC Legal 2007, Cybercrime, viewed 21 July 2007, from <http://www.

jisclegal.ac.uk/cybercrime/cybercrime.htm>.

The Internet is an international medium and although views will differ on how
it should be managed in other ways, all countries should be able to agree on
legislation for child abuse and pornography. Balancing the need to protect
minors with the need to maintain freedom of expression is continuing to
prove difficult (JISC Legal 2007).

Student F wrote:

It has been argued that it is hard to find the balance between maintaining
freedom of expression with the requirement to protect children in relation to the
Internet. Still, it would be hoped that all countries could be of the same opinion
concerning the policing of Internet pornography and child abuse (JISC Legal
2007).

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 9

Comments:

Quotation marks must be used around any verbatim text used in the source.
Use direct quotations in moderation and explain the argument you are putting
forward in your own words.

Verdict: Plagiarism

3.4.3 Common Knowledge vs Opinion

If you are stating something that everyone knows, this is classified as common
knowledge. Once you move outside of this, you need to cite your source. When
you are talking about an opinion or a common fact, correctly reference where
you have found this.

Original Text G

Akdeniz, Y, Walker, C & Wall, T (eds), 2000, The Internet, Law & Society,
Longman, Harlow.

The potential benefits of the Internet are numerous and range from the
simple improvement of communications to a revolution in commerce and
an increased potential for increasing the democratic involvement of
citizens whether in the nation state or in some level of political
engagement (Akdeniz, Walker & Wall 2000, p. 59).

Student G wrote:

The potential benefits of the Internet are numerous and range from the simple
improvement of communications to a revolution in commerce and an
increased potential for increasing the democratic involvement of citizens
whether in the nation state or in some level of political engagement.

Comments:

Even though the contents provided are common knowledge, if an original text
has been referred to, referencing of the original work must be provided for.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 10

3.4.4 Piecing together texts from one or more sources and linking them

Student H1 wrote:

Employees must be given control of their work environment to feel responsible for
their successes and failures. This is called employee involvement, designed to
encourage increased commitment to the organization’s success.

Comments:

This is an example of ‘cut-and-paste job’ of various sources’. There is no clear

citation of the sources.

Verdict: Plagiarism

Student H2 wrote:

‘Employees must be assigned control of their work environment to feel responsible

for their successes and failures’ (McShane & Tavaglione 2001, p. 199). Robbins et al.
(2001, p. 237) call this ‘employee involvement … designed to encourage increased
commitment to the organization’s success’.

Comments:

This is the correct way of piecing together texts from various sources and linking
the ideas together.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

3.4.5 Integrating ideas from multiple sources

Eunson (1987, p. 67) defines motivation as ‘what is important to you’ and

explores the importance of ‘money as a motivator’. However, recent studies
outlined by Leonard, Beauvais and Scholl (1999) suggest that personality and
disposition play an equally important role in motivation.

Conversely, Robbins et al. (1994, p. 241) put forward the idea that ‘motivation is
a set of processes that stimulate, direct and maintain human behaviour towards
attaining a goal’. In other words, ‘motivation’ is a complex concept which
encompasses a variety of competing theories. There are many reasons why
people behave differently in the workplace, but it is because these differences
exist that management pays attention to the theories, which provide them with
frameworks for problem solving.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 11

Comments:

The above is a good model on how to integrate ideas from multiple sources. Note
that usually the first sentence is a statement of proposition introducing the ideas
that you want to put forward in the paragraph. Then support the proposition by
including at least one or more authorities. Also, include a statement of opinions
contrary to the proposition to demonstrate that you have considered all sides to
the argument and summarise your argument or proposition in your own words.

Verdict: No Plagiarism

4.0 HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM

4.1 Learn how to cite reference correctly. Refer to the University College
Harvard Referencing System booklet available at all faculties.

4.2 Use the following checklist to ensure you avoid accusations of plagiarism
in your work:

 DO NOT directly copy phrases and/or passages (transcribe) without a

reference and/or quotation marks.

 DO NOT paraphrase other writers’ work in your written work without

citing references.

 DO NOT make a direct reference to an author or authors you have not

read, even if you may have read about them.

 DO NOT copy another person’s work, in part or in whole, or allow

someone else to copy part of or all of the work you have completed.

 DO NOT write your work in conjunction with other students without

prior permission (except in group assignments where wider
consultation is expected, you should only meet with other students
initially to discuss the essay topic and/or analyse the question).

 DO NOT submit written work already submitted for assessment in any

other course.

Source: Centre of Learning and Professional Development, University of

Adelaide. 2005.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 12

5.0 ONLINE RESOURCES: PLAGIARISM AVOIDANCE AND STUDY SKILLS

The following online resources can be worked through relatively quickly in your
own time. You can gain a better understanding of how to write and prepare your
assignments by following the step-by-step examples.

a) Active learning skills tutorials from James Cook University:

• http://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/notetaking/activ
e.html

b) How to avoid plagiarism from RMIT University:

• http://aps.eu.rmit.edu.au/lsu/resources/projects/plagiarism/index.htm
l

c) Other useful guides on the RMIT University learning skills sites:

• http://aps.eu.rmit.edu.au/lsu/resources/links/think.html
• http://aps.eu.rmit.edu.au/lsu/resources/links/study.html

d) Online tutorials on study skills and avoiding plagiarism from Deakin

University:
• http://www.deakin.edu.au/studentlife/academic_skills/undergraduate/
index.php

e) A brief lecture introducing academic integrity and student guidelines for

avoiding plagiarism from Curtin University of Technology
• http://www.academicintegrity.curtin.edu.au/students.html

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 13

 REFERENCES

Akdeniz, Y, Walker, C & Wall, T (eds), 2000, The internet, law & society,
Longman, Harlow.

Capital Community College 2007, Guide to writing research papers, viewed 10

June 2007, from <http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/plagiarism/shtml>.

Centre for Learning and Professional Development 2005, Avoiding plagiarism,

University of Adelaide, viewed 3 July 2007, from
<http://www.adelaide.edu.au/ clpd/>.

JISC Legal 2007, Cybercrime, viewed 21 July 2007, from

<http://www.jisclegal.ac. uk/cybercrime/cybercrime.htm>.

RMIT Library 2007, Library guide on APA referencing, RMIT University, viewed
3 July 2007, from <http://mams.rmit.edu.au/szg3g615ahbdz.rtf>.

University of Leeds 2007, Plagiarism - University of Leeds guide, viewed 20 July

2007, from
<http:www//lts.Leeds.ac.uk/plagiarism/examples.php?PHPSESSID=3eef75
055ce787b443cee7ac7cf7fe0>.

Weinberg, RS & Gould, D 2003, Foundations of sport and exercise psychology,

3rd edn, Champaign, Human Kinetics.

Avoiding Plagiarism – Based on Harvard Referencing System 14