PLAGIARISM

What is plagiarism in simple words?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as

your own, with or without their consent, by
incorporating it into your work without full
acknowledgment. All published and unpublished material,
whether in manuscript, printed, or electronic form, is covered
under this definition.
Where does plagiarism usually happen?

Plagiarism occurs when someone copies direct phrases from

a text (e.g. books, journals, and the internet) and does not
provide quotation marks or paraphrase or summarize
those ideas without giving credit to the author or authors.
What happens if you are thought to have plagiarized?

The University regards plagiarism in examinations as a serious

matter. Cases will be investigated, and penalties may range from
deduction of marks to expulsion from the University, depending on
the seriousness of the occurrence. Even if plagiarism is inadvertent,
it can result in a penalty. The forms of plagiarism listed above are all
potentially disciplinary offenses in the context of formal
assessment requirements.

SEE DETAILS: USM Policy on Plagiarism (Go to www.ips.usm.my → USM Policy on Plagiarism)
Why should you avoid plagiarism?

Firstly, it is unethical because it is a form of theft. By taking

the ideas and words of others and pretending they are your own,
you are stealing someone else's intellectual property.
Secondly, it is unethical because the plagiarizer subsequently
benefits from this theft.
 TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM
Don't procrastinate with your research and assignments.

Good research takes time. Procrastinating makes it likely you'll run

out of time or be unduly pressured to finish. This sort of pressure
can often lead to sloppy research habits and bad decisions. Plan
your research well in advance, and seek help when needed from
your professor, librarians, and other campus support staff.
 TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM
Commit to doing your own work.

If you don't understand an assignment, talk with your professor. Don't

take the "easy way" out by asking your roommate or friends for copies
of old assignments. A different aspect of this is group work.

Group projects are very popular in some classes on campus, but not
all. Make sure you clearly understand when your professor says it's
okay to work with others on assignments and submit group work on
assignments, versus when assignments and papers need to represent
your own work.
 TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM
Be 100% scrupulous in your note-taking.

As you prepare your paper or research, and as you begin drafting

your paper. One good practice is to clearly label in your notes your
own ideas (write “ME” in parentheses) and ideas and words from
others (write “SMITH, 2005” or something to indicate author,
source, source date). Keep good records of the sources you
consult, and the ideas you take from them. If you’re writing a
paper, you’ll need this information for your bibliographies or
references cited list anyway, so you’ll benefit from good
organization from the beginning.
 TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM
Cite your sources scrupulously.

Always cite other people's work, words, ideas and phrases that
you use directly or indirectly in your paper. Regardless of whether
you found the information in a book, article, or website, and
whether it's text, a graphic, an illustration, chart or table, you need
to cite it. When you use words or phrases from other sources,
these need to be in quotes. Current style manuals are available at
most reference desks and online. They may also give further
advice on avoiding plagiarism.
 TIPS TO AVOID PLAGIARISM
Understand good paraphrasing.

Simply using synonyms or scrambling an author's words and

phrases and then using these "rewrites" uncredited in your work
is plagiarism, plain and simple. Good paraphrasing requires that
you genuinely understand the original source, that you are
genuinely using your own words to summarize a point or
concept, and that you insert in quotes any unique words or
phrases you use from the original source. Good paraphrasing
also requires that you cite the original source. Anything less and
you veer into the dangerous territory of plagiarism."
Give credit to the authors of the ideas and observations you cite.

Not only does this accord recognition to their work, but it also
helps you to strengthen your argument by making clear the basis
on which you make it. Moreover, good citation practice gives your
reader the opportunity to follow up on your references or check
the validity of your interpretation.
 Now, let us learn the steps to avoid
PLAGIARISM by:
• Using proper citation and referencing techniques.
• Properly Quote and Paraphrase.
• Properly Cite Sources.
• Check Your Work for Possible Plagiarism.
• Practice.
 Definitions
Citation:
Tells the readers where the information came from. In your
writing, you cite or refer to the source of information.

Reference:
Gives the readers details about the source so that they have a
good understanding of what kind of source it is and could find
the source themselves if necessary. It is also an entry that
appears at the end of your paper.
Why is it important to include citations & references?

Including APA citations and references in your research projects is a

very important component of the research process. When you
include citations, you’re being a responsible researcher. You’re
showing readers that you were able to find valuable, high-quality
information from other sources, and place them into your project
where appropriate, all while acknowledging the original authors and
their work.
 Definitions
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase) - entry that appears in the
body of your paper when you express the ideas of a
researcher or author using your own words.

In-Text Citation (Quotation) - entry that appears in the

body of your paper after a direct quote.
Types of In-text citation
 Quotation

Author-prominent
citation
Paraphrasing
 APA Citation Style
American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly
used for citing references in student papers in science,
medicine, public health, health sciences, and nursing as well as
social science.

Why use APA Citation Style?

• Identify (cite) other people’s ideas and information used
within your essay or term paper.
• Indicate the authors or sources of these in a References list
at the end of your paper.
 APA Citation Style
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Author Surname, Year)

In-Text Citation (Direct Quote):

(Author Surname, Year, page number)

References:
Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Book title:
Subtitle. Publisher.
 BOOK
Examples:

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Burley, 2002)

In-Text Citation (Direct Quote):

(Burley, 2002, p. 153)

References:
Burley, J. (2002). A companion to genetics. Blackwell.
 Journal article
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Pettigrew, 2009)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Pettigrew, 2009, p. 61)

References:
Pettigrew, T. F. (2009). Secondary transfer effect of contact: Do
intergroup contact effects spread t noncontacted outgroups?
Social Psychology, 40(2), 55-65. http://doi.org/10.1027/1864-
9335.40.2.55
 Website
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(Ahmadi, 2018)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Ahmadi, 2018, para. 3)

References:
Ahmadi, S. (2018). Lesson plan: Filter bubbles. Digital Writing &
Research Lab. https://www.dwrl.utexas.edu/2018/01/02/lesson-
plan-filter-bubbles/
 Facebook
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
(U.S. Department of the Interior, 2020)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(U.S. Department of the Interior, 2020)

References:
U.S. Department of the Interior. (2020, January 10). Like frosting on a
cake, snow coats and clings to the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National
Park in Utah [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/USInterior/photos/a.155163054537384/
2586475451406120/?type=3&theater
References
 QUOTING
• Mistake #1 - Misquoting sources: If you plan to use a direct quote, make
sure you copy it exactly as is. Sure, you can use part of the full quote or
sentence, but if you decide to put quotation marks around any words,
those words should match exactly what was found in the original source.
Here’s a line from The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry:
• “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome
for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”
Here’s an acceptable option:
• “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves,” stated de Saint-
Exupéry (1943, p. 3)
 QUOTING
Here’s a misquote:
“Grown-ups barely ever understand anything by themselves,”
stated de Saint-Exupéry (1943, p. 3).
 Paraphrasing
• Mistake #2 - Problems with paraphrasing: When we paraphrase,
we restate information using our own words and writing style. It’s
not acceptable to substitute words from the original source with
synonyms.
• Let’s use the same sentence from The Little Prince.
• A correct paraphrase could be:
• de Saint-Exupéry (1943) shares various ways adults frustrate
children. One of the biggest being that kids have to explain
everything. It’s too bad adults are unable to comprehend anything
on their own (p. 3).
 Paraphrasing

An incorrect paraphrase would be:

• de Saint-Exupéry (1943) shares that adults never understand
anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for kids to be
always and forever clarifying things to them (p.3).