Plagiarism is the illegal copying of the words of others without proper citation or documentation. In other words, it consists of using the words or ideas of others without giving them proper credit by naming the author, year of publication and/or the pages where information was located. This process of giving credit to authors for their work is called documentation.

What are some sources that must be documented?

Any information cited directly or paraphrased from any of the following sources must be documented:

Books with one or more authors, edited books or anthologies, business publications, multivolume series, republished books, government publications & dissertations; articles in scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, abstracts; CD-ROMs, diskettes, dial-in network services; letters, personal communications, interviews, published or broadcast interview, maps, charts, films, videos, television & radio programs, recordings, live performances, works of art, cartoons, advertisements; Internet sources such as online books/texts, poems, articles in reference databases, online journals, online magazines, online newspapers, online reviews, editorials, abstracts or letters, online scholarly projects, professional sites, linked sites, personal web pages, online postings in discussion lists, synchronous communica-tions, personal e-mail messages & any other electronic sources.

How can I learn more about plagiarism?

Study guidelines provided by your professors, attend one of the citation workshops offered by the LaGuardia Library, consult a research handbook and/ or check this Plagiarism Fact Sheet.

How can I avoid plagiarism?

Study the rules concerning MLA citation and documentation of sources available at the LaGuardia Library website or a research handbook such as Keys for Writers (by Ann Raimes). These guides provide detailed information about the format for proper citation of research sources. Refer to them frequently throughout the semester and when writing a paper.

What should I do when consulting a research handbook?

It is important to follow the formatting provided exactly as it is presented in the handbook. This means that you must duplicate or follow punctuation, capitalization and spacing precisely as it is displayed in the guide.

What are some basics I should know about plagiarism?

Whenever an author’s words or ideas are paraphrased (written in your own words), you must cite or note the author’s last name and the year of publication in parentheses immediately following the paraphrase (Jones 2003). Page numbers of exact quotes should also be noted along with the author’s name immediately after quoted sections (Jones 3-5). The format illustrated here follows MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines. However, other types of citation include APA (American Psychological Association) and CBE (Council of Biology Editors). You must follow the specific guidelines for the system required by your individual professors.

What is in-text citation?

In-text citation requires naming authors or sources in the written text of a research paper. In other words, in-text citation is noted within the context of a paragraph in which the source is mentioned.

What is Works Cited?

Works Cited is a full bibliographical reference list of the authors or works cited in the text of your paper. It includes only the works you have actually used and mentioned in the text of your paper. It does not include every source that you read. Works Cited begins on a new page and is alphabetized according to the authors’ last names or document title if there is no author.

Formatting for Works Cited must be strictly adhered to in terms of punctuation, capitalization and spacing. You should consult a handbook, library guide or instructor handout each time you write a paper so that you may avoid unnecessary mistakes in documentation.

Since there are several systems of documentation, you must be sure that you consistently follow the system required by your professors in specific courses.

How can I avoid plagiarism of Internet sources?

You can avoid plagiarism if you do the following:

-Change the wording and sentence structure and/or use quotation marks at the beginning and end of the author’s words.
-Cite the name of the author and the title of the publication (article, book).

1. Provide the page number or numbers (if available) of the article, book or Internet page.

Other tips to avoid Internet plagiarism are:

First, never download and paste information from the Internet directly into a paper.

Second, treat Internet sources the same as other written sources. Print out a complete copy of articles, and read and underline the most important information just as for any other written source of information.

Third, paraphrase information using your own words and name the Internet location, author and date of access.

Fourth, always list the Internet source in the Works Cited section, the same as you would for any other citation. However, remember to consult your MLA handbook for special formatting of Internet addresses.

For a detailed list of tips on how to correctly use Internet sources, check Keys for Writers, Using Internet Sources and read “Online Research: Using the Internet,” Section 8 of Part 2: Doing Research, pages 50-73 (Raimes 1999). You may also consult the most recent edition of the MLA or APA Handbook or library resource.

What will happen if I plagiarize?

If an exam is involved, you may fail the exam. If a composition, essay or research paper is involved, you may receive a failing grade if you do not document all information that is not your own idea by providing the author, publication date, and/or page number of the location of information obtained from an article, a book, newspaper or other publication. In any case, there will be some form of punishment for using information and not citing the source of the information. The type of punishment depends on individual circumstances and is at the discretion of teaching faculty and/or LaGuardia Community College.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to educate yourself about proper documentation as learned from your professors, Library Citation Workshops, and research guides and manuals. It is also helpful to consult research guides continually as you cite information sources to be sure your documentation is accurately formatted and punctuated.

Taking the precautions outlined above will aid you in preventing plagiarism.

Protecting Your Academic Integrity

There are several steps you can take to ensure the protection of your academic integrity. The Student Advocacy/Student Resource Services Center of the University of Manitoba (June 2006) suggests the following:

-Keep all written drafts of work submitted for a grade in a private and secure location.
-Keep a photocopy of all work submitted for a grade.
-Save electronic files and drafts of all work.
-Always hand in written papers to the professor unless the professor makes a provision for an alternate mode of submission.
-Never reuse previously written papers in new courses.
-Never share work with other students unless you are officially assigned to a research group.
-Use your own words to restate or paraphrase information.
-Acknowledge all information sources and other inspirations for your work.

These helpful suggestions corroborate advice offered by your professors to prevent plagiarism. For a more detailed list of ways to prevent plagiarism, the University of Manitoba web address is listed in parentheses. (http://www.cc.umanitoba.ca/studnet/resource/student_advocacy/cheating_plagiarism_fraud.shtml)

Important Vocabulary

source: The written text in which the paraphrased or quoted information can be found.

original: the first copy of a source.

cite: to quote or paraphrase a source.

citation: a paraphrase or quote of a source.

paraphrase: to restate ideas or information of a source in your own words.

quote: to present an author’s exact words placed in opening and closing quotation marks.

quotation: a direct quote of an author or a written source.

document: to provide written acknowledgement of a source.

documentation: written acknowledgement of a source.

in-text: within the written text of a paper.

Forms of Citation and Areas of Study

MLA & Chicago Manual of Style – used in Humanities and arts

APA – used in the social sciences and science and mathematics.

CBE – used in science and mathematics.