First Things First . . .

What is plagiarism?

Who cares?

Why is plagiarism difficult to avoid?

Definite don'ts

What happens if you are accused?

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Use valid, credible sources for information

Take careful notes

Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing

Giving Credit

Papers

Presentations, websites, etc.

Citation styles

Is it plagiarism? (interactive game)

Copyright

What's the deal with the © ?

Is it copyright infringement? (interactive game)

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is the most challenging way to use a source if you want to avoid plagiarism.  When you paraphrase, put the thought entirely into your own words.  A close paraphrase, any paraphrase that mimics the original sentence structure, is plagiarism.  To avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing, read the passage, think about it, and write it in your own words.  Then compare your version to the original.  Your version should contain the same information as what you found in the source, and it should not twist the author's meaning.  If you've correctly represented the information, the next step is to make sure you're speaking with your own voice.  Do not use a thesaurus, whether it's a computer program, a book, or your mind, to rewrite the passage.  Your note must not echo the original sentence structure.  Even though you are not using the original author's words, you must cite the ideas and facts in the passage.

Here's a passage from the source:

"Hate-based Web sites have grown dramatically in recent years.  In 1995 at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, there was only on hate site¹ but today, the Simon Wiesenthal Center² and the Anti-Defamation League³ have documented about 2,800 hate sites.  The Internet has put the problem of incendiary hate into sharp relief, raising many difficult political, legal and social questions" (Leets 287-288).

Here's an example of an acceptable paraphrase in MLA style:

When the Murrah federal office building in Oklahoma City was bombed in 1995, only one website was devoted to hate speech.  However, groups that keep track of such things - the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League - reported in 2001 that about 2,800 hate-motivated sites appeared on the Web (Leets 287-288).

See this paraphrase in APA style.

Here's an example of a plagiarized paraphrase:

Hate-based Internet sites have grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.  In 1995 at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, there was only one website devoted to hate, but today, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League have listed about 2,800 hate sites.  The Electronic Highway has put the problem of fiery hate into sharp focus, raising many difficult political, legal and social questions (Leets 287-288).

Compare it to the original above.

Go to Summarizing.