Derived from the Latin verb meaning “to kidnap,” plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s words, phrasing or ideas without proper acknowledgement of the source. While the use of the work of others is acceptable, their efforts must be acknowledged. Failure to do so is an offense against academic integrity. The penalty for plagiarism at Quabbin Regional High School should be a zero for all parties involved; four demerits for deceit may also be assigned. Parents should be notified. In college penalties will be much more severe.
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
Learn how to avoid plagiarism. Study the following four passages. The first is the original passage by Aurelia Kamp. The second passage illustrates plagiarism. The third passage accurately rewords, quotes, and documents the words and ideas used from the original. The fourth passage accurately rewords and documents the ideas from the original but does not include direct quotes.
Original Passage
The cost-effective production of white corn is important to anyone who likes cereal for breakfast, tacos for lunch, tortillas for dinner, or Fritos for a snack. But reducing operating costs in order to keep down consumer costs is an ongoing problem for farmers. As we walked through the grain-bin area, Mr. Z. pointed to a 3,500-gallon propane tank. During harvest, he explained, the tank was filled every other day. Then, to reduce costs, Mr. Z. spent $70,000 to design and build a cob burner that gasifies the corncobs and turns them into fuel. The operation has cut the fuel bill by 60%. Now the propane fuel tank is filled only once a week.
Plagiarized (Not Acceptable)
Reducing the operating costs of white corn production is an ongoing problem, but one farmer has reduced costs by spending $70,000 to design and build a cob burner that gasifies the corncobs and turns them into fuel.
Notice that although the order of the passage has been altered and that few of the words have been omitted, the passage is basically the same as the original. No quotation marks set off the exact words of the original and no documentation acknowledges the source. Both must occur in order to avoid plagiarism. Compare that with the following:
Reworded, Partly Quoted, and Documented (Acceptable)
Farmers struggle to reduce the cost of producing white corn, a staple for many Americans who like cereal and tortillas. One farmer has cut his fuel consumption in half by using what had once been thrown away: the corncobs. As Mr. Z explained, the $70,000 cob burner “gasifies the corncobs and turns them into fuel” (Kamp16).
In this acceptably written passage, exact words appear in quotation marks and reworded portions are acknowledged by documentation at the end of the paragraph.
Notice in the following passage however, that no exact phrases appear.
Reworded and Documented (Acceptable)
Representative of farmers’ creative approaches to cut the cost of producing white corn, one farmer has given the term “recycling” a new twist. For $70,000 he designed and built a cob burner that turns corncobs to gas that can in turn be used for fuel. He has eliminated the pile of cobs that accumulated out back and at the same time cut his fuel consumption by more than half (Kamp 16).
Completely reworded, this passage omits exact words from the source; thus, no quotation marks are necessary to mark them. Since the passage is a summary, however, credit must be given to the source.
To avoid plagiarism, adhere to three rules:
- DO NOT use exact words from a source without putting them inside quotation marks and giving credit to the source.
- DO NOT reword a passage without giving credit to the source.
- DO NOT summarize a passage without giving credit to the source.
In other words, if writers are honest about where they get their words and ideas they will never be guilty of theft.