Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding PlagiarismAs a student at The Ohio State University, you will be expected to complete many different types of writing assignments in your classes. These include research papers, lab reports, case studies, discussion board postings and more. The purpose of any writing assignment is to show your own thinking and understanding of the course topic. It is important that you complete your own writing assignments and properly identify any ideas and text passages that you borrow from other sources in order to ensure your own learning as well as to protect the integrity of the university. This applies regardless of whose thoughts, ideas, or words you use; if you do not acknowledge the work of others, you are implying that that work is your own and this constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is using someone else’s idea or words and presenting them as your own.

If you use another person’s thoughts, ideas, or words in your writing assignments, you must clearly show this by “citing” your source. The point of documenting your sources is to demonstrate that you know what is going on in your field of study: it shows that you have done your reading and helps the reader of your writings easily look at the material you have used to prepare your assignment.

There are several different systems used for documenting your sources. Ohio State’s Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing has many resources to help you learn these citation formats: https://cstw.osu.edu/writing-center/handouts . You do not need to memorize all the format options for every type of citation; instead the important thing is to understand how your own thinking has been informed by your academic reading & research and make an attempt to properly document your sources. Here are some frequently asked questions and basic answers to help you avoid plagiarism (source: University of Toronto’s Writing Centre: http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize):

  1. Will I avoid plagiarism if I just list every source I used in a reference list at the end of my assignment?
    1. No, you need to include the acknowledgements within your own writing. Include the reference as soon as you introduce the idea you are using, not just at the end of the page.
  2. I changed a few of the words from the original text, do I still need to include citations since it is not an exact word-for-word copy?
    1. Yes, you do need to include citations for paraphrased ideas. You need to keep mentioning authors and pages to show how your ideas are related to those of the expert.
  3. I didn’t know anything about this topic until I started the paper…do I have to include a citation for every idea I include?
    1. It is always safe to over-reference rather than not; however, some ideas are considered “common knowledge” within a field. Check with your professor or teaching assistant if you are not sure if a specific point is considered common knowledge in your field.
  4. How do I know if it was my own idea or if it came from someone else?
    1. Keep careful notes when completing your reading and research. Write down the author, title, and publication information for specific ideas. Don’t copy blocks of text from online sources in to your draft – you might forget to go back to summarize in your own words.

Resources for Avoiding Plagiarism

Ohio State’s Center for the Study & Teaching of Writing: https://cstw.osu.edu/writing-center/handouts & https://cstw.osu.edu/writing-center/resources/links

Ohio State’s Committee on Academic Misconduct: https://oaa.osu.edu/coamresources.html

How Not to Plagiarize” (an excellent resource from the University of Toronto)

An Ohio State video for international students on avoiding plagiarism (see the “international version”): https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/46848

 

Photo credit: Sharon & Nikki McCutcheon