Plagiarism

by Ann Bomberger, Allegheny College Director of Expository Writing

This page is a resource for students who are unsure what plagiarism is. It defines plagiarism and gives examples that demonstrate how to quote and paraphrase.

The Allegheny Honor Code
Article III, points 3 and 4 explain Allegheny's official definition of plagiarism, the most common form of academic dishonesty in writing courses. Other sections of the Honor Code also apply to paper writing. For a complete version of the Honor Code you can either look at the copy of it on the web or in A Catalogue for Allegheny College.

Article III, points 3 and 4 state:
"3. Plagiarism is defined as using the ideas or words of another without citing the sources from which the ideas or words are taken. In take-home examinations, papers and reports, the following must be carefully observed:

a. Any sequence of words taken verbatim from another source not original with the student must be enclosed in quotation marks, and its source fully and accurately identified. Such material must be quoted accurately.
b. Where the ideas of another are paraphrased or interpreted, quotation marks cannot be used. However, the source must be fully and accurately identified.

" While each instructor who assigns a paper, report or examination may direct students to a particular style for footnote and bibliographic documentation, the rules noted above must be followed. Ignorance here or in any other part of the code is no excuse.

"4. No work submitted for one course may be submitted also for another course except with the explicit approval of both instructors."

Examples

This section will walk you through various examples of correct and incorrect paraphrases.

Note: Although all of the examples below will describe when sources need quotation marks and/or citations, remember that they follow a particular form of citation, that of the Modern Language Association. Your professor may require you to use some other form of citation (such as the APA or Chicago style). Be sure to ask your professor if you do not know the form of citation he/she requires (Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference, available in the bookstore, provides citation protocols for The MLA style, the APA style, and the Chicago Style).

Original Source
All of the examples quote or paraphrase this passage from Cynthia M. Duncan's essay "Persistent Poverty in Appalachia: Scarce Work and Rigid Stratification":

"limited opportunity for steady work and income means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power. Jobs are a kind of currency. Private employers give jobs to family members, friends, and, frequently, political supporters" (111).

Duncan, Cynthia M. "Persistent Poverty in Appalachia: Scarce Work and Rigid Stratification." Rural Poverty. ed. Cynthia M. Duncan. New York: Auburn House, 1992. 111-133.

How do I know when something must be in quotation marks?

When you place sentences in quotation marks you indicate that the author cited wrote the exact words you have included.

Correct use of quotation marks: According to Duncan, "limited opportunity for steady work and income means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power" (111).

Incorrect use of quotation marks: According to Duncan, "minimal opportunity for long-term work and income means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power" (111). By changing just a few words ("minimal" replaces "limited" and "long-term" replaces "steady"), I incorrectly told my audience what the author said. Even though the words are synonyms, the citation improperly asserts that Duncan wrote the exact words I cited.

If you think the quotation needs to have something added to it to put it in the proper context or if you want to remove something you don't think is relevant to your paper, you may do so. To add something, put it in brackets ([ ]); to take something out, insert an ellipsis ( . . . ).

Correct way to add words to a quotation: "limited opportunity for steady work and income [in Appalachia] means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power" (Duncan 111). By adding "in Appalachia," I in no way changed the meaning of the sentence, I simply provided context that is supplied elsewhere in Duncan's essay.

Incorrect way to add words to a quotation: "limited opportunity for steady work and income means that control over jobs is [not] a source of wealth and power" (Duncan 111). The addition of "not" completely altered the meaning of the sentence and is therefore unfair to the original source.

Correct use of an ellipsis: "Limited opportunity for steady work and income means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power. . . . Private employers give jobs to family members, friends, and, frequently, political supporters" (Duncan 111). Removing "Jobs are a kind of currency" did not fundamentally alter the meaning of the quotation and therefore is acceptable.

Incorrect use of an ellipsis: "Limited opportunity for steady work and income means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power. Jobs are a kind of currency. Private employers give jobs to . . . political supporters" (Duncan 111). By taking out the phrase "family members, friends, and, frequently," I made the sentence more narrow than the author intended and therefore left out relevant information.

When do I cite an author's idea?

If something is common knowledge-- something that the vast majority of people in the field you are studying would know-- then it does not need to be cited. Figuring out what constitutes "common knowledge" can be tricky. If you are unsure what kinds of information people in your field of study know, then it is better to err on the side of caution and cite the source.

Any time you use someone else's idea, that source needs to be cited. You may either include a direct quotation or you may paraphrase the idea and cite it.

Example of a correct paraphrase: Due to the scarce supply of jobs in Appalachia, those people who decide who to hire have tremendous power. Employers regularly fill their vacancies with loved ones, friends, or political associates (Duncan 111). Neither the sentence structure nor the words are derived from the original quotation.

Original quotation:"Limited opportunity for steady work and income means that control over jobs is a source of wealth and power. Jobs are a kind of currency. Private employers give jobs to family members, friends, and, frequently, political supporters" (Duncan 111).
Example of an incorrect paraphrase: Little opportunity for a regular job and salary means that control over jobs is a source of economic advantage and power (Duncan 111). Even though few of the words in the paraphrase are found in the original quotation, the paraphrase fails to use a different sentence structure from the original source; it simply substitutes synonyms. When writing a paraphrase, don't look at the original quotation as you are writing. Instead, use your own words and sentence structure to convey the idea. Then compare it with the original to ensure that it does not accidentally use the sentence structure or many of the words from the original source.
Example of an incorrect paraphrase: Control over jobs is a source of power in a society where there is limited opportunity for steady work. Employers dole out jobs to family and friends, using jobs as a kind of currency (Duncan 111). This sentence doesn't use the same sentence structure as the original source, but it does use many of the exact phrases from the source and does not put those phrases in quotation marks. It's fine to use very common words the original source cited (like "jobs" or "is"); however, using an author's phrases without quotation marks turns into plagiarism. Look closely at the incorrect paraphrase above: "control over jobs," "power," "limited opportunity for steady work," "kind of currency" all can be found in the original quotation.

If you have other questions about citation, either check with your professor or send an email to ann.bomberger@allegheny.edu