English Composition 101: Academic Integrity - Plagiarism Intentional vs. Unintentional SelfPlagiarism Patchwriting Mosaic Plagiarism Verbatim

Study Guide: Plagiarism

What It Is

Plagiarism is the act of passing off someone else's words, ideas, or work as your own. For example, a student writes a paper on climate change and copies a paragraph from a website without citing the source. This matters because plagiarism can lead to failing grades, loss of credibility, and even expulsion from college. In academic and professional writing, originality and honesty are essential.

Core Principles

• Intentional plagiarism: Deliberately passing off someone else's work as your own.
• Unintentional plagiarism: Accidentally using someone else's words or ideas without proper citation.
• Self-plagiarism: Reusing your own work without proper citation.
• Patchwriting: Taking a passage from a source and rephrasing it without proper citation.
• Mosaic plagiarism: Combining your own words with someone else's words or ideas without proper citation.
• Verbatim plagiarism: Copying someone else's words exactly without quotation marks.
• Always cite sources using MLA or APA format.
• Use quotation marks for direct quotes.
• Paraphrase or summarize sources to avoid plagiarism.
• Use in-text citations to credit sources.
• Include a Works Cited or References page.
• Be aware of plagiarism in your own work, including self-plagiarism.
• Use plagiarism detection tools to check your work.
• Keep track of your sources and citations throughout the writing process.
• Use a citation management tool to organize your sources.
• Be aware of cultural and language differences in plagiarism norms.
• Understand the consequences of plagiarism in academic and professional settings.

Common Writing Errors

Error: I got this information from a website, so I don't need to cite it. Why it fails: This is an example of unintentional plagiarism, as you're not giving credit to the original source. Correction: Always cite sources, even if you're paraphrasing or summarizing.

Error: I'm just reusing my own paper from last semester, so I don't need to cite it. Why it fails: This is an example of self-plagiarism, as you're reusing your own work without proper citation. Correction: Use a different title, introduction, and conclusion to make your work original.

Error: I'm just changing a few words to make it my own, so it's not plagiarism. Why it fails: This is an example of patchwriting, as you're rephrasing someone else's words without proper citation. Correction: Paraphrase or summarize the source to make it your own.

Quick Application

Scenario 1: You are arguing that college tuition should be free. Write a thesis statement.

Model answer: "College tuition should be free because it would increase accessibility and reduce student debt, ultimately benefiting society as a whole."

Explanation: A strong thesis statement should include a claim, a roadmap, and evidence. In this example, the claim is that college tuition should be free, the roadmap is that it would increase accessibility and reduce student debt, and the evidence is that it would benefit society.

Scenario 2: You are writing a paper on the impact of social media on mental health. How would you cite a source that says "social media use is linked to increased symptoms of depression"?

Model answer: According to a study by Kowalski et al. (2014), "social media use is linked to increased symptoms of depression" (p. 12).

Explanation: In this example, we're citing a source using APA format, including the author's last name, year of publication, and page number.

Scenario 3: You are writing a paper on the benefits of renewable energy. How would you paraphrase a source that says "renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels"?

Model answer: As renewable energy sources become more viable, they are now comparable in cost to traditional fossil fuels.

Explanation: In this example, we're paraphrasing the source to make it our own, while still giving credit to the original author.

Last-Minute Revision

• Always use quotation marks for direct quotes.
• Use in-text citations to credit sources.
• Include a Works Cited or References page.
• Use a citation management tool to organize your sources.
• Keep track of your sources and citations throughout the writing process.
• Be aware of cultural and language differences in plagiarism norms.
• Understand the consequences of plagiarism in academic and professional settings.
• Use plagiarism detection tools to check your work.
• Be aware of self-plagiarism and reuse your own work properly.
• Use transition words to connect ideas between paragraphs.
• Use punctuation correctly to avoid confusion.
• Use active voice instead of passive voice.
• Use a clear and concise writing style.
• Use headings and subheadings to organize your paper.
• Use a consistent citation style throughout your paper.