Plagiarism results
when writers fail to document a source,
so that the words or ideas of someone else
are presented
as the writer's own work,
intentionally or unintentionally.
Common Knowledge does not require documentation.
But what constitutes common knowledge?
-
Common knowledge consists of standard information and facts widely available in a variety of standard reference books.
Example: Solar energy is one answer to future energy needs.
- However, forecasts about how widely solar power may be used twenty years from now would require documentation.
Remember:
to avoid plagiarism you MUST document any part of your text where you use ideas that are not your own, whether you are:
- quoting
- summarizing
- or paraphrasing
Quotations:
- Are the record of the exact words of a written or spoken source and are set off by quotation marks.
- When quoting exact words from a source, you will not avoid plagiarism by using quotation marks only.
- You must use both quotation marks and a parenthetical note when you quote directly.
Summaries:
- Are written in your own words
- Include only the main points, omitting details
- Use fewer words than the source
- Do not follow the organization of the source
- Are objective
Paraphrases:
- Are written in your own words.
- Are more detailed than a summary
- Have approximately the same number of words as the source
- Keep the same organization as the source
- Are objective
Example: Original Text
. . . As long as you stay on the trails and do it with a modicum of consideration for others you have nothing to fear and should not risk being banned . . . Single tracks are often considered off-limits to mountain bikers, although in most cases they are perfectly suitable and there are not enough hikers . . .
Example: Quotation
As Rob van der Plas reminds bikers, they need only use common sense in riding public trails: “As long as you stay on the trails and do it with a modicum of consideration for others, you have nothing to fear . . .” (106).
Example: Summary
Rob van der Plas asserts that mountain bikers need not fear limitations on their rights-of- way if they ride trails responsibly (106).
Example:
Paraphrase
Though using so-called single-track trails might put mountain bikers in conflict with the hikers, such tracks are often empty and under- utilized (van der Plas 106).
Example: Works Cited (MLA style)
van der Plas, Rob. The Mountain Bike Book: Choosing, Riding and Maintaining the
Off-Road Bicycle.3rd ed. San Francisco: Bicycle, 1993.
Should you use more quotations than paraphrases or summaries in your paper?
There is no hard fast rule for this.
Remember, the majority of your paper should be made up of your own ideas and your own words!
Think of this portion of your paper as the bottom layer of a cake.
Summaries, also written in your own words, are more general and include only the main points. Choose to use summaries when it is important to support your thesis with broad, general statements. Summaries in your paper should make up an amount of the text that is proportional to the second layer of a cake.
Paraphrases are also written in your own words but are more detailed. Choose to use paraphrasing when it is important to cite specific information from a resource in order to support your thesis. Think of using paraphrases that are equal to the body of your text proportional to the third layer of a cake.
A good general rule of thumb is that you use very few "quotes" and save the direct quotes for your most reliable, relevant, and credible resources. This is the top layer of a cake.
Summaries, paraphrases and direct quotation must all be cited! |