What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using other people’s work or ideas without giving them credit. Whenever you use information resources, you need to tell your audience that you used the work of others while you were doing your work. If you do not cite your sources, you are essentially saying that you formulated all the ideas in your paper by yourself.

According to the Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, to plagiarize is:

1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own;
2. to use (a created production) without crediting the source;
3. to commit literary theft.

Why does this matter? Primarily, because Severn School values students who demonstrate good character, conduct and scholarship. Students are asked to sign the Severn Honor Code, which states that you will not lie, cheat, or steal. Plagiarism is clearly a violation of Severn standards.

This plagiarism lesson is designed to help you understand that sometimes you have to cite information you get from somewhere else, and other times, you don't have to cite that information.

While citing sources may seem like extra work for you, it might help to think of your bibliography in another way. Try to think of it as proof of all the hard work you put into your research. It provides your audience with a paper trail that allows them to follow the research steps that you took.

Adapted from: Turner, John. "And I Quote." Severna Park, MD: Severn School, 2004.

Why is it important not to plagiarize?

First of all, it is essentially stealing to plagiarize. If you plagiarize at Severn, you run the risk of getting a zero for an assignment, receiving a suspension, or even being expelled from school. In every case, plagiarism is an honor code violation, and you will find yourself in front of the Honor Court. In college, the consequences are likely to be even more severe.

Plagiarism stories from the news
There are numerous stories from the news involving plagiarism at the college level. In 2007 a University of Colorado professor was fired after University officials learned that he had plagiarized some of his scholarly research. And in 2002 45 students at the University of Virginia were dismissed from the University when it was discovered that they had plagiarized papers for a Physics class.

The case of the students at UVa should be of particular interest to Severn students because that University has a long standing honor code that is respected by many. As Severn has just implemented its own student-written honor code, it is important that we all join in the community of trust that the Honor Code tries to encourage. While deciding not to plagiarize may be tough for some people or in some situations, avoiding plagiarism is the honest thing to do.

Knowing when to cite your sources … or… do you have to cite everything?

So we all agree that we have to cite our sources, but you might ask “Do I have to cite all my sources?” The short answer is NO, you don’t have to cite everything. In fact, you will look silly in college if cite every little thing. The trick is to gain a sense of when to cite and when not to cite. It takes some time and practice to gauge when you should opt not to cite information that you have taken from another source, but a safe rule of thumb, it is better to be safe than to be sorry. If in doubt, cite your source.

What must you cite?
You always need to remember to cite the opinion, ideas, judgment of others when you write papers. If you do not cite them, you are basically saying that the ideas are your own; this would be academic misconduct. You also have to cite things like charts, statistics, pictures and graphics that you are using from other sources. If you didn’t create it, make sure you cite it.

There are things that do not require citation
While you are writing, you will surely come up with your own ideas and opinions about your topic. You do not have to cite your own ideas or opinions. Furthermore, you do not have to cite your own observations. This might be relevant in a science class or if you are reporting the results of your own survey.

Adapted from: “Knowing which sources to acknowledge.” Price, Margaret. St. Martin’s tutorial for avoiding plagiarism. 3 Dec. 2007 (http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/plagiarismtutorial).

What is common knowledge?

The basic rule of thumb for citing sources is that whenever you take information or ideas from a source (internet, journal, book, another person – any other source) you need to tell your reader where you got your information. By the time you are in 11th or 12th grade, you understand that you have to cite your sources. Good.

Now the rules change slightly and we introduce the concept of common knowledge. The basic idea is that if you take a fact from one of your sources, and you have seen that information published in many other places, it can be considered common knowledge, and you do not have to cite things that are common knowledge. Examples of things that are common knowledge are: Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7th, 1941; the ocean has salty water; snow is cold; Dick Cheney is George W. Bush’s Vice President. These are things that most people know. Common knowledge does not have to be cited.

The following categories of information are considered common knowledge, and do not need to be cited:

1. Information that is widely known
2. Information that is found in many sources
3. Your own observations

You should know that applying the common knowledge principle can be complicated. As your academic career advances, you will find yourself in classes that require advanced knowledge. For example, if you take an Ecology course in college, it may be common knowledge between yourself, your fellow students and your instructor that Bob Payne coined the phrase “keystone predator” to describe an essential species in an ecological food chain. What may be common knowledge to Ecologists and students in that class may not be considered common knowledge to the person in the grocery checkout at the Giant. Thus, the standard of common knowledge changes from situation to situation. Bottom line: you have to judge whether a fact/idea is common knowledge based on your audience.

Examples

Below are ten examples of statements that may or may not require citing your source. What do you think? (see answers on the next page)

1. Lincoln began his famous speech at Gettysburg with the line “four score and seven years ago…”

2. The famine in Ireland was responsible for misery and death where ever the potato blight (phytophthora infestans)grew.

3. Hugo Chavez is currently President of Argentina.

4. 82% of students surveyed admitted lying to their parents.

5. The main staple for pandas is bamboo.

6. Heavily invested in burning fossil fuels, in 2005, the United States was the largest single producer of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.

7. Although some people think you can get a wart from holding toad, this is really a myth.

8. Lynard Skynard was notorious for tearing up hotel rooms and wreaking havoc whenever they went on tour.

9. University of Michigan has produced more high quality quarterbacks than any other college football program.

10. We observed that the air temperature on the Severn River is at least three degrees cooler than on the nearby shore.

The examples explained

1. Lincoln began his famous speech at Gettysburg with the line “four score and seven years ago…”

Requires acknowledgment -- any quotation requires citation of the source.

2. The famine in Ireland was responsible for misery and death wherever the potato blight (phytophthora infestans) grew.

Requires acknowledgement -- the information is not widely known and must be cited.

3. Hugo Chavez is currently President of Argentina.

Does not require acknowledgement -- This information is available in many sources and does not have to be cited.

4. 82% of students surveyed admitted lying to their parents.

Requires acknowledgement -- statistical information taken from a source must be cited.

5. The main staple for pandas is bamboo.

Does not require acknowledgement -- the information can be found in many reference books.

6. Heavily invested in burning fossil fuels, in 2005 the United States was the largest single producer of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.

Requires acknowledgement -- all statistics need citation.

7. Although some people think you can get a wart from holding toad, this is really a myth.

Requires acknowledgment -- because it goes against commonly held beliefs, it needs a citation.

8. Lynard Skynard was notorious for tearing up hotel rooms and wreaking havoc whenever they went on tour.

Does not requirement acknowledgement -- this information is widely known, as suggested by the word notorious.

9. University of Michigan has produced more high quality quarterbacks than any other college football program.

Requires acknowledgement -- because this is a controversial opinion, it needs to be cited.

10. We observed that the air temperature on the Severn River is at least three degrees cooler than on the nearby shore.

Does not require acknowledgement -- personal observations do not require acknowledgment.

St. Martin's Press Tutorial on Knowing When to Cite Your Sources

The link below will take you to an extensive explanation of when to cite your sources. There is also a ten-question quiz about recognizing when you must cite your sources, and when something is considered common knowledge. The quiz results can be mailed to your teacher if she or he wants you to do so.

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/plagiarismtutorial/pages/bcs-main.asp?v=chapter&s=01000&n=00040&i=01040.01&o=|00040|&ns=0