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Research Survival Skills: Plagiarism and How to Avoid It
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Compiled by:
Coordinator, Instructional Services
This guide is intended to be used both as a part of the Hostos Library’s workshop, “Research Survival Skills” and as a resource for anyone who needs help learning and practicing skills such as creating citations, correct use of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing the words or ideas of others in written assignments that include research and acknowledgment of sources of information. In this Guide, we offer online tutorials, other Internet resources about plagiarism and how to avoid it, and print resources available in the Hostos Library collection.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism at Hostos Community College
A Note for Faculty
Teaching the skills that lead to correctly acknowledging another writer’s work is too complex to be covered completely in one library workshop or class session and should ideally be addressed across the curriculum. Further, students must practice these skills over time, with periodic feedback from instructors, in order to understand and become comfortable with the process of incorporating and acknowledging the work of others into their own written work. This guide is offered as a supplement to our workshop, “Research Survival Skills.” We invite other Hostos faculty to refer their students to both the workshop and this guide, and to provide support and guidance in their courses in how to use their discipline’s favored citation style. |
PLAGIARISM (pronounced “play-jar-ism”) is derived from the Latin word plagiarius, which means “kidnapper.” This implies (linguistically) that writers who plagiarize “kidnap” other writers’ ideas, creations and/or words and use them as their own without giving proper credit, (acknowledgment).
Plagiarizing is a breach of academic integrity (honesty). All higher educational institutions are concerned that both faculty and students “play by the rules” in their research and writing or other productions, as well as in their conduct toward their colleagues and fellow students. In reality, academic integrity is not different from behaving ethically and honestly in everyday life. Colleges publish their own codes, or rules of conduct that cover the institution’s definitions of various types of student misconduct and the college’s procedures for addressing them.
Hostos Community College’s Definition of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is a form of cheating that occurs when persons, even if unintentionally, fail to acknowledge appropriately the sources for the ideas, language, concepts, inventions, etc. referred to in their own work. Thus, any attempt to claim another’s intellectual or artistic work as one’s own constitutes an act of plagiarism.
Instances of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Quoting and/or paraphrasing the work(s) of others without giving credit to the original author(s).
2. Incorporating the ideas of another into one’s work without acknowledging and/or documenting
the source(s).
(Hostos Community College.Catalog 2003-2003, p.42)
For more information on Hostos’ rules on Academic Integrity and the procedure for addressing violations, see the Hostos Catalog.
The Web sites in this section provide clear definitions, explanations and lots of concrete details to give students both an understanding of, and practical help with, understanding plagiarism and gaining mastery over “giving credit where credit is due.”
Avoiding Plagiarism (OWL, Purdue U.)
Start with this excellent resource. Includes clear definitions and explanations of plagiarism, when to quote, paraphrase or summarize others’ ideas and words, and when it is not necessary (“common knowledge”), as well as practice exercises.
Also try:
Quoting & Paraphrasing Sources (U. Wisconsin)
Effective Note-taking (Purdue OWL)
What is Plagiarism & How to Avoid It (U. Indiana)
Documentation & Plagiarism (Austin CC)
What is Plagiarism (Sauer, S.Alabama)
The rules for constructing in-text, parenthetical cites and “Works Cited” ( also called “References” or “Bibliography”) are not difficult to follow but they are very detailed because the individual elements of a citation and their order will change - depending both on what kind of resource is being cited (newspaper, journal, book, Web site, database), and what professional association’s style must be followed to conform with the academic discipline being researched. Not even experienced writers can carry all of the rules in their head and so reference tools online and in the Library’s print collection are needed for all – beginners and expert writers. There are quite a few citation styles but the two most often required at Hostos are those created and published by the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). More information on these two styles and when to use one or the other are provided below.
In addition to the rules for citing print sources (books, periodicals, encyclopedias, and more), correct citation formats must also be applied to sources found on the Internet (such as Web Sites, e-journals, e-mail) and in digital research databases that libraries pay subscriptions for using. Rules for citing from these electronic sources are still evolving. Some of the links we provide below describe how to correctly cite Web sites, databases and other non-print (electronic) sources.
The Two Major Citation Styles:
1. The Modern Language Association (MLA) publishes detailed style guides (manuals) on the Web and in print, which writers use to create citations in papers for English and other non-science courses.
2. The American Psychological Association (APA) also publishes manuals which writers use to create citations in papers for the Natural and Social Sciences. There are several other citation styles used in various academic disciplines (for example, Chicago, Turabian, CBE).
REMEMBER! Check with your professor to find out which style s/he prefers.
The three Internet resources below include citation guides and examples for every major citation style (not just APA or MLA). The third resource, “Online Citation Styles” is a good resource for how to cite all types of electronic sources.
Color-Coded Citation Styles Charts (R. Delaney)
Librarian Robert Delaney’s color-coded citation styles chart is the easiest style guide we’ve ever seen. This is the place to start if you are very confused about citations and what goes in them.
Research & Documentation, All Styles (Hacker & Fister)
Bedford/St. Martin’s excellent online version of its Bedford Handbook, 3rd edition. Includes finding sources, documenting (citing) sources, samples papers in the major styles, and a handy online glossary of library and web terms.
Bedford/St. Martin publishing company provides guidance in all major citation styles and additional links to guides for the less-used styles.
Used in the Social Sciences disciplines (such as psychology, sociology, education, health sciences, urban health, business, computer science, political science, geography, ethnic and area studies, and law).
From Long Island University/CW Post library, this color-coded chart on APA style is easy to understand and use.
APA Style Workshop (OWL, Purdue)
Like the Purdue OWL “Avoiding Plagiarism” tutorial listed above, this is a really excellent tutorial for anyone working with APA styles. Start here. Everything you need to know and understand about using APA is here, with sample papers and citations, clear explanations and concrete examples.
APA's Electronic Reference Citation Guide
The APA is a leader in providing clear, detailed help with citing electronic sources. Use this Internet resource or Bedford/St. Martin’s Online! Citation Styles (also listed below) when you need help with correctly citing Web sites and other non-print, electronic sources.
Also try:
APA Documentation (U. Wisconsin)
Citing Sources (APA) (U. Indiana)
APA Style Sheet (James Madison University)
Used in the Humanities disciplines (such as English, literature and linguistics, fine arts, dance, theater, music, philosophy and religion).
From Long Island University/CW Post library, this color-coded chart on MLA style is easy to understand and use.
MLA Citation Style Tutorial (OWL, Purdue U.)
Another great Purdue OWL tutorial, this one for understanding and working with the MLA citation styles.
Also try:
MLA Style Sheet (James Madison University)
MLA Documentation (U. Wisconsin)
Citing Sources (MLA) (U. Indiana)
Glossary of Terms (Cal State San Marcos)
This glossary provides good definitions of terms associated with citing sources and avoiding plagiarism.
David Warlick's Citation Machine
David Warlick created this “citation machine” resource for teachers – to help them understand how to construct a citation for any type of print or non-print source, but students can use it and learn how to do them too!
Hostos owns these manuals and handbooks for writers to borrow or use in the library. Ask a librarian for help if you want to locate these resources.
American Psychological Association (APA). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2001.
Ref BF 76.7 .P83 2001 (non-circulating)
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1999.
Ref LB 2369. G53 1999 (non-circulating)
Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook, 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.
Ref PE 1408. H277 2002 (non-circulating)
Harnack, Andrew and Eugene Kleppinger. Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources,
3rd ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2003.
Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 6th ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996
Woods, Geraldine. Research Papers for Dummies. New York: Hungry Minds, 2002