This is my discussion question for school ';what is some advice you can provide to help other students avoid plagiarism';?What is some advice you can provide to help other students avoid plagiarism?
Cite everything! I think it is the most important thing you can do to avoid plagiarism. If you are writing any type of research paper, the ideas that you are using, are not going to be your own (except for maybe the introduction and conclusion) because you are researching the facts. I just wrote a paper on the Great Sphinx at Giza and there were tons of cites in there. My teacher said he would much rather see all the citations, than fail someone for plagiarism. If the fact you are using is not common knowledge, you need to add your source.
You also do not want to copy word for word from a source, unless you plan on quoting it. There are certain formats to follow for quoting pieces in a paper.
And something people seem to think is OK is just making minor changes. Changing one word in a sentence, is still plagiarism.What is some advice you can provide to help other students avoid plagiarism?
I suggest doing your work way before it is due. If you aren't rushed you are less likely to overlook citation.
Take notes on what you read, making sure to not use complete sentences, then put that book or other source away. Then do your writing a day later and create your own sentences based only on your notes. Also, if an author says something and it's PERFECT and there is no way you can say it better, feel free to quote them. Just make sure you cite your source.
a work is plagiarized if 3 words of the original writing are repeated the exact same way in your writing. for example if the writer has written ';My head hurts';. you can't write ';my head hurts';. you gotta change it to your own words and write ';My head is in pain';. you get the idea. It's about writings that are professional and use big words so in order for you to put them in your own words, you would have to understand what you are writing. hope that helps.
Ways to avoid plagiarism:
1. Don't be afraid to use quotes or to cite the source. Obviously the whole paper shouldn't be this, but it is far better than putting the work out to be your own.
2. Do not reach a point of desperation that you find yourself needing to plagiarize. If you are falling behind and can't get the paper done, TALK to the teacher/professor or to fellow students. It is better to take a letter grade lower than to plagiarize.
3. Make it clear what plagiarism is. It is not simply putting down another's work word for word and not quoting it. It is also using another's ideas and not citing and giving credit to that person. This does not mean if you read something of common knowledge, you have to cite it.
Example: ';The capitol of the United States is Washington, D.C.'; Unless you paper is debating the fact, you would not need to cite something like this.
Hope this helps.
Encourage students not to rely too much on answers from the internet. It is okay to ask for opinions on subject matters from other Yahoo users and if only really desperate seek help to find information if unable to locate else where. As Yahoo users we all have a responsibility to ensure that seekers of information should not become too lazy. Majority of teachers know when an essay or project is not entirely their own work. Last project involved 50%books and 50% internet researchfor my daughter.
1. Know what plagiarism is and how your school defines it.
2. Be prepared when writing a paper -- don't put it off to the last minute, because you might be tempted to take shortcuts.
3. Remember to cite exact quotes as well as giving credit for ideas that are not your own.
4. The penalties for plagiarism are too great to be worth the risk!
