Understanding Plagiarism Types and Avoidance

Study Notes

Plagiarism Definition and Types

Plagiarism is using another person's work or ideas without giving them credit.
Five main types of plagiarism exist:
- Verbatim Plagiarism: Copying someone's exact words without credit.
- Patchwork Plagiarism: Taking parts from multiple sources and combining them without credit.
- Paraphrasing Plagiarism: Rephrasing someone's ideas very closely without giving credit. This is the most common.
- Global Plagiarism: Presenting another person's whole work as your own. This is a severe form of plagiarism.
- Self-Plagiarism: Reusing your own previous work without permission or acknowledgment.

Avoiding Plagiarism: Citing Sources

Avoid plagiarism by citing the source and giving credit.
In-text citations: Briefly reference the source within your writing.
- Usually includes author's last name and publication year.
- May also include specific page numbers, paragraph numbers, timestamps, or headings, depending on the source and citation style.

In-Text Citation Styles

Narrative Style: Author's name is included in the sentence; year (and page number) follows the name in parentheses, e.g., "Smith (2024) explains..."
Parenthetical Style: All citation details (author, year, and potentially page number) are enclosed in parentheses at the end of the sentence, e.g., "...explains in-text citations are vital (Smith, 2024)."

Multiple Authors in Citations

Two authors: Use an ampersand (&) between author's names, e.g., (Smith & Jones, 2023).
Three to five authors: List all authors, using an ampersand (&) before the final author's name, e.g., (Smith, Jones, Brown, & Davis, 2023).
Six or more authors: Use "et al." (and others) after the first author's name, e.g., (Smith et al., 2023).

Citing Authors with Same Last Names

Use additional identifiers (e.g., initials) to distinguish between authors with matching last names, e.g., (Smith, J. & Smith, J. R., 2023).

Missing Information in Citations

If an author is unknown but the organization is known, use the organization name, e.g., (American Psychological Association, n.d.).
If the date is unknown, use "n.d." (no date).
If page numbers aren't available, use chapter or paragraph numbers instead.

Citation Styles

Several widely used citation styles exist:
- Chicago Style (Notes and Bibliography): Flexible style used in history and arts.
  - Format uses notes and a bibliography; author-date format can be used.
- MLA Style (Modern Language Association): Emphasizes authors and page numbers, used in humanities.
  - Author-page number format generally used.
- APA Style (American Psychological Association): Emphasizes publication date, common in social sciences.
  - Author-date format generally used.
- Turabian Style: Simplified version of Chicago style, often used for students.
- IEEE Style (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): Used mostly in technical fields for engineering, computer science, and other technical publications.

Description

This quiz covers the definition of plagiarism and its five main types including verbatim, patchwork, and self-plagiarism. Additionally, it discusses strategies for avoiding plagiarism through proper citation practices. Test your knowledge about maintaining academic integrity!