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Winthrop's policy on academic honesty is set out in "Section V, Academic
Misconduct," of the
Student
Code of Conduct, and what follows here is an elaboration on the policy on
plagiarism contained in the Student Code. To complete a writing
assignment, you may find it necessary to gather information by interviewing
people; by reading books, magazines, journals, or other printed materials; by
downloading material off the Internet; or by viewing and/or listening to films,
tapes, plays, or some other formal or informal presentations. Such borrowed
information usually appears in your writing as paraphrases, direct
quotations, or summaries. However, correctly incorporating borrowed material
into your own writing requires special skill. Improper use of borrowed
information creates chaos in your essay; it also results in plagiarism, which
means presenting someone else's ideas or words as your own. If you ever have any
question about how you are handling a borrowed source, consult with your
instructor before handing in the paper.
Plagiarism
Intentional plagiarism is a form of cheating. However, many students find
themselves unintentionally presenting someone else's work as their own simply
because these students do not know how to use borrowed information correctly.
For example, students often do not know how to paraphrase properly and simply
mix their own words and phrases with those in the original source without
enclosing borrowed elements in quotation marks. Below you will find an example
of a paragraph as it appeared in the original source--E. D. Hirsch’s book Cultural
Literacy--and definitions and examples of a paraphrase, a direct quotation,
and a summary. Remember, failure to paraphrase, quote, or summarize correctly
can constitute plagiarism. (You can find more information about avoiding
plagiarism in the Prentice Hall Reference Guide, 6th ed., chapter 56)
The Original Paragraph
(indented paragraph--that explains where the
page # is)
The recently rediscovered insight that literacy is
more than a skill is based upon knowledge that all of us unconsciously have
about language. We know instinctively that to understand what somebody is
saying, we must understand more than the surface meanings of words; we have to
understand the context as well. The need for background information applies
all the more to reading and writing. To grasp the words on a page we have to
know a lot of information that isn’t set down on the page. (3)
Work Cited
Hirsch, E. D. Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to
Know.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
Definition of a Paraphrase
A paraphrase is a restatement in your own words and your
own style of someone's ideas and discoveries. You must change both the words
and the sentence structure of the original. Please remember that
your purpose in using a paraphrase is not to save words because normally the
paraphrase is about the same length as the original. Your purpose, instead, is
to express the borrowed information in a style that is your own and that is
already familiar to your reader. (See Prentice Hall,
56c)
Plagiarized Paraphrase
In his book Cultural Literacy, University of
Virginia English professor and noted literacy theorist E. D. Hirsch argues
that literacy is more than a skill. It is, instead, based upon
what we know unconsciously about language. By instinct, we are
aware that we must know more than the surface meaning of words; we must
grasp the situation too. We also have to have this background information
when we read and write. In other words, to understand the words on a page,
we must know more than what is written on a page (3).
(The underlined words are lifted without change from the original paragraph.
Note that several phrases were taken in their entirety and that elsewhere only
minor changes were made.)
Correct Paraphrase
E. D. Hirsch, University of Virginia Professor of
English and noted literacy theorist, reaffirms in his book Cultural
Literacy that literacy is something other than just a "skill."
Instead, it involves some things that we all know intuitively about the way
words function. We realize that to decode what is said to us we must know more
than the dictionary definitions of the individual words; in fact, we must also
understand the situation in which the communication takes place. In order to
read or write, we must be even more aware of the surrounding circumstances.
Consequently, we have to know things other than the words themselves (3).
Obviously, we need to consider many issues when we process language.
Definition of a Direct Quotation
A direct quotation is an exact repeating of someone else's words as he or she
wrote or spoke them. (See Prentice Hall, 56d.)
Example of a Direct Quotation:
In Cultural Literacy, E. D. Hirsch, University
of Virginia English professor and noted literacy theorist, persuasively argues
that true literacy encompasses more than just recognizing words; he reminds us
that "to understand what somebody is saying, we have to understand the
context as well. The need for background information applies all the more to
reading and writing. To grasp the words on a page we have to know a lot of
information that isn’t set down on the page" (3).
Definition of a Summary
A summary is simply a brief but accurate statement in your own words of the
main idea(s) of some borrowed information. Brevity is the summary's reason for
being, but a summary must give all of the main idea, not just half of it.
(See Prentice Hall, chapter 56c.)
Example of a Summary:
E. D. Hirsch, University of Virginia English
professor and noted literacy theorist, suggests in his book Cultural
Literary that a person must know more than the dictionary meanings of
words to be truly literate; he or she must also understand significant
information that precedes and surrounds the communication (3).
Incorporating Borrowed Material
Incorporating borrowed material into your own writing is not simply a matter
of avoiding plagiarism. You must also create smooth transitions between your own
words and ideas and those borrowed from other sources. These transitions should
introduce and identify your sources and should evaluate the borrowed material.
Frequently, inexperienced writers will simply drop a summary or a quotation into
the middle of their own writing and rely on only a parenthetical citation to
help the reader make sense of it. The following is an example of such a
situation:
Unclear Incorporation
The 1980s and 1990s spawned a large number of books
about the nature of communication. Some of these, like Deborah Tannen’s You
Just Don’t Understand, are concerned with gender differences. Others,
like Shirley Brice Heath’s Ways With Words, deal with class and
ethnicity. We must also remember that different communication situations
require different strategies no matter what the gender, class, or ethnicity of
the participants may be. If people know each other, their conversations can be
more cryptic and not always simplistic. However, if they are unacquainted and
know nothing of each other’s background, they have to explain a great deal
to be understood (Hirsch 4).
While this citation gives credit to Hirsch for borrowed ideas and,
consequently, does not constitute plagiarism, it nevertheless creates several
difficulties for the reader. In the first place, the reader does not know where
the borrowing from Hirsch begins. A second problem is that the reader knows
practically nothing about Hirsch’s identity or his credentials. Finally, the
reader doesn’t know whether the writer is agreeing with Hirsch or disagreeing.
Correct Incorporation
The 1980s and 1990s spawned a large number of books
about the nature of communication. Some of these, like Deborah Tannen’s You
Just Don’t Understand, are concerned with gender differences. Others,
like Shirley Brice Heath’s Ways With Words, deal with class and
ethnicity. However, gender, class, and ethnicity are by no means the only
factors to consider. As University of Virginia English professor and noted
literacy theorist E. D. Hirsch persuasively reminds us in his book Cultural
Literacy, different communication situations require different strategies.
If people know each other, their conversations can be more cryptic and not
always simplistic. But, if they are unacquainted and know nothing of each
other’s background, they have to explain a great deal to be understood (4).
Work Cited
Hirsch, E. D., Jr. Cultural Literacy: What Every American
Needs
to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
One of the most difficult tasks facing the writer of documented papers is to
distinguish clearly between his or her own voice and the voices of the various
authorities whose words and ideas are being incorporated into the paper. In
order to accomplish this goal, writers should make sure that they do the
following:
- Your source should always be introduced by name in the text rather than
just in the parenthetical citation. This procedure must be followed when
introducing quotations, but it is even more important when introducing
paraphrased or summarized material. With quotations, the reader knows when
the writer has begun to borrow because all the material is set off by
quotation marks or indentation. With paraphrased or summarized material,
only an introductory citation of the source’s name will show the reader
where the borrowed material has begun.
- The first time a source is introduced by name, it is important for the
writer to identify this person, preferably by establishing the source’s
credentials as an authority on the subject under discussion. Authors vary
widely in their degree of expertise, and it is up to you to justify to the
reader your inclusion of a particular source’s opinions. After the source
has been identified once, it is not necessary to cite the credentials of
that same person in subsequent references.
- Your paper may cite opinions on both sides of an issue: some you will
oppose; some you will endorse. If you are writing an argument, it is
absolutely crucial for the reader to know in which category any of the
borrowed material belongs. Often writers believe that their position is
obvious, but readers do not always find it to be. One easy way to make the
matter clear is to include an evaluative adverb or other signal phrase in
your introduction to the borrowed material. For example, rather than saying,
"Hirsch states," you might say, "Hirsch persuasively
argues," or "Hirsch unrealistically claims." (For a list of
frequently used signal phrases, see PH, 56e.)
Click here to print
out this pledge on a separate sheet to turn in to your instructor.
I have read
The Correct Use of Borrowed Information and the appropriate sections in the Prentice
Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage and understand that I am
responsible for using borrowed material correctly in my writing. I am also
aware of the penalties for plagiarism as stated in The Student Code of
Conduct and on my instructor's syllabus.
_______________________________
Signature
Date
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