Academic English Writing Week 2: plagiarism & paraphraseWeek 2: plagiarism & paraphrase1. What is plagiarism?Plagiarism means taking ideas or words from a source without giving credit (acknowledgement) to the author. Plagiarism Plagiarism is wrongly using someone elses words or ideas, and it is a serious offense. Students who plagiarize may fail a class or even be expelled from school. Two kinds of plagiarism. 1.Using information from an outside source without citing the source2.When paraphrase is too similar to the original The main difficulty that students face is that they are expected:(a) to show that they have read the principal experts on a subject-by giving citations(b) to explain these ideas in their own words and come to their own original conclusions Reasons why students must avoid plagiarism:lCopying the work of others will not help you develop your own understandinglTo show that you understand the rules of the academic communitylPlagiarism is easily detected by teachers and computer softwarelIt may lead to failing a course or even having to leave college2. Acknowledging sourcesTwo ways to provide the correct acknowledgement:uSummary and citation Smith (2009) claims that the modern state wields power in new ways. uQuotation and citation According to Smith: The point is not that the state is in retreat but that it is developing new forms of power(Smith, 2009:103)The in-text citations are linked to a list of references at the end of the main text, which includes the following details:Author DateTitlePlace of publicationPublisher Smith, M. 2009Power and the StateBasingstokePalgrave Macmillan 3. Degrees of plagiarism Working with a partner, consider the following academic situations and decide if they are plagiarism.situationYes/no1Copying a paragraph, but changing a few words and giving a citation. Yes 2Cutting and pasting a short article from website, with no citation. 3Taking two paragraphs from a classmates essay, without citation. Decide which are plagiarized and which are acceptable, and give reasons. Railway ManiasIn 1830 there were a few dozen miles of railways in all the world-chiefly consisting of the line from Liverpool to Manchester. By 1840 there were over 4,500 miles, by 1850 over 23,500. Most of them were projected in a few bursts of speculative frenzy known as the railway manias of 1835-7 and especially in 1844-7;most of them were built in large part with British capital, British iron, machines and know-how. These investment booms appear irrational, because in fact few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise, most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all: in 1855 the average interest on capital sunk in the British railways was a mere 3.7 per cent. (From The Age of Revolution by Eric Hobsbawn, 1995, p.45)(a) Between 1830 and 1850 there was very rapid development in railway construction worldwide. Two periods of especially feverish growth were 1835-7 and 1844-7. It is hard to understand the reason for this intense activity, since railways were not particularly profitable investments and some produced no return at all. (Hobsbawm,1995:45)(b) There were only a few dozen miles of railway in 1830, including the Liverpool to Manchester line. But by 1840 there were over 4,500 miles and over 23,500 by 1850. Most of them were built in large part with British capital, British iron, machines and know-how, and most of them were projected in a few bursts of speculative frenzy known as the railway manias of 1835-7 and especially in 1844-7. Because most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all these investment booms appear irrational. In fact few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise. (Hobsbawm,1995:45)(c) As Hobsbawn (1995) argues, nineteenth-century railway mania was partly irrational: because in fact few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise, most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all: in 1855 the average interest on capital sunk in the British railways was a mere 3.7 per cent. (Hobsbawm, 1995:45)(d) Globally, railway networks increased dramatically from 1830 to 1850; the majority in short periods of mania (1835-7 and 1844-7). British technology and capital were responsible for much of this growth, yet the returns on the investment were hardly any better than comparable business opportunities. (Hobsbawn, 1895:45)(e) The dramatic growth of railways between 1830 and 1850 was largely achieved using British technology. However, it has been claimed that much of this development was irrational because few railways were much more profitable to the investor than other forms of enterprise; most yielded quite modest profits and many none at all. Plagiarized or acceptable?abcdePlagiarized or acceptable?aacceptable - a correctly referenced summarybplagiarised -original wording with minor changes to word order cacceptable -a correctly referenced quotation dtechnically plagiarism-mistake in date means the citation is incorrect eplagiarised -some original wording and no citation5. Avoiding plagiarism by developing good study habits Plan your work carefully so you dont have to write the essay at the last minute. Take care to make notes in your own words, not copying from the source. Keep a record of all the sources you use ( e.g. author, date, title, page numbers, publisher)Make sure your in-text citations are all included in the list of references. 1. The elements of effective paraphrasing Paraphrasing attempts to restate the relevant information. E.g.There has been much debate about the reasons for the industrial revolution happening in eighteenth-century Britain, rather than in France or Germany. Paraphrased version:Why the industrial revolution occurred in Britain in the eighteenth century, instead of on the continent, has been the subject of considerable discussion. An effective paraphrase usually:has a different structure to the originalhas mainly different vocabulary Retains the same meaning Keeps some phrases from the original that are in common use (e.g. industrial revolution or eighteenth centuryThree keys to write a good paraphrase1. Use your own words and your own sentence structure. 2. Make your paraphrase approximately the same length as the original. 3. Do not change the meaning of the original. Five steps to write a good paraphraseStep 1 Read the original passage several times until you understand it fully. Look up unfamiliar words, and find synonyms for them. It may not be possible to find synonyms for every word, especially technical vocabulary. In this case, use the original word. Step 2 It helps to take notes. Write down only a few words for each ideanot complete sentences. Language-people use to communicate-but so many difficult to understand one anotherpeople wish universal international languagereasons: cultural, economic bonds, better feelings between countries It may be helpful to make a brief outline such as the following:A. languagepeople use to communicate 1. so many languages make it difficult to understand one another. 2. People wish for one universal international language. B. Reasons 1. cultural, economic bonds 2. Better feelings between countries Step 3 Write your paraphrase from your notes. Dont look at the original while you are writing. Step 4 Check your paraphrase against the original to make sure you have not copied vocabulary or the sentence structure too closely. Above all, make sure that you have not changed the meaning of the original or given any wrong information. Step 5. Add an in-text citation at the end. (a) A focus on demand may help to explain the UK origin of the industrial revolution. At that time workers pay was high, but energy from coal was inexpensive. This encouraged the development of mechanical inventions based on steam power, which enabled bosses to save money by mechanising production (Allen, 2009)3. Techniques for paraphrasing (a) changing vocabulary by using synonyms: arguesclaims/eighteenth century1700s/wageslabour costs/economisesaving NB.Do not attempt to paraphrase every word, since some have no true synonym, e.g. demand, economy, energy (b)changing word class: explaination(n.)explain(v.)/mechanical(adj.)mechanise(v.)/profitable (adj.)profitability(n.)(c ) changing word orderthe best explanation for the British location of the industrial revolution is founded by studying demand factors. A focus on demand may help explain the UK origin of the industrial revolution.