Plagiarism What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is defined as using someone elses ideas as if they were your own.

It is important to remember that it is the ideas that are important, not just the words. The Northumbria University assessment regulations (ARNA, 2005) define plagiarism as: The unacknowledged incorporation in a students work of material derived from the work (published or unpublished) of another. Why is it important? Plagiarism is treated very seriously in academic institutions as it threatens the basis of academic integrity, which is the principle that you should always acknowledge other researchers original ideas. Plagiarism is also viewed as cheating and can undermine the value of the academic qualification you receive. Plagiarism can be deliberate, but often is inadvertent and is the result of not knowing or understanding the conventions of academic writing. Therefore plagiarism can be the result of poor academic practice. However, the penalties for plagiarism are serious and it is, therefore, important that you understand the principles of good academic practice. What is considered as plagiarism:

Copying text directly from a source (book, journal article, website) into your own work without including a reference or quotation marks. Writing about ideas you have taken from a source in your own words, but not referencing the original author of the ideas. Copying text directly from a source without putting quotation marks, even if you include a reference. Paraphrasing work from another author, but only changing a few words, so that the work appears too close to the original. Submitting work written by someone else as if it were your own, for example another students essay (with or without their knowledge) or an essay taken from the web.

For details about the Northumbria University regulations on plagiarism, please read the relevant section (Appendix 1: Regulations and procedures applying to cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct) of the Assessment Regulations for Northumbria Awards (ARNA). These can be accessed through the link to Assessment Regulations on the current student page of the Northumbria web site. How to avoid plagiarism The key to avoiding plagiarism is understanding how to incorporate ideas and evidence from others into your own work with proper acknowledgement. This is a key foundation for all academic work. Taking steps to ensure you do not plagiarise starts with the reading you do when gathering material for assignments. Good note taking decreases the chances of inadvertent plagiarism.

Good practice when note taking

At the top of the page you are writing notes on, write down all the bibliographical details for the source (book, journal, web site) you are reading. Try to summarise the information you are reading into your own words, rather than writing down lots of direct quotes. It helps if you put the book to one side and then try and write from memory this means you are less likely to inadvertently plagiarise the information. Check your notes against the original to make sure the content is correct and you have not borrowed phrases. When writing down ideas from a particular person, make sure to note down their name next to the information. Clearly mark anything you have taken directly from the text for example with a Q for quotation or in a different colour pen to show that it is a direct quote. After each quote you note down, write the page number (you will need this to give a correct reference). Only copy down direct quotes occasionally when you think they will really have an impact in your writing. Mark your own ideas clearly in your notes, for example with a symbol.

(for more advice about note taking strategies, see the section in Skills+ on note taking) Good Practice when writing

Make a written plan before you start your assignment. This will help you work through your ideas and develop a line of argument, which will ensure that you are not entirely relying on other peoples words and ideas. As you are writing, ask yourself where did this information come from? check that you have acknowledged all your sources. Make sure all your direct quotations are in quotation marks and have a reference with a page number. When you are writing about someones ideas, try to use their name in the sentence so that you identify the ideas directly with them. For example: Atkinson (2005) states that. If you use quotes, make sure you dont use them to make your point if you are doing this, you are probably taking too much directly from someone elses writing. Try instead to make the point or put the ideas across in your own words, and then use a quote as evidence to back up what you have said.

When do you not need to reference? One of the confusing aspects of academic writing is that although you are not meant to include your own opinion in your writing, you are meant to include your own ideas, interpretations and views, based on the evidence you have put forward.

You do not need to reference your own ideas, interpretations, analysis or views. You also do not need to reference what is known as common knowledge. This is information which is widely known and documented in many places - for example, that Britain is a democracy. What is plagiarism and what is not? Look at the list below, then whether you need to cite a reference or not. If you think you do need to reference, explain what you would do. Yes, you didnt collect the statistics yourself, so you need to show where they came from. You would need to reference: The Government department which produced the statistics The date for the information The full web address for the page the statistics appeared on The date you accessed the information Example: Department of Health (2004) Population estimates. Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=6 ( Accessed 16 March 2006) No, because it is your own interpretation and analysis of the information.

You are quoting some statistics about average UK income from a Government web site

Y/N

You are talking about your interpretation of the figures shown in a series of graphs and explaining what they show. You are using a direct quote from an interview you heard on the radio.

Y/N

Y/N

Yes, information does not have to be from a printed source to need referencing. You must acknowledge the person whose words you are using. You need to reference the author of the book when you are talking about their ideas, but your own views about their ideas do not need to be referenced (because they are your views!) Yes, you still need to reference the web page as the source of the information. However, if you cannot find an author and do not therefore know who produced the information, you should consider whether it is a reliable source. For

You have discussed an idea you read about in a book and then added your own views about this idea.

Y/N

You have used information from a web site, but there was no author listed.

Y/N

more information about evaluating sources, see the Information Skills section of Skills+. No, because these are your own personal ideas.

You are reflecting on your placement experience and what you have learnt during that period.

Y/N

You want to use a particular phrase that an author has used that you feel expresses a concept or situation exactly

Y/N

Yes, you need to acknowledge that someone else used that phrase first to express a particular idea. You should put the phrase in single quotation marks to identify it: For example: Goldsmith et al. (2003) talk about networked leaders

Examples of good and bad academic practice Below is an extract of text from a book by Goldsmith. Underneath it (in the shaded boxes) are examples of how the ideas from the extract might be used in a student text, illustrating good and bad academic practice. In the past, the ability of an executive leader to think, understand and work within the global environment was not nearly as important as it is today. This need for a relatively new set of characteristics has been brought to the forefront by the dramatic increases in global trade and integrated global technology, such as e-commerce. This is not confined to leaders who work within the global environment. Domestic networked leaders, those executives who run organizations with multi-regional locations across same nation states, will be impacted by the same issues as a global leader, yet on a scale that emphasizes state regulations and intrastate laws. Goldsmith, M. et al. (2003) Global leadership: the next generation. New York: Financial Times Prentice Hall Books. Previously, how well a leader could think, understand and work within the global environment was not as crucial as it is now. The rise of global trade and e-commerce have made a new set of characteristics necessary. This is not confined to global leaders. Leaders in the domestic environment, who run organizations with multi-regional locations across same nation states, will also be affected by the same issues, although on a smaller scale. This is plagiarism because:

The writer has used many of the same words as the original author The writer has presented the information in exactly the same structure as the original extract The writer has not included a reference to the original source

Growth in global trade and new developments such as e-commerce, mean that todays global leaders need different skills and characteristics than their predecessors. Furthermore, this change is not limited purely to global leaders, but will also affect those leaders who run organisations operating across different regions within the same state (Goldsmith et al., 2003). This is not plagiarism because:

The writer has used their own words to express the original authors ideas accurately The writer has changed the structure of the sentences The writer has included a reference to the original source

Activity Read the text below and then decide whether or not the student texts are plagiarised: For a dissertation or thesis, one of the first things to do is to clarify the focus and define the parameters of the research. In short, you should identify your intellectual project: consider what you will concentrate on, and what is practicable for a lone researcher with limited resources and a tight timescale. A challenge facing you is to design a study that is both practicable and of sufficient scope and significance to yield worthwhile data. Be wary of pre-judging what you will find. Poulson, L. and Wallace, M. (2005) Designing and writing about research: developing a critical frame of mind, in Goodwyn, A. and Stables, A. (eds.) Learning to read critically in language and literacy. London: Sage pp. 39 62. Student text 1: Poulson and Wallace (2005) state that when writing a dissertation, one of your first tasks is to decide on the focus and set the parameters of the research. You should decide what your project is, what you will concentrate on and what is realistic for a researcher working on their own with few resources and not much time. One problem is designing a project that is both practicable, but will still produce worthwhile data. Be careful not to pre-judge what you will find. Answer: This is plagiarism because:

The sentence structure is identical to the original text The writer has only changed a few key words, for example realistic instead of practicable ; few resources instead of limited resources. Many of the words are exactly the same as the original

Student text 2: For Poulson and Wallace (2005), one of the most important aspects of writing a dissertation or thesis is finding a focus for your research. This involves taking into account what you will be able to realistically achieve in the time and with the resources you have available, in order to produce a project that delivers meaningful results. Answer: This is not plagiarism because:

The writer has used their own words to express the ideas put forward by the original author The writer has acknowledged the original authors correctly The sentence structure is different from the original

Student text 3: Poulson and Wallace (2005) argue that clarifying your focus is the first step in any research project. To summarise, this means identifying what your project really is and what you can achieve with limited resources and a tight timescale. The main challenge is to design a project that is practicable and yet will produce enough data. Answer: This is plagiarism because:

Although the writer has changed some of the wording, there are sections that are too close to the original text; for example, clarifying focus, limited resources and tight timescale. The sentence structure is the same as the original.

Plagiarism of expression We have seen how plagiarism can be about using not only the words of another person, but also retaining the structure of the original text. This means that you are copying the original authors expression. To avoid doing this, try picking out the key ideas from the text, noting them down and then reconstructing the information using your own words and structure. This way you will convey the ideas using your own expression. Example: Below is an extract of a text by Hayes and then underneath it (in bullet points) are the key ideas drawn from the text which summarise the meaning. Those involved in managing the early stages of the change process may also require some training in diagnostic methods or they may need to participate in a team-building exercise to ensure that they can work effectively as a change management group. It is also possible that some of those who become involved in the early stages of the process may be hostile to the prospect of change and attention may need to be given to how they can be motivated to make a constructive contribution. Even when people support the change they may experience problems letting go of the status quo and they might need some help to cope with the process of transition.

Hayes, J. (2002) The theory and practice of change management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Summary:

Training in diagnostic methods and team- building needed initially Possibility of hostility to process Therefore motivational strategies needed All involved likely to need help adjusting

Activity 1 Try and identify the key points in this text and write them as a series of bullet points: By the end of the 1970s, liberal economic ideas had begun to permeate thinking about domestic economic policy management. During the 1950s and 1960s, the prevailing orthodoxy was based on Keynesian economics, particularly the belief that by managing demand, governments could exercise significant control over their economies. However, the international economic troubles of the 1970s challenged many basic assumptions about economic policy. Not surprisingly, the shift in policy occurred first in the United States, where the idea of competitive capitalism was strongest. Its main proponent was President Ronald Reagan whose primary domestic mission was to roll back the frontiers of the state. Indeed, the term Reaganomics was invented to describe his programme of free market economics. Johnson, D. and Turner, C. (2003) International business: themes and issues in the modern global economy. London: Taylor and Francis. Answer: Key points:

1950s/60s = Keynesian economics (economies controlled by managing demand) 1970s worldwide economic problems forced questioning of this policy 1970s = change to liberal economics US first to change Less State intervention became new way forward Main player = Ronald Reagan Reaganomics

Conclusion This section has illustrated that avoiding plagiarism is about more than referencing correctly. It involves acknowledging other peoples ideas and being careful not to copy their expression. Learning how to discuss the work of others within your own writing and acknowledging it correctly, is an essential part of academic work and will help you progress in your own learning.