Is It Plagiarism?

Professor Lee is writing a proposal for a research grant, and the deadline for the proposal submission is two days from now. To complete the background section of the proposal, Lee copies a few isolated sentences of a journal paper written by another author. The copied sentences consist of brief, factual, one-sentence summaries of earlier articles closely related to the proposal, descriptions of basic concepts from textbooks, and definitions of standard mathematical notations. None of these ideas is due to the other author. Lee adds a one-sentence summary of the journal paper and cites it.

Answer the questions:

1. Does the copying of a few isolated sentences in this case constitute plagiarism?

2. By citing the journal paper, has Lee given proper credit to the other author?

(From On Being a Scientist: Third Edition http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12192.html)

Task 12. Listen to the VOA programme and complete the definition of “plagiarism”.

Plagiarism is the ________________________________________. The _________ may be as small as a sentence ________________. Or it may be as _________________ as a whole paper copied – or bought – from somebody else.

Task 13. Listen to the second part of the text, complete it with the omitted words. Formulate the main idea of it. Discuss it with your partner. Share your opinion with the class.

Intellectual dishonesty is _________ ______. The only ________________ now is that the __________ has made it much simpler to __________ other people's work. Yet the same ____________ that makes it _____________ to find information to copy also makes it easier to _______________ plagiarism.

Task 14. Listen to the third part of the recording and tick the technologies which can help to elicit the fact of plagiarism.

Online ebooks,

electronic editor,

online services,

special online catalogues,

Turnitin.com,

google.com,

Internet

How do these technologies work?

Task 15. Match the groups of plagiarists with the punishments they can deserve. Complete the table.

	Punishment
Professional writers	can be
School students	can deserve
	can be

Task 16. Discuss with your partners the following:

• what “Accidental plagiarism” means;

• what attitude towards “plagiarism” people have in your country.

(Study more information on the CD)

Task 17. Study the original passage and its three versions. Decide what passage (A,B,or C) is a legitimate paraphrase, acceptable summary, plagiarized version. Prove your answer.

The original passage:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A)

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

B)

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

C)

In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

Task 18. Read the original source material carefully and then select the entry, either "A" or "B," that you think has not been plagiarized. Summarise the original sources.

Original Source Material:  A naïve mental model in the context of computer programming is that a computer is an intelligent system, and that giving directions to a computer is like giving directions to a human being.

Source: Merriënboer, J. J. van. (1997). Training complex cognitive skills. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

A) One kind of mental model for the computer is the naïve model. A naïve mental model in the context of computer programming is that a computer is an intelligent system. This model is naïve because giving directions to a computer is like giving directions to a human being. References: Merriënboer, J. J. van. (1997). Training complex cognitive skills. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

B) One kind of mental model for the computer is the naïve model. According to van Merriënboer (1997), "A naïve mental model in the context of computer programming is that a computer is an intelligent system, and that giving directions to a computer is like giving directions to a human being" (p. 145). References: Merriënboer, J. J. van. (1997). Training complex cognitive skills. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Original Source Material:  At this stage the reading strategy adopted by the reader depends on the particulars of the task. The tendency to 'get on with it' seems firmly established in users of manuals and the present sample reported moving freely from manual to system in order to achieve their goal. Only three readers manifested any tendency to read around an area or fully read a section before moving on and even these admitted that they would be tempted to skim, and tend to get bored if they felt that they were not resolving their problems and only read complete sections if all else failed.

Source: Dillon, A. (1994). Designing usable electronic text: Ergonomic aspects of human information usage. London: Taylor & Francis.

A) Dillon (1994) summarizes research he conducted to demonstrate that the readers of technical documentation manuals do not read those manuals in linear order. They are impatient to be about their work, jump from the text to the task and back, and only stop to read in-depth if they have no other choice. References: Dillon, A. (1994). Designing usable electronic text: Ergonomic aspects of human information usage. London: Taylor & Francis.

B) The readers of technical documentation manuals do not read those manuals in linear order. They are impatient to be about their work, jump from the text to the task and back, and only stop to read in-depth if they have no other choice. References: Dillon, A. (1994). Designing usable electronic text: Ergonomic aspects of human information usage. London: Taylor & Francis.

Original Source Material:  While computers are very good at certain tasks, such as diagnosing equipment malfunctions or performing mathematical functions, they are morons at doing things your dog or cat can do, such as recognizing you and acknowledging your presence. Computers lack qualitative intelligence, that is, the ability to identify those features that make each of us unique and different.		Source: Frick, T. (1991). Restructuring education through technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.
A) Computers can do some things and not others. They do not have the ability to identify those features that make each of us unique and different, but they are very good at diagnosing equipment malfunctions or performing mathematical functions. References: Frick, T. (1991). Restructuring education through technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.	B) Computers can do some things and not others. Frick (1991) explains that "While computers are very good at certain tasks, such as diagnosing equipment malfunctions or performing mathematical functions .... [they] lack qualitative intelligence, that is, the ability to identify those features that make each of us unique and different" (p. 30). References: Frick, T. (1991). Restructuring education through technology. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

There are two ways to paraphrase.

1.Literal

Substitute the original words of each sentence with synonyms. You can use the process as a first step in drafting paraphrases. There are two objections to this form of paraphrasing: since you paraphrase sentence by sentence, your overall structure may be awkward; and you also run a greater risk of plagiarism. Therefore, you should use free paraphrasing for all of your final drafts.

2.Free

Use synonyms and rearrange the sentence structure. You can borrow the main ideas without necessarily keeping the same organization. This form of paraphrasing sounds more natural and is recommended.

3.The Original Quotation

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . . . ."

4.A Literal Paraphrase

Eighty-seven years before, our ancestors founded in North America a new country, thought of in freedom and based on the principle that all people are born with the same rights.

5.A Free Paraphrase

Our ancestors thought of freedom when they founded a new country in North America eighty-seven years ago. They based their thinking on the principle that all people are born with the same rights.

6.Final Hints

– Break long sentences into shorter ones, and combine short sentences for variety.

– Move the position of phrases for clearer sentences.

– Use a thesaurus for synonyms, but be careful of subtle changes in the meaning of words. For example, to express does not necessarily have the same meaning as to vent.

– Make sure your paraphrase considers the complete meaning of the original quotation.

– Be sure to cite original ideas that are not your own.

(For more information go to http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/usingpara.html)

Task 19. Paraphrase and summarize the following extracts

1. Original Source Material:  Scientific research offers many satisfactions besides the exhilaration of discovery. Researchers seek to answer some of the most fundamental questions that humans can ask about nature. Their work can have a direct and immediate impact on the lives of people throughout the world. They are members of a community characterized by curiosity, cooperation, and intellectual rigor.

Source: On Being a Scientist, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 1989. On Being a Scientist: Third Editionhttp://www.nap.edu/catalog/12192.html

2. Original Source Material:  However, the rewards of science are not easily achieved. At the frontiers of research, new knowledge is elusive and hard won. Researchers often are subject to great personal and professional pressures. They must make difficult decisions about how to design investigations, how to present their results, and how to interact with colleagues. Failure to make the right decisions can waste time and resources, slow the advancement of knowledge, and even undermine professional and personal trust.

Source: On Being a Scientist, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 1989. On Being a Scientist: Third Editionhttp://www.nap.edu/catalog/12192.html

3. Original Source Material:  Over many centuries, researchers have developed professional standards designed to enhance the progress of science and to avoid or minimize the difficulties of research. Though these standards are rarely expressed in formal codes, they nevertheless establish widely accepted ways of doing research and interacting with others. Researchers expect that their colleagues will adhere to and promote these standards. Those who violate these standards will lose the respect of their peers and may even destroy their careers.

Source: On Being a Scientist, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 1989. On Being a Scientist: Third Editionhttp://www.nap.edu/catalog/12192.html