Avoiding Plagiarism
Adopted in early 2004, St. Francis College's Policy on Academic Integrity states:
“”Academic integrity (honesty) entails being truthful to oneself and to the larger College community, being original in thought and expression, and attributing honestly ideas and words taken from other sources.
It is important that all your written work meet the standard of honesty set forth in the Policy on Academic Integrity. One of the most important requirements for meeting this standard is that you refrain from plagiarism.
What is plagiarism?
Certainly, turning in another's original work in its entirety and calling it your own is plagiarism, but there is more to it than that.
Unless you tell them otherwise, readers of your research paper will assume that every statement and idea included in your paper is your own. Work that is free of plagiarism effectively communicates which ideas and word choices are your own and which are not.
This is not to say that you should avoid including the ideas, or even phrases, of others. Isaac Newton once said, "If I've seen far, it is only because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." Just make sure that when you are "standing on the shoulders of giants," it is abundantly clear to the reader that you are and what the particular name of that giant happens to be.
What are some specific examples of plagiarism?
Let's suppose that in the course of your research, you come upon the following passage from Maddex, Robert L. The U.S. Constitution A to Z. Washington DC: CQ Press, 2002, page 17:
“”While our own Constitution's language on its face is color neutral-it does not authorize special privileges based on race, sex, or similar minority status as do some other national constitutions-all three branches of government have authority, especially under the Fourteenth Amendment (1868), to fashion remedies for past discrimination. The problem is complicated by several issues: Who are the victims of the discrimination? Who should be compensated? And how should they be compensated?
Useful Habits
1. Keep track of where you get your information from while you do your research. This will prevent you from having to "get creative" when the pressure is on as your deadline approaches.
2. Never allow a quotation to speak for itself, absent of all explanation or proper context. You included the quotation for a reason. You must tell your reader why.
3. Strive for a balance between other people's ideas and your own. A research paper that is full of other people's quotations lacks a voice of its own. A research paper that makes no reference to the ideas of others lacks authority.