Avoiding Plagiarism: Here Are A Few Questions You May Ask About Avoiding Plagiarism

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
“Help! Lecturers expect me to research information for my assignments, but, at the same time, they keep
telling me ‘not to plagiarise’. I’m confused.”
Here are a few questions you may ask about avoiding plagiarism
“What is Plagiarism?”
Plagiarism literally means ‘stealing’ someone else’s intellectual property. Most students
probably don’t do it deliberately, but if it’s difficult to understand what you are reading,
or you haven’t got time to express the information in your own words, you might just
copy a passage straight from a book or download material from the Internet.
“But copying shows I’ve done the research. What’s the problem?”
If you don’t acknowledge where information comes from, it looks as though you’re
claiming it as your own idea.
“What if my ideas are the same as what’ I’ve read?”
Then you use the ideas you have read to support your views with expert opinions. Doing
this adds to your academic credibility.
“How would anyone know I’d plagiarised?”
Plagiarism is easy to recognise. Imagine you’re marking the following essay. Which
sentence stands out?
One of Yeats’ best-known poems is called ‘A Vision’. It was written in 1925.

Yeats’ poetry is really complicated. Some critics think his work is supple
and muscular in its rhythms and sometimes harshly modernist, while
others find his poems barren and weak in imaginative power.
Answer: the last sentence
“Oh, O.K. So the information should have been

referenced?”
Yes, you must acknowledge the source of everything you use in your work. There are
many different referencing styles (e.g. APA, Harvard, Chicago B). Your School should give
you guidelines on which one to use.
Related resources: Student Learning | Te Taiako

Paraphrasing Effectively victoria.ac.nz/student-learning
Referencing FAQs [email protected]
+64 4 463 5999
This is how the essay should look (using the Harvard referencing system):
One of Yeats’ best-known poems is called ‘A Vision’. It was written in 1925.

Yeats’ poetry is really complicated: “Some critics think his work is supple
and muscular in its rhythms and sometimes harshly modernist, while
others find his poems barren and weak in imaginative power” (Williamson
1996, 67).
“You just put the author’s name, publication date and page number in
parentheses after the quote, or in a footnote at the bottom of the page? That’s
easy!”
Yes, that’s how to avoid plagiarising. However, just citing other people’s ideas still doesn’t
show whether you’ve understood the material, or how it relates to what you want to say.
“You mean I’m more likely to get an ‘A’ if I demonstrate the connection between
what I’ve read and what I think?”
Yes! The best essays use information from a range of sources (arguments for and against
an issue, studies from different countries, periods, theoretical perspectives, etc) as a way
of demonstrating your understanding of the topic.
The section Making the most of your research in this handout.
“Should I have lots of quotes, then?”
No. The best way to show your understanding is by rewriting material in your own words,
or paraphrasing.
“If I express the information in my own words, I don’t need to acknowledge the
source then, do I?”
You must always acknowledge the source!

Check with your course outline, SLSS handouts and the Library’s online resources for
correct formatting.
“How do I use the material in my essay?”
Show your understanding by rewriting in your own words:

For short passages:
Break up long sentences
Combine short sentences
Use synonyms [use a Thesaurus]
For longer passages:

Close the book
Write down what you remember
Making the most of your research
Read with a purpose
•Try and find a range of articles: those that support your opinion, as well as opposing views
Take careful notes
•Record all bibliographic details. Add your own comments

•Differentiate your words from the original: “...”
Incorporate the material into your essay, establishing its

context and significance
•According to Jackson (1998, 23), “ … ”

•A recent survey of consumers (Vodafone 2002) indicated that…
NB: Always indicate how the material relates to your own your argument: (This shows…)
Acknowledge the source  in two places
•Within the essay

•At the end, in a list of References
Using information from your reading in your writing

Example 1
Original: C. Zhou. The Asian Economy. (Oxford, OUP, 2002) p. 33
When Singapore gained independence in 1965, it was faced with major pollution problems. The
government introduced taxation on motor vehicles and tobacco sales, and enacted anti-littering laws
to solve the problem. Because of the cleaner environment resulting from these policies, many
multinational companies have since invested in the country.
Paraphrase = all in your own words
•When it became independent in 1965, Singapore was heavily polluted. To address this problem, the
government began taxing owners of motor vehicles and tobacco users, as well as fining people for littering.
This legislation resulted in cleaner surroundings that have attracted many international corporations to invest
in Singapore (Zhou 2002, 33).
Example 2:
Original: J.C. Flugel. The Psychology of Clothes. (London: The Hogarth Press, 1950), page 75.
Garments can become symbolic of severity of moral standard and purity of moral conscience  an
ethical symbolism that plays a very considerable role in the more austere and formal costumes of
modern men. In the thickness of material and solidity of structure of their tailored garments, in the
heavy and sober blackness of their shoes, in the virgin whiteness of their shirtfronts, men exhibit to
the outside world their would-be strength, steadfastness and immunity from frivolous distraction.
Paraphrase
= all in your own words
•The clothes we wear serve to represent our ethical principles and sense of virtue. Such moral
implications are an important aspect of contemporary traditional men’s outfits. Business suits,
made of heavy fabric according to a fixed design, conservative black footwear and pristine white
shirts send a message to others that their wearers are powerful, trustworthy, and take things
seriously (Flugel, 1950, p. 75).
Integrate
= use the information to support your own views
•…Clothing serves as an outward manifestation of our inner values. Because of this, we can
influence people’s perceptions simply by changing our garments. For example, a student is likely to
exchange his everyday jeans and t-shirt for a suit and tie before going to a job interview. In
psychological terms, by adopting a traditionally conservative uniform, the candidate presents
himself as someone potential employers recognise as being trustworthy and reliable (Flugel,
1950, p. 75). Even though this value-laden interpretation dates from last century, it still holds true,
with business women nowadays also ‘power-dressing’ for effect.

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AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

“What if my ideas are the same as what’ I’ve read?”

“How would anyone know I’d plagiarised?”

One of Yeats’ best-known poems is called ‘A Vision’. It was written in 1925.

“Oh, O.K. So the information should have been

Related resources: Student Learning | Te Taiako

One of Yeats’ best-known poems is called ‘A Vision’. It was written in 1925.

The section Making the most of your research in this handout.

“Should I have lots of quotes, then?”

You must always acknowledge the source!

“How do I use the material in my essay?”

Show your understanding by rewriting in your own words:

For longer passages:

Read with a purpose

Take careful notes

•Record all bibliographic details. Add your own comments

Incorporate the material into your essay, establishing its

•According to Jackson (1998, 23), “ … ”

Acknowledge the source  in two places

•Within the essay

Using information from your reading in your writing

Original: C. Zhou. The Asian Economy. (Oxford, OUP, 2002) p. 33

Paraphrase = all in your own words

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