1. Academic Research
Avoiding Plagiarism

2. First we need to clarify
 What is academic research?
 What are successful research strategies?
 Why is this important?

3. Why is citation important?
 1) It demonstrates you have done your homework.
 2) The person with the original idea deserves the
credit.
 3) By providing citations the reader is able to locate
the source.
 4) The penalties can be quite harsh.

4. Utilizing Information
SUMMARIZING
QUOTING
PARAPHRASING

5. Summarizing
To identify the main points of an
entire article or book.
 Who
 What
 When
 Where
 When
 How

6. Quotes
 Less than 20% of material used this way
 When there is no better way to restate the
information

7. Paraphrasing
 Bulk of the information in your paper
Ask yourself….
1) Is the information in my own words?
2) Is the sentence structure different?
3) Did I capture the meaning/main ideas?
4) Did I include a parenthetical citation?
Your passage may be longer or shorter than the
original.

8. Is this plagiarism?
“Everyday existence in London was expensive and
exhausting. Shakespeare likely spent every day, from
early in the morning until late at night, learning his
lines, performing and writing new plays.”
My paraphrase:
Daily subsistence in London was pricey and he
probably spent his time studying his lines, acting and
composing (Synder 10).

9. YES!
“Everyday existence in London was expensive and
exhausting. Shakespeare likely spent every day, from
early in the morning until late at night, learning his
lines, performing and writing new plays.”
My paraphrase:
Daily subsistence around London was pricey and he
probably used his time studying his lines, acting and
composing (Synder 10).

10. Is this better?
Shakespeare had to work constantly to
survive and support his family.

11. Even better?
Shakespeare had to work constantly
to survive and support his family
(Snyder 10).

12. One more – is it plagiarism?
“The cause of Shakespeare’s death is not known.
Shakespeare also wrote his own epitaph because
during his time, when the graveyard was full, people
would dig up someone’s corpse and burn it so another
could be buried in that person’s place.”
My paraphrase:
The reason for his demise is unknown, but he did
transcribe his own eulogy to keep others from digging
up his remains.

13. Yes
“The cause of Shakespeare’s death is not known.
Shakespeare also wrote his own epitaph because
during his time, when the graveyard was full, people
would dig up someone’s corpse and burn it so another
could be buried in that person’s place.”
My paraphrase:
The reason for his demise is unknown, but he did
transcribe his own eulogy to keep others from digging
up his remains.

14. MLA Style Guide - Resources
 Purdue OWL
 Easybib.com
 Your librarian

15. MLA – Modern Language Association
 No title page
 First page requirements double-spaced in upper left-hand
corner
 First and Last Name
 Instructor’s Name
 Course
 Date
 Title – centered, NO italics, bold, underline
 Double-spaced
 12 point font
 Times New Roman recommended
 Header = Last Name and Number right justified
 Sample from OWL

16. MLA - Works Cited
 New page
 One inch margins
 Double-spaced (but no skips between
entries)
 Hanging indents
 Works Cited centered No
bold, italics, underline
 Header - Last Name and Number
 Sources are alphabetized
 12 point font, Times New Roman
recommended
 Sample from OWL

17. Source Cards/Bibliography Cards….Works
Cited
 1 Magazine (aka periodicals)
 1 Book
 2 Websites

18. Source Cards…Bibliography Cards…
1
Author Last Name, Author First
Name. Title of Book. Edition (if
stated). Place of Publication:
Publisher, Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.