Cite Right

How to USE the research you find!

Lecture Overview

 What is plagiarism?
 Mistakes We Might Make
 How to Cite Right
 How to:
– summarize, paraphrase, & quote
 Brief note on citation style resources
 Samples to work through
What is plagiarism?
 Plagiarism is passing off other people’s work
without giving credit.
 It is unethical because it steals and
deceives.
– WORK includes original ideas, strategies,
research, art graphics, computer programs,
music, and other creative expression.
– SOURCE includes published works and
unpublished works (such as class lectures,
handouts, speeches, etc.)
From Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of Scholarship a UTSA Publication of
Student Judicial Affairs
Mistakes We Might Make

 Misrepresenting someone else’s work as

your own.
 Copying sentences or paragraphs without
properly citing the source.
 Paraphrasing or summarizing without proper
acknowledgment.
 Using specific facts without crediting the
source (other than “common knowledge.”)
 What IS common
knowledge?
 Common  Needs citation
– When the Civil War was – Opinion about Civil War
– When Texas became – Disputable fact or not
part of U.S. commonly known- i.e.
when humans first
came to the Americas

Even if you had to look up the information, but most people

wouldn’t have had to, then it is considered “common knowledge,”
but I still highly encourage you to cite EVERYTHING- even
encyclopedias…
 How to Cite Right
1. Cite EVERYTHING you used for your
paper.
2. There are TWO places where you
mention the cited work:
1. Body of your paper
2. Bibliography/Reference List
3. Use a style guide.
Other Tips to Cite Right

 Avoid internet paper mills.

 When you research, separate sources’
ideas from yours.
– Summarize a paper in your own words on
a notecard, but put your thoughts about
it on a legal pad, on a separate card, or
somewhere else.
Other Tips to Cite Right

 Learn how to get credit for the

connections you make by correctly:
– Summarizing
– Paraphrasing
– Quoting
Summarize

 Distill the main points from the text.

 Focus on key concepts, not on sub-
points or supporting details.

From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor

Summarize

 Should be comprehensive but concise.

– For example, a 15-page article may be
summarized in a paragraph or two.
– For example, this might be used for annotated
bibliography assignments.
 The purpose of the summary/abstract is to
give scholars a “preview” of the material
covered in the article and let them decide
whether they will take the time to read it.

From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor

Paraphrase

 Unlike a summary, a paraphrase does

not condense material; it includes both
main points and supporting details.
– Thus, your paraphrase will be about the
same length as the original passage.
– Therefore you would not paraphrase an
entire 15 page article, but you could
paraphrase an important sentence or
paragraph.

From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor

Paraphrase

 Translate an author’s ideas, point for

point, into your own words.
 Paraphrased material looks very
convincing in a research paper; it
shows that the writer understands her
sources well enough to express them
in her own voice.

From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor

How to Paraphrase

 Select a single paragraph from your

full-length article.
 Then, paraphrase it by translating it
into your own words.
 Change both the vocabulary and the
sentence structure to free yourself
from the author’s voice.

From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor

Quote
 When you quote you present another
writer’s actual words to support your
own ideas.
 As an academic writer, you will use
quotations for four major purposes:
1. to support your ideas;
2. to preserve special or elegant language;
3. to comment on the quotation; or
4. to distance yourself from the quotation
(Spatt).
From Lindsay Radcliffe, UTSA Tutor and NCB Instructor
Quoting Helpful Hints
 Don’t string quotes together or put them back to
back.
 Example (don’t do this…)
– John Smith said, “children can be very obstinate if you
don’t give them what they want,” but then stated that
“adults can be equally obstinate and act like children.”
Rosy Campo refutes this, “Both children and adults have a
tendency to be obstinate regardless of the situation.”
 Better…
– John Smith and Rosy Campo are on differing sides of the
argument that children and adults can be stubborn
whether you appease them or not.
Quoting Helpful Hints
 Save quotes for when you think it is crucial
to present the source’s exact words. (i.e.
statements of law, rules, or policy– or
specific coined terms or jargon from that
author.)
 Learn how to add your own connections and
comments.
– Be engaged in the research.
– If this troubles you or you need more
clarification, please attend the Critical Thinking
workshop that the TRC offers.
Note on Citation Styles

 The best way to avoid plagiarism is to

cite EVERYTHING!
 No thought is truly ever your own
(unless you really did invent the
wheel…)
More Notes on
Citation Styles
 We absorb much of what we read and
therefore are liable to regurgitate that
back into a paper we write… so be
cautious!
 Learn the citation style appropriate for
your discipline.
Citation Styles

 Basics are: APA, MLA, and

Chicago/Turabian
 The PURPOSE is uniformity.
 Find which one your professor or
department wants. And when you pick
one- stick with it!
Thesis/Dissertation
Style Manuals
 According to the Graduate School’s thesis
and dissertation guides, each discipline
should have a style manual selected, but if
not- the default style manual is:
 A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,
Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate Turabian
– Also known as Turabian style, which is derived
from Chicago, and covered in the TRC’s Chicago
Writing Style Workshop offered each semester.
Citation Styles

 You aren’t required to memorize it,

just learn how to use the manual!!
 Also, the Library asked us to point out
that:
– Many search databases will give you the
citation in a certain format, but please
double check everything! Sometimes
information is missing, etc.
Citation Style Resources

 Graduate Student Learning Assistance

website: http://www.utsa.edu/trcss/gsla
 Diana Hacker- Research & Documentation
Resources:
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
 UTSA Library Citation Resources:
http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/
citingguide.html
PLAGIARISM in Action
 Let’s take a brief look at three of the most
common types of plagiarism.
 Let’s assume that two students are writing
research papers for a history course. On a
visit to the library they both come across
the following excerpt from a compilation,
Napoleon: The Final Verdict, copyrighted in
1996 by Arms & Armour Press.
 The passage refers to the closing stages of
the Battle of Waterloo and was written by
Andrew Uffindell.
Learning in the Academy: An Introduction to the Culture of Scholarship, Creighton
University, College of Arts & Sciences, 2nd printing, 2005
The Original text
At this stage many a general would have broken off the
battle and retreated. But Napoleon could not afford a
single setback for it would destroy his reputation and
embolden the political opposition in Paris. He had no
choice but to stake everything on an attack by his Guard
against Wellington. To boost his army’s flagging morale,
Napoleon sent messengers around the battlefield falsely
to announce that Marshal Grouchy was arriving. This ruse
was risky for if Napoleon’s troops discovered the truth,
the sudden disillusionment would shatter the army. But
Napoleon was a gambler, and the cheers of “Vive
l’Empereur! Soldats, voila Grouchy!” certainly galvanized
his army into a renewed effort in support of the Guard
attack.
Copying Words Directly
Example A- Unacceptable
All seemed lost for Napoleon, and many a
general would have broken off the battle and
retreated. Yet, he could not afford to do so
as a single setback would destroy his
reputation and harden the political opposition
in Paris.

 The words in italics are directly taken from the

original text, therefore it is copied and not
acceptable. Nothing gives credit to the author.
Copying Words Directly
Example B- Acceptable
According to Uffindell, all seemed lost for Napoleon, and
“many a general would have broken off the battle and
retreated. But Napoleon could not afford a single
setback for it would destroy his reputation and
embolden the political opposition in Paris” (186).

 This is acceptable because the writer put the author’s

words in quotations and then bookended the sentence.
– Bookending is putting the author’s name at the front of
the sentence or paragraph and putting the citation or page
number at the end. Bookending is used to indicate that
the entire sentence or paragraph is credited to that
author.
 Blending
Example A- Unacceptable
Napoleon had a choice to make. He could either retreat and face
almost certain political collapse back in Paris or stake everything by
confronting the British troops with his Imperial Guard. Never one to
break off an engagement willingly, Napoleon chose the latter option.
Then, to boost his troops’ morale, the Emperor dispatched
messengers around the camp with the false announcement that
Marshal Grouchy would soon arrive to relieve them.

 Discussion
– “In Example A, the writer picks numerous words and phrases from
Uffindell’s paragraph, sometimes changing their form slightly (for
example, substituting false announcement for falsely to announce).
But he does nothing to disguise his wholesale adoption of Uffindell’s
analysis of the situation. The resulting text is plagiarized because the
author could fairly claim very little as his own work beyond some
superficial editing.”– Learning in the Academy: An Introduction to the
Culture of Scholarship, Creighton University, College of Arts &
Sciences, 2nd printing, 2005
Blending
Example B- Acceptable
According to Andrew Uffindell, Napoleon had a challenging
decision to make at this point: either fall back and face almost
certain rejection at home or “stake everything on an attack by
his Guard against Wellington.” Never one to accept defeat,
Napoleon chose the latter and, “[to] boost his army’s flagging
morale, ... sent messengers around the battlefield falsely to
announce that Marshal Grouchy was arriving” (Uffindell 186).

 This writer has put everything in quotation marks that she

borrowed and has bookended the paragraph and properly
cited the original author. She has also integrated the quotes
well, using her own words and words that she felt were
crucial to the understanding of this historical moment.
Paraphrasing
Example A- Unacceptable
Out of fear that his debilitated army would be unable or
willing to make a final charge, Napoleon started the rumor
that Marshal Grouchy was nearby and would be arriving to
assist them at any moment. This could have been a
dangerous move for the Corsican; if his soldiers had found out
it was no more than a rumor, they would most definitely have
lost heart and with it the desire to fight. But Napoleon was
always one to take chances. His ruse worked, and a newly
invigorated army prepared to attack the British line.

 Even though the writer has relied entirely on their own words here, it
is still plagiarism because they did not properly cite the original
author.
Paraphrasing
Example B- Acceptable
According to historian Andrew Uffindell, out of fear that his
debilitated army would be unable or willing to make a final
charge, Napoleon started the rumor the Marshal Grouchy was
nearby and would be arriving to assist them at any moment.
This could have been a dangerous move for the Corsican; if
his soldiers had found out it was no more than a rumor they
would most definitely have lost heart and with it the desire to
fight. But Napoleon was always one to take chances. His ruse
worked and a newly invigorated army prepared to attack the
British line (Uffindell 186).

 This is acceptable because the writer cited the author. Note

that these are the exact same words as the previous example,
but bookending it makes is acceptable!
Resources used for this
presentation
 Learning in the Academy: AN Introduction
to the Culture of Scholarship, Creighton
University, College of Arts & Sciences
http://puffin.creighton.edu/ccas/forms/LearninginA
cademy.pdf
 Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of
Scholarship, a UTSA Publication of Student
Judicial Affairs.
 SFU Library- Subject Research website
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/subjectguides/
engl/classes/EssayArch.htm
 Exercise

 Paraphrase
the articles you
summarized.

 ConvertPDF to word and start

the paraphrasing.