|
Statement on Plagiarism
History Department, Davidson
College
Plagiarism means “representing
another’s words or ideas as one’s own.” These words or ideas may be few or many--a phrase, a
paragraph, or several pages--but the principle is the same. Learn to
acknowledge and cite all sources properly, using quotation marks around
(or, in the case of longer quotations, properly introducing and
indenting) words not your own. Use footnotes or endnotes to acknowledge
another person’s words or ideas. All plagiarism is a form of stealing
(another person’s words and ideas); when deliberate, it represents
lying as well (about one’s sources). As a
Davidson student, you are expected to know what plagiarism is and
how to avoid it in your writing. Claiming ignorance or lack of intention
is not an acceptable excuse. Plagiarism may result in a failing grade in
a course.
Examples of Plagiarism and of
Acceptable Paraphrasing
Assume you are writing a term paper about
child-raising practices among white women in the South before the Civil
War. A leading secondary source on this topic is Sally G. McMillen, Motherhood
in the Old South: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Rearing (Baton
Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1990). You jot down the following
passage on breast-feeding:
Reminiscences of southern white childhood
written after the Civil War often tell of white babies suckling at the
breasts of black mammies. Yet a careful examination of personal
letters and journals reveals that a large proportion of middle- and
upper-class southern women breast-fed their infants, out of concern
for the children’s health and development as well as in recognition
of their own duties as mothers (pp. 111-12).
One could plagiarize from this passage in three
main ways, as illustrated below.
 | 1. Presenting the idea without
acknowledgment: In the decades following the Civil War, many white
Southerners reported that they had been breast-fed by black women. In
fact, however, it appears that most southern women in the middle and
upper classes had breast-fed their own children. [Here the wording is
more or less your own, but the source of the material is not
acknowledged in a footnote or endnote; it should be acknowledged.] |
| 2. Failing to use quotation marks
(places at which quotation marks should be used are bracketed):
Careful research has shown [“]that a large proportion of middle- and
upper-class southern women breast-fed their infants, out of concern
for the children’s health[”] and development.1 [Corresponding note
1 indicates author, work, and page; by failing to use quotation marks
in the text, however, you make it appear, wrongly, that the words used
are your own.] |
| 3. Paraphrasing too closely: After the
Civil War, Southerners remember-ing their childhood often told of
white children being suckled at the breasts of black women. But a
careful study of letters and journals shows that a large percentage of
middle- and upper-class southern mothers actually breast-fed their own
infants because they were concerned about their children’s health.1
[Here, too, the source is acknowledged in a note, but the wording is
not really your own.] |
Here is an example of how the passage could
be used acceptably, employing both broad paraphrasing and direct
quotation: According to a widely held view, slave women typically nursed
the children of prosperous Southerners before the Civil War. In reality,
as historian Sally G. McMillen has argued, “a large proportion of
middle- and upper-class southern women breast-fed their infants, out of
concern for the children’s health and development as well as in
recognition of their own duties as mothers.”1 [Footnote or
endnote 1 cites source and page.] Note, however, that you should use
quotations such as this one sparingly. Why? Using your own words is
preferable.
Other Suggestions for Avoiding
Plagiarism
| A. Have confidence in your ability to write a
good paper. In other words, think about researching and writing the
paper not as a process of pasting together the ideas and insights of
others, but as one of refining your thesis or key question and
of working out effective ways to present your argument and the
evidence to support that argument. |
| B. Be careful in taking notes. At the top of
each page, put the name of the author,
the name of book or article, the place and date of publication, and
the relevant page-number(s). (You may use shorthand references
here.) If quoting, double-check to make sure you have recorded
words and punctuation accurately, and put quotation marks around them.
When paraphrasing in your own words between quotations, use some
method, such as brackets ([ ]), to indicate which passages are
paraphrased. |
| C. Write your name at the top of each page
that contains your own ideas for the paper, and keep these pages
separate from notes based on sources. |
| D. Identify the sources you are citing in the
text of your paper either specifically (According to historian Robin
Barnes, . . .) or generally (One observer
noted at the time that . . .), as well as in the footnotes or
endnotes. Identifying sources in the text (a) provides clarity to help
the reader and (b) makes it more likely that you will properly cite
material that you quote directly or paraphrase from another author’s
ideas. |
| E. Start writing a paper at least a week in
advance, and leave two days for final revision of a complete draft.
Planning ahead in this way will allow time for checking quotations
against original sources and for checking footnotes or endnotes for
accuracy. |
| F. Seek help when you have questions about
proper citation. Your teachers are always glad to offer guidance. Good
writers’ manuals or guides to research and writing contain sections
about proper citation and about plagiarism and ways to avoid it. In
addition, Bates College has an excellent web-site discussing
plagiarism: http://www.bates.edu/pubs/Plagiarism/plagiarism.html |
|
