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A Note on Plagiarism and Citing Sources

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When you signed up for this class, you accepted Courseras honor code. Part of that honor code states My answers to homework, quizzes and exams will be my own work (except for assignments that explicitly permit collaboration). We would like to explain in a little more detail what this means. It means, in short, that you should not plagiarize and that you should always cite your sources. This applies not only to printed sources, but also to online sources like the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Wikipedia.

Do not plagiarize
Plagiarism is a form of fraud: it is to take someones words or thoughts or ideas and portray them as your own. If a text is plagiarized, it has either been copied word for word from another source, or it has been rewritten, but only a little bit, and without citing the source. If you wish to include a string of words, or a sentence or two that someone else has written, you have to use quotation marks. That shows the reader that the words are not yours, but written by someone else. You also have to tell your reader what your source is. Similarly, if you use an argument, an idea, or information from someone else you should tell the reader what your source is. For examples, see below.

Always cite your source!

When you use another authors words or ideas, you have to tell your reader what the original source is. Otherwise, the reader will think that the words or ideas are yours. The easiest way to give citation information about your source is to put it in a footnote, but you can also do it in parentheses in the text. The important thing is to give readers the name of the author, the book or article, the publisher or journal title, the publishing year and date. This also goes for online sources! Here are some examples of plagiarism and of the right way using a source.

Examples
Original Source
This is a direct quote from Peter Singer, Practical Ethics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, page 3: Traditionally, the more important link between religion and ethics was that religion was thought to provide a reason for doing what is right, the reason being that those who are

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virtuous will be rewarded by an eternity of bliss while the rest will roast in hell.

Wrong way (1): Word for word plagiarism

In the olden days, religion was thought to provide a reason for doing what is right, as those who are good would be rewarded by an eternity of bliss while the rest will roast in hell. Why is this plagiarism? Because the author has copied the idea of the sentence, its structure, and several phrases, without using quotation marks, or citing the source.

Wrong way (2): Paraphrased plagiarism

In the olden days, religion gave people a reason for how to act right, because those who behaved virtuously would be sent to Heaven while the rest would roast in hell. Why is this plagiarism? Because the author has copied the idea of the sentence, its structure, and several phrases, without using quotation marks, or citing the source.

Correct way (1): Quotation marks and footnote citation

According to Peter Singer, traditionally, the more important link between religion and ethics was that religion was thought to provide a reason for doing what is right, the reason being that those who are virtuous will be rewarded by an eternity of bliss while the rest will roast in hell.1 Why is this okay? Because the author uses quotation marks, and provides a full citation in a footnote.

Correct way (2): Complete rewriting and parenthesis citation

Religion, as Peter Singer points out, has provided many people with an important motive for behaving morally. Those who complied with Christian conventions, for instance, could assume that their afterlife would be spent in Heaven (Singer 2011, 3). Why is this okay? Because the author clearly indicates that the argument is Peter Singers, both

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by saying as Peter Singer points out and by including a reference at the end of the sentence. Remember, however, that if you give the reference in a parenthesis like this, you also have to include the full reference in a bibliography at the end of the essay. Otherwise it will be difficult for your reader to know what you are citing.

For more information, take a look at Princeton Universitys guide to academic integrity: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/intro/index.htm (http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/intro/index.htm)

Peter Singer, Practial Ethics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, page 3.

Created Mon 10 Mar 2014 2:51 PM VET Last Modified Thu 13 Mar 2014 9:40 AM VET

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