Description
Keywords
Objectives
Author / Elen Wyn Davies (based on original by Lori Havard & Katrina Dalziel)
Organisation / Swansea University
Version
Date / 1-06-2015
Copyright
Module introduction
This is a self-directed learning module on what plagiarism is and how to avoid it by citing your references correctly.
The module should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Understand what Plagiarism is as it is set out in the University's Unfair Practice document
- Understand why you need to cite references in your papers
- Cite various types of materials
- Construct a Reference List.
Plagiarism and CitationOverview
In any essay or other piece of academic writing, it is essential to make clear when you are quoting from or referring to someone else's work. This is called citing. Full details of all the works you have cited should be listed at the end of your text. Therefore, when you are gathering information for your course work from books, journals, webpages, etc., it is important to keep a record of where you found the information. The process of citing references in your text and compiling the list of references at the end is usually called bibliographic referencing. /Referencing is important for several reasons:
- It shows that you acknowledge any use you have made of other people's ideas. (Failing to do this may be interpreted as plagiarism.)
- It enables anyone reading your work to follow up your references easily.
- A well-referenced piece of work is easier to read, looks more professional and is more likely to impress an examiner!
What is Plagiarism
Plagiarism. Plagiarism can be defined as using without acknowledgment another person's work and submitting it for assessment as though it were one's own work, for instance, through copying or unacknowledged paraphrasing.
Failure to acknowledge another person’s work (i.e. properly citing it in a paper) will result in serious consequences. The following is an excerpt from the Swansea University Unfair Practice Procedure regarding plagiarism:
/ PopupHyperlink text / Swansea University Unfair Practice Procedure.
Popup content / Definition of Unfair Practice
It is unfair practice to commit any act whereby a person may obtain for himself/herself or for another, an unpermitted advantage. This shall apply whether candidates act alone or in conjunction with another/others. An action or actions shall be deemed to fall within this definition whether occurring during, or in relation to, a formal examination, a piece of coursework, or any form of assessment undertaken in pursuit of an academic or professional qualification at Swansea University.
Colleges may employ relevant means of detecting and investigating cases of unfair practice, for instance through the use of plagiarism detection software or by mean of an oral examination/viva.
Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, examples of unfair practice are shown below.
Examples of unfair practice in non-examination conditions:
- Plagiarism. Plagiarism can be defined as using without acknowledgment another person's work and submitting it for assessment as though it were one's own work, for instance, through copying or unacknowledged paraphrasing;
- collusion;
- commissioning of work produced by another;
- falsification of the results of laboratory, field-work or other forms of data collection and analysis.
Examples of plagiarism:
- use of any quotation(s) from the published or unpublished work of other persons which have not been clearly identified as such by being placed in quotation marks and acknowledged;
- summarising another person's ideas, judgements, figures, software or diagrams without reference to that person in the text and the source in the bibliography;
- use of the services (paid or unpaid) of `ghost writing' agencies in the preparation of assessed work;
- use of unacknowledged material downloaded from the Internet;
- submission of another student's work as your own;
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/ Truefalse1
Title / True or False
Text / Plagiarism is a form of stealing another person’s words and/or ideas.
Answer * / True
Answer / False
Feedback Correct / That is correct!
Feedback Incorrect / That is incorrect! Plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft.
Examples of Plagiarism
It is very important that you understand what plagiarism is. To quote again from the University’s Unfair Practice document, Plagiarism is:- use of any quotation(s) from the published or unpublished work of other persons which have not been clearly identified as such by being placed in quotation marks and acknowledged;
- summarising another person's ideas, judgements, figures, software or diagrams without reference to that person in the text and the source in the bibliography;
- use of the services of `ghost writing' agencies in the preparation of assessed work;
- use of unacknowledged material downloaded from the Internet;
- submission of another student's work as your own;
- to re-produce material, without acknowledgement, that has been used in other work/assessment for your degree programme (self-plagiarism).
Is It or Isn’t It Plagiarism?
Below are a few scenarios. Can you correctly choose if they are cases of plagiarism?
/ Truefalse1Title / You read a book and see a paragraph you would like to use in a paper. You copy the text without citing it in the paper.
Text / This is plagiarism.
Answer * / True
Answer / False
Feedback Correct / Correct. You must put quotation marks around direct quotes and then cite the reference properly.
Feedback Incorrect / Incorrect. You must put quotation marks around direct quotes and then cite the reference properly.
/ Truefalse1
Title / You are in a lecture on the history of nursing and take some notes. You write your paper and include sections of your notes. You don’t cite it because it was from a lecture, not a book.
Text / This is plagiarism.
Answer * / True
Answer / False
Feedback Correct / Correct. Lecture notes you take are paraphrasing someone's work/ideas/words. You must cite them.
Feedback Incorrect / Incorrect. Lecture notes you take are paraphrasing someone's work/ideas/words. You must cite them.
/ Truefalse1
Title / You are writing a paper on high blood pressure.
You state you can reduce your blood pressure by eating a healthy diet with less salt, and lose weight if necessary. This is accepted common knowledge. You do not cite any references for it.
Text / This is plagiarism.
Answer / True
Answer * / False
Feedback Correct / Correct. Common, accepted knowledge does not need to be cited. Be careful though - the knowledge might not be correct!
Feedback Incorrect / Incorrect. Common, accepted knowledge does not need to be cited. Be careful though - the knowledge might not be correct!
/ Truefalse1
Title / You wrote a paper on health policy and handed it in this year for your Health and Society module. It was so good, you handed it in for your second year paper for another module.
Text / This is plagiarism.
Answer * / True
Answer / False
Feedback Correct / Correct! You cannot submit the same paper twice. This is self-plagiarism.
Feedback Incorrect / Incorrect! You cannot submit the same paper twice. This is self-plagiarism.
APA (Author-Date) Style Guide
In order to avoid plagiarism, you must cite work within your papers and assignments. Citing references is done in a particular style which must be followed in order to get full marks for your paper!
The College of Human and Health Sciences recommends that you use the APA referencing style for your assignments.
Here you can find a link to the brief APA Referencing Guide and full APA referencing guide, they are also available on Blackboard.
It is advisable for you to have a copy on hand as we work through the remainder of the module.
The following pages will give you examples of how to cite from books, journals and websites.
Paraphrasing
Tip: Whatever the source of the information (book or journal) when you paraphrase information you find you do not need to include a page number.
Direct quote from a book: Dignity is concerned with how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others. To treat someone with dignity is to treat them as being of worth, in a way that is respectful of them as valued individuals.
Reference: Baillie, L. (Ed.). (2014). Developing practical nursing skills (4th ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Incorrect citingwithin the text:
Treating people with dignity can be defined as showing others respect and valuing them individually.
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this incorrect? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was paraphrased without any acknowledgement.
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Correct citingwithin the text:
Treating people with dignity can be defined as showing others respect and valuing them individually (Baillie, 2014).
Or
According to Baillie (2014) treating people with dignity can be defined as showing others respect and valuing them individually.
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this correct? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was paraphrased with acknowledgement of the author and date of publication.
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Citing Correctly
Tip: Use direct quotes sparingly in your assignments, if you do include a direct quote whatever the source of the information (book or journal) you willalways need to include a page number when you are quoting directly.
Direct quote from a book: Dignity is concerned with how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others. To treat someone with dignity is to treat them as being of worth, in a way that is respectful of them as valued individuals.
Reference:Baillie, L. (Ed.). (2014). Developing practical nursing skills (4th ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Incorrect citingwithin the text:
Dignity can be defined as how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others.
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this incorrect? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was given without acknowledgement or quotation marks.
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Correct citingwithin the text:
According to Baillie (2014, p. 14) dignity can be defined as “how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others”.
Or
According to Baillie (2014) dignity can be defined as “how people feel, think and behave in relation to the worth or value of themselves and others” (p. 14).
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this correct? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was given with acknowledgement. If the author is mentioned, you only need to cite the date of the publication and page number.
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How many authors do I need to cite? Two authors.
Two authors: If there are two authors of a work, both need to be cited every time in text.
Direct quote: Worldwide, health professions have agreed that promoting patient or client dignity is a core element of their practice
Reference: Matiti, M. R., & Baillie, L. (Eds.). (2011).Dignity in healthcare: A practical approach for nurses and midwives. London: Radcliffe Pub.
Incorrect citingwithin the text:
According to Matiti & Baillie (2011, p. 5) “Worldwide, health professions have agreed that promoting patient or client dignity is a core element of their practice”
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this incorrect? (Click here)
Popup content / Although the quote was given with acknowledgement, page numberand quotation marks, note if the authors appear outside the brackets they should be linked using the word and.
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Correct citingwithin the text:
According to Matiti and Baillie (2011, p. 5) “Worldwide, health professions have agreed that promoting patient or client dignity is a core element of their practice.”
Or
According to Matiti and Baillie (2011) “Worldwide, health professions have agreed that promoting patient or client dignity is a core element of their practice” (p.5).
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this correct? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was given with full acknowledgement, page number and quotation marks, and the authors are linked using the word and
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How many authors do I need to cite? Three, four or five authors
Three, four or five authors: If there are three, four or five authors of a work all authors should be cited the first time, subsequently use et al. after the first author
DIRECT QUOTE: select carefully from a range of reading materials both in print and electronic form …and evaluate what you are reading
REFERENCE
Cowen, M., Maier, P., & Price, G. (2009).Study skills for nursing and healthcare students. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Incorrect first cite within the text:
Successful studying requires students to “select carefully from a range of reading materials both in print and electronic form …and evaluate what you are reading” (Cowen et al., 2009, p. 174).
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this incorrect? (Click here)
Popup content / Although the quote was given with acknowledgement, page number and quotation marks, you must include all three authors the first time you cite, subsequent cites you can use et al.
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Correct first cite within the text:
Successful studying requires students to “select carefully from a range of reading materials both in print and electronic form …and evaluate what you are reading” (Cowen, Maier, & Price, 2009, p. 174).
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this correct? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was given with full acknowledgement, page number and quotation marks, all three authors are acknowledged in the first cite, inside the bracket link the authors using .
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How many authors do I need to cite? Six or more authors
Six authors or more: If there are six authors or more only the first author is cited followed by et al.
Direct quote: The concept of ’dignity’is complex and has been closely associated with terms such as respect, autonomy, and control.
Reference: Woolhead,G., Tadd,W., Boix-Ferrer,J., Krajcik,S., Schmid-Pfahler,B., Spjuth, B. …Dieppe, P. (2006). "Tu" or "vous?": AEuropean qualitative study of dignity and communication with older people in health and social care settings.Patient Education and Counseling,61, 363-371.
Incorrect cite within the text:
According to Woolhead, Tadd, Boix-Ferrer, Krajcik, Schmid-Pfahler, Spjuth and Dieppe (2006, p. 364) “The concept of ’dignity’is complex and has been closely associated with terms such as respect, autonomy, and control”
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this incorrect? (Click here)
Popup content / Although the quote was given with acknowledgement, page number and quotation marks, as there are 6 or more authors you can use et al. on the first cite.
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Correct cite within the text:
According to Woolhead et al. (2006, p. 364) “The concept of ’dignity’is complex and has been closely associated with terms such as respect, autonomy, and control”
/ PopupHyperlink text / Why is this correct? (Click here)
Popup content / The quote was given with full acknowledgement, page number and quotation marks, first author is used followed by et al.
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Citing in text - Exercise
Your turn – Look at the below text which appears on page 195 of the book and reference.
Direct quote: We all have a leadership role in creating a practice culture where care that lacks compassion is not tolerated.
Reference:Chambers, C., & Ryder, E. (2009). Compassion and caring in nursing. Oxford: Radcliffe.
This is the text you have partly paraphrased from the above direct quote and you would like to use in your paper:
All nurses have a key role to play in creating a practice culture where care that lacks compassion is not tolerated.
/ Gapfill2Title / Fill in the gaps using the reference above, then press check answers.
Text
Wordbank / False
Answer / All nurses have a key role to play “in creating a practice culture where care that lacks compassion is not tolerated” ([Chambers & Ryder], 2009, p. [195]).
Feedback Correct / Well done, direct quotes should have author, date and page numbers.
Feedback Incorrect / Check to see if the reference is contained within brackets, if so you should use the symbol & between the authors
/ Gapfill2
Title / This is another way to cite in text. Fill in the gaps using the reference above, then press check answers.
Text
Wordbank / False
Answer / According to [Chambers and Ryder] (2009) all nurses have a key role to play [“]in creating a practice culture where care that lacks compassion is not tolerated[” ](p. [195]).
Feedback Correct / Well done, direct quotes should have author, date and page numbers.
Feedback Incorrect / Check to see if the reference is outside the brackets, if so you should use the word and between the authors.
/ Truefalse1
Title
Text / You use a direct quote from a journal in your paper. The line which includes the quote is this:
According to a study published in the British Journal of Nursing, large RCTs evaluating the effectiveness of an exercise intervention are required to fully elucidate the importance of regular physical activity for the health status of patients with cancer.
Is this cited correctly?
Answer / Yes
Answer * / No
Feedback Correct / Correct! You need to insert quotes and author, date and page number in brackets.
Feedback Incorrect / Incorrect. You need to insert quotes and author, date and page number in brackets.
Citing Correctly from a Website
Tip: If the information you want to directly cite is from a website you may not find a page number, in this case you will need to make a note of the paragraph number it appears in.
Direct quote from web: Respect and dignity are core to the national standards and strategies that describe the principles and values of the health and care services across the different UK countries