Paraphrasing and avoiding plagiarism

1. Workshop: Paraphrasing and
Avoiding Plagiarism
Elena González Rivera, Ed.D.
September 20, 2013
BIOL 3095

2. Objectives
• Define the terms
– Paraphrasing
– Direct Quoting
– Summarizing
• Discuss effective ways to summarize
• Identify appropriate transitional words
• Practice effective ways of paraphrasing
• Define plagiarism and identify it
• Discuss how to find your own voice and
avoid plagiarism

3. Exercise # 1
• In your own words and without consulting
a dictionary, write your definition of
– Paraphrasing
– Summarizing
– Direct quoting

4. I. Definitions
Paraphrasing involves:
• expressing the text in your own words.
• producing a slightly shorter version of the
original text.
• crediting the author for their intellectual
production.
Source:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
OWL University of Perdue Writing Lab

5. I. Definitions
Summarizing involves:
• placing only the author’s main idea(s) into your
own words.
• recognizing the author’s contribution by citing
him/her.
• making a significantly shorter version of the
text.
Source:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
OWL University of Perdue Writing Lab

6. I. Definitions
Direct quotations must:
• be a carbon copy of the original text.
• refer to a limited segment of the
source.
• give credit to the author.
Source:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
OWL University of Perdue Writing Lab

7. Exercise #2
• Summarizing
• Read handout #1 on Summarizing
Facts about summarizing

8. II. Transitional Words
Making logical transitions between ideas
• Alternative—some examples of alternative transitional words are: either, or,
nor, on the other hand, however, neither, and otherwise. They are used when you
can alternate between two concepts or expressions.
• Causal— include thus, then, unless, subsequently, therefore, because,
consequently, as a result, if, in order to/that, for, and so. They can be used when
referring to consequences or effects.
• Illustrative—phrases such as for example, for instance, to illustrate, and as an
example permit us to clarify an idea by connecting it to an example.
• Repetitive, reiterative— expressions such as include in other words, in short,
that is, stated simply, and to put it another way help add clarity through
meaningful repetition
• Spatial, physical—prepositions like the words under, beside, on top of, next to,
behind, point to a physical/spatial relationship between things mentioned in
two separate statements
• There are also transitional words to denote time (“first”), purpose (“to this end”),
summary (“without doubt”), and addition (“equally important”)

9. Paragraph model - transitional words
Studies show that there has been an
increase in the number of people who
support “medicide,” which happens when
people with terminal diseases choose to end
their lives, rahter than continue living. One
common argument for this growing support
is that people should not be forced to
continue living if they are in severe pain and
cannot live with this constant pain). A
second reason is that staying in the hospital
for a long time often causes a financial
burden on the family. Terminally ill people
often worry about the hardship that this will
cause their families. Finally, people who are
dying sometimes lose hope. Even if they are
alive, they can often only lie in bed, and for
some people, this is not “life.” While many
people believe that medicide is an “unnatural
way to die” and should remain illegal, sick
people should certainly have the right to end
their lives if they want.
(Topic sentence)
(Supporting sentence 1)
(Supporting sentence 2)
(Supporting sentence 3)
(Counterargument or
rebuttal)
• Source: Dr. José Santos “Module for INGL 3201” 2007

10. III. Effective Paraphrasing
6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1. Re-read a selection until you fully understand it before
trying to paraphrase
2. Close the selection and paraphrase from memory
3. Give your paraphrase a topic title and write
yourself a footnote reminding you how you could use it in
the future
4. Compare your text with the author’s
5. Place borrowed terms or phrases in quotation marks
6. Jot down all bibliographic information for citation
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/2/
“Write it in Your Own Words” by Dana Lynn Driscoll and Allen Brizee, June 2010

11. III. How to Paraphrase
The University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia mention the same steps to
paraphrasing as Purdue but adds other important elements to consider.
Elements to consider:
– Meaning: maintain the same ideas and the same relationship between
them
– Words: Use synonyms except for specialized subject vocabulary
C. Phrases: If you want to retain unique or specialist phrases, use quotation
marks (“ “)
D. Structure: Do not maintain the same grammatical or sentence structure as
the author. (Vary sentence length, change from active to passive voice, or
use adjectives instead of nouns)
D. Order: Change the order in which the text is presented without altering the
ideas
E. Attitude: Reflect the author’s attitude in your version of the text (ex. critical,
confident, etc.)
Source: http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/sumpara.html

12. Exercise #3
• Read handout #2 entitled:
Paraphrasing and documentation
• If the hyperlink does not work, refer to the
document I attached along with the
presentation.

13. Exercise #4
• Now that you have read an example of a
paraphrase, complete the following
exercise by evaluating the quality of 3
paraphrased versions of a test. Handout
#3 contains the exercise.
Compare paraphrases

14. Exercise #5
• Now you will practice paraphrasing 5
passages by completing handout #4
Paraphrasing exercises

15. IV. AVOID PLAGIARISM:
USE YOUR OWN WORDS

16. Define Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is
– taking another person’s ideas and pretending
they are yours
– a type of intellectual theft
– the result of ignorance or deliberate intention
• Plagiarism has serious consequences

17. Example of Plagiarism
• “Zakaria apologized “unreservedly” to Jill Lapore for cribbing a passage from her New Yorker
piece, but he was suspended nonetheless. (From left: Jason Andrew / Contour by Getty Images;
no credit; Amy Sussman / Getty Images-New Yorker)” Taken from the Daily Beast.
• http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/08/19/plagiarism-and-the-lynch-mob.html

18. Example of Plagiarism
“A la derecha, Janet Marilyn Hernández, una publicista venezolana, a la izquierda, el doctor Iván
Ríos Hernández, profesor de publicidad.” Note: Taken from Noticel at
http://www.noticel.com/noticia/130247

19. Clarification of Term
• Take the plagiarism quiz
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism/plag
quiz.html

20. How Does Plagiarism Happen?
“Intellectual insecurity related to using your own
words
The Problem: It’s a Paradox
• Contradictions about academic writing:
You are expected to: 1. refer to experts, and
2. produce 'original' work
How can you do both?
• Solution:
– Develop arguments or views based on research.
– Come to your own conclusions based on your research.
• http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism/how_1.html

21. How Does Plagiarism Happen?
The Solution
• Find your voice and incorporate it into your own writing.
• In assignments synthesize answers from the opinions of others.
• Be like a DJ - draw information from many sources and show it in a
new light –YOUR LIGHT, YOUR PERSPECTIVE
• Finding your own voice = producing something of your own from the
ideas/research of others
• http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism/how_1.html

22. Four Steps to Finding Your Own Voice
• Overt
• Original Research
• Organization
• Integration

23. Four Steps to Finding Your Own
Voice
1. Overt
One way is to write yourself into the essay (use first person)
– For example: 'I will argue that …’
– 'In this essay I argue that... '’
– From our investigations we conclude that …
– The researchers of this study concludes…
– One can conclude from this investigation…
2. 'Original' Research
go beyond the material presented in class
reading more widely
construct a different argument from other students, show
your individuality
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism/voice.html

24. Four Steps to Finding Your Own Voice
3. Organization
“The way you put your essays together may give them
a distinctive quality.”
“The order of the paragraphs is your choice.”
“Impose your framework over the question, and don't
let your sources dictate the structure of your essay
either.”
4. Integration
choosing the right words
“What transition signals and reporting verbs (states,
argues, asserts, writes etc.) do you use?”
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism/voice.html

25. Using the Correct Words
Evans states that 'the sky is red'
(2001:8).
states' indicates that you have a
largely neutral stance toward the
idea expressed.
Evans argues that 'the sky is red'
(Evans, 2001:8)
'argues' indicates that you think that
Evans supports his opinion with
argument & evidence
Evans asserts that 'the sky is red'
(Evans, 2001:8
‘asserts' indicates that you think that
Evans does not fully support his idea
Evans claims that 'the sky is red'
(Evans, 2001:8)
'claims' indicates that you think that
Evans does not support his idea at all
Evans rightly argues that 'the sky is
red' (2001:8)
'rightly argues' indicates that you
agree strongly with the view
Evans wrongly argues that 'the sky
is red' (2001:8
'wrongly argues' indicates that you
disagree with conclusion that Evans
has drawn
Evans is partially correct when he
argues that 'the sky is red' (200 1: 8)
'partially correct' suggests that you
agree with some, but not all, of Evans'

26. Exercise #6
• In the next seminar assignment paraphrase a
passage from it.
• Summarize the content of the seminar.
• Include a direct quote in your summary