AIM - Plagiarism

WSU Library

22 Aug 201701:21

Summary

TLDRThe speaker discusses the importance of proper paraphrasing and summarization in academic work to avoid plagiarism. They recount an experience where a lack of sufficient alteration from the original text, despite providing a reference, led to accusations of plagiarism. The speaker emphasizes the necessity of understanding the material and giving proper credit to sources, as it demonstrates both comprehension and thorough research.

Takeaways

📚 Even when paraphrasing, it's crucial to change the structure and vocabulary significantly to avoid plagiarism.
⏰ Time management is key when working on assignments; starting early can help ensure proper paraphrasing and summarization.
🔍 Proper referencing is essential to avoid accusations of plagiarism, even when you believe you've paraphrased sufficiently.
💡 Summarizing and paraphrasing are skills that need to be developed and practiced repeatedly to master.
📝 The lecturer emphasized the importance of putting information in one's own words for assignments, indicating the need for original thought and expression.
🤓 Demonstrating understanding of the material through effective summarization and paraphrasing is a sign of thorough research.
👨‍🏫 Feedback from markers can provide valuable insights into how well you've grasped and can communicate the concepts from your sources.
📉 The consequences of not paraphrasing effectively can be severe, including failing to meet academic integrity standards.
🔑 Giving proper credit to sources is a way of showing that you've conducted research and respect the original authors' work.
📈 The ability to paraphrase and summarize well can enhance the quality of academic work and improve grades.
🚫 Simply changing a few words in a text without altering the overall structure is not enough to constitute valid paraphrasing.

Q & A

Why did the speaker copy text and change some words around from a book?
-The speaker did this because they found a really good idea in a book but didn't have much time, so they took a shortcut by copying the text and altering some words.
What was the speaker's initial belief about using their own words without quotation marks?
-The speaker believed that as long as they used their own words and provided a reference, they would be fine and not commit plagiarism.
What was the marker's feedback on the speaker's work?
-The marker said that the speaker's work was too close to the original source, indicating a high risk of plagiarism despite the reference provided.
Why is proper referencing considered important according to the speaker's experience?
-Proper referencing is important to avoid plagiarism and to show that the work is original and not just copied from a source.
What did the lecturer instruct the students to do with their sources for the assignment?
-The lecturer instructed the students to summarize or paraphrase their sources, which means putting the information in their own words.
Why does the speaker emphasize the need to develop the skill of summarizing and paraphrasing?
-The speaker emphasizes this because it demonstrates a deeper understanding of the material and the ability to conduct thorough research.
What does the speaker suggest about the time required for summarizing and paraphrasing sources?
-The speaker suggests that summarizing and paraphrasing can take a bit of time, which is why they always start their assignments early.
What did one of the markers tell the speaker about the importance of summarizing and paraphrasing well?
-The marker told the speaker that summarizing and paraphrasing well indicated that they had understood the material and had done the necessary research.
What is the speaker's advice regarding starting assignments early?
-The speaker's advice is to always start assignments early to allow enough time for summarizing and paraphrasing sources properly.
How does the speaker describe the process of developing the skill of summarizing and paraphrasing?
-The speaker describes it as a skill that needs to be developed over time and practiced repeatedly.
What does the speaker imply about the relationship between proper credit to sources and the quality of research?
-The speaker implies that giving proper credit to sources is an indication of having conducted quality research and understanding the subject matter.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Plagiarism and Proper Referencing

The speaker expresses confusion over the concept of plagiarism after being accused of it. They recount an incident where they paraphrased a text from a book, changed some words, and included a reference, but still received a negative mark. The lecturer's emphasis on summarizing or paraphrasing sources in one's own words is highlighted, along with the importance of developing this skill over time. The speaker also mentions that proper summarization and paraphrasing indicate a deep understanding of the material and thorough research, as recognized by one of their markers.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to the act of using someone else's work or ideas without proper attribution and presenting them as one's own. In the video's theme, it is a critical issue because the speaker discusses the consequences of not properly paraphrasing and referencing, which led to accusations of plagiarism. The script mentions, '...risk committing plagiarism,' highlighting the importance of originality and proper citation in academic work.

💡Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are used to indicate the exact words taken from a source. The script implies that even when paraphrasing, the speaker initially thought that using quotation marks was necessary to avoid plagiarism, as in '...didn't even have to use quotation marks if it was in your own words.' However, the context shows that simply changing words around without altering the structure or meaning sufficiently can still be considered too close to the original text.

💡Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is the process of rewording a text to convey the same meaning using different words and sentence structures while maintaining the original idea. The script emphasizes the importance of paraphrasing as a skill, '...we had to summarise or paraphrase our sources,' and the need to do it effectively to avoid plagiarism and demonstrate understanding.

💡Referencing

Referencing is the act of acknowledging the source of information or ideas used in one's work. The script stresses the necessity of proper referencing, '...I did put in a reference though,' to avoid plagiarism and to show that the research has been conducted and is not one's own creation.

💡Summarizing

Summarizing involves condensing a larger piece of text into a shorter form while retaining the main points. The script mentions summarizing as a part of the assignment requirement, '...we had to summarise or paraphrase our sources,' which is essential for demonstrating comprehension and avoiding verbatim copying.

💡Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical practice of conducting oneself honestly and responsibly in academic pursuits. The script touches on this concept through the discussion of plagiarism and the importance of proper paraphrasing and referencing, '...you have to get this referencing down immediately, it's so important.'

💡Original Source

The original source refers to the primary material from which information is taken. In the script, the speaker mentions that their work was '...way too close to the original source,' indicating the failure to sufficiently transform the borrowed content into their own words.

💡Understanding

Understanding is the comprehension of the material or subject matter. The script connects understanding with the ability to paraphrase and summarize effectively, as one of the markers told the speaker, '...because I had summarised and in paraphrased really well it meant that I had understood what I was talking about.'

💡Research

Research is the systematic investigation and study of materials to establish facts and reach new conclusions. The script mentions that proper credit to sources indicates that research has been done, '...because I'd given proper credit to my sources that it meant that I had done the research.'

💡Assignment

An assignment is a task given to students as part of their coursework, which they must complete and submit. The script discusses the process of working on assignments, emphasizing the need to start early and develop the skill of paraphrasing and summarizing, '...this is a skill you have to develop, you have to do it over and over again.'

💡Marker

A marker is someone who evaluates and grades academic work. In the script, the marker's feedback is crucial as it points out the issue of the work being too close to the original source, '...when I got my marks back, the marker said it was way too close to the original source.'

Highlights

Using one's own words without quotation marks is possible when paraphrasing.

Copying text and changing words can lead to accusations of plagiarism.

Proper referencing is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

Lecturer emphasized summarizing or paraphrasing sources in assignment.

Putting information in one's own words is a skill that requires development.

Starting assignments early is recommended to develop paraphrasing skills.

Effective paraphrasing indicates a deep understanding of the material.

Proper credit to sources signifies thorough research.

Plagiarism risks are high when paraphrasing is not done correctly.

Markers assess the originality of students' work based on paraphrasing.

The importance of paraphrasing is reinforced by academic standards.

Markers may penalize work that is too close to the original source.

Students must learn to paraphrase to meet academic integrity standards.

Paraphrasing is a skill that needs to be practiced repeatedly.

Understanding the material is demonstrated through effective summarization and paraphrasing.

Academic success is linked to the ability to paraphrase and reference properly.

Markers value students who can paraphrase well and give proper credit.