Avoiding Plagiarism

Scope
This guide provides you with a starting point for locating sources and finding information related to recognizing plagiarism and how to avoid it. Plagiarism is considered a form of academic misconduct and the penalties for this behavior can be found at http://www.morainepark.edu/PDFFiles/currentstudents/StudentHandbook.pdf.

Books and Videos
Use the Moraine Park Catalog to find books, e-books, and videos on this subject.
Sample keyword searches:
"Report writing--Handbooks, manuals, etc."
"Research--Handbooks, manuals, etc."
"Report writing"
"Writing"

The following is a list of books students have found useful in constructing a bibliography or a works cited list for papers.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
The World's Easiest Guide to Using the MLA

Internet Sites

Plagiarism
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
This handout from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab "is designed to help you develop strategies for knowing how to avoid accidental plagiarism." The page includes tips on knowing when to give credit where it is due and how to determine if some piece of information is common knowledge.

Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
As the title suggests the main focus of this web site is to help you recognize and avoid plagiarism.

Thinking and Talking About Plagiarism
http://bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/techtiparchive/ttip102401.htm
This Teaching Tip contains links to Internet sites that discuss "how to talk about plagiarism in the classroom, how to talk to students you suspect might have plagiarized..., how to search the WWW and databases for possibly plagiarized e-text, how to tell if the plagiarism is intentional cheating or poor source handling, and how to proceed with plagiarism cases even when you can't find an originating text."

When to Cite Sources
http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/08/cite/
This page lists five basic rules that you should follow to determine whether or not to cite a source. The authors also suggest that when you are not sure whether to cite a source or not, you should ask your instructor.

Wisc-Online
http://www.wisc-online.com/
This site contains three learning objects concerning plagiarism. You must register to view the learning objects but the registration is free. After you register click on the link that reads "CLICK HERE to view and use learning objects". Then type plagiarism in the box labeled "Search Learning Objects".