How to Recognize and Avoid Plagiarism

Richard L. Saunders, Paul Meek Library

Univ. of Tennessee at Martin

Paraphrasing

A paraphrase presents someone else's ideas, but puts them in your own words. This is probably the skill you will use most often when weaving research sources into your writing as a student. Although you use your own words to paraphrase, you will still acknowledge the source of the information.

Here's is a piece of ORIGINAL text from pages 16-17 of The Impending Crisis by David M. Potter (1976):

Example L: The American victory over Mexico and the acquisition of the Southwest had sealed the triumph of national expansion, but it had also triggered the release of forces of sectional dissention. Much of the national harmony had rested upon the existence of a kind of balance between the northern and southern parts of the United States. The decision to fight the war had disturbed this balance, and the acquisition of a new empire which each section desired to dominate endangered the balance further.

Here is an UNACCEPTABLE paraphrase that would be considered plagiarism:

Example M: Acquiring the Southwest in the war with Mexico had sealed the conquest of national expansion, but it had also prompted forces of sectional dissent. A lot of the national harmony had rested upon the existence of a balance between the southern and northern parts of the country. The presidential decision to fight the conflict had upset this balance, and the acquisition of a new territory which each section desired to dominate threatened the balance even more.

What makes paraphrase in example M plagiarism? The passage is considered plagiarism for two reasons:

• the writer has only changed around a few words and phrases, or changed the order of the original's sentences.
• the writer has failed to cite a source for any of the ideas or facts.

If you do both OR EITHER of these things, you are plagiarizing.

NOTE: The revision (example M) is also problematic because some word choices change the sense of the sentence in places (for example, conquest of national expansion in the second sentence misses the original's emphasis on the treaty as a historical high point of national expansionism).

Here is an ACCEPTABLE paraphrase:

Example N: The treaty transferring the Southwest from Mexico to the US presented a new problem for American politics. Prior to the Mexican Cession, Congressional representation of northern and southern states had been reasonably balanced. Each section saw the new territory as a place for their interest to expand, and their interest required political organization and legislative representation favorable to their established interests. Thus, the war's successful conclusion itself unbalanced the nation (Potter, 16-17).

Why is this passage acceptable? This is acceptable paraphrasing because the writer:

• uses their own words to accurately relay the ideas from the original text
• lets the reader know the source of the information.

Here's an example of quotation and paraphrase used together, which is also ACCEPTABLE:

Example O: The treaty transferring the Southwest from Mexico sealed the triumph of national expansion, but it had also triggered the release of forces of sectional dissention. Prior to the Mexican Cession northern and southern sectional representation had been reasonably balanced in Congress. Each section saw the new territory as a place for their economic patterns to expand. Their interest required adequate political organization and legislative representation. Thus, the acquisition of a new empire which each section desired to dominate endangered the balance further (Potter, 16-17).

Why is this passage acceptable? This is acceptable paraphrasing because the writer:

• accurately presents the ideas from the original passage
• gives credit for the ideas in this passage
• indicated which part is taken directly from the source by putting the passages in quotation marks
• cites the source specifically

NOTE: If the writer had used the quoted phrases or sentences in a paper without putting quotation marks around them, they would unquestionably be plagiarizing, even though using only a small portion of the original work. Using another writer's phrases or sentences without presenting them within quotation marks is considered plagiarism EVEN IF the writer later correctly cites the source of the unmarked phrases or sentences.

Here is one great way to learn paraphrasing and to paraphrase acceptably: read carefully over what you want to paraphrase until you feel you understand it. Cover the text with your hand or close the text so you can't see any of it (and so aren't tempted to use the text as a guide). Write out the idea in your own words without peeking. Check your paraphrase against the original text to be sure you have not accidentally used the same phrases or words, and that the information and way you phrase general ideas is accurate. Make a note clearly identifying the source. Congratulations you have just written a paraphrase!

Once you have paraphrased a source, you can work your own thoughts into the text, contradict what is discussed, or add additional evidence to support the paraphrase but you will always document or cite the source you have just paraphrased.