How to Recognize and Avoid Plagiarism

Richard L. Saunders, Paul Meek Library

Univ. of Tennessee at Martin

Quotation: Part 1

Quotation is nothing more than including someone else's words in your work, usually by copying them exactly. Wait isn't that plagiarizing? Well, no. Quoting is a perfectly acceptable practice in scholarship if your use of a quote employs ALL of the following three conditions:

It is short   There are no standards for how much text may be quoted, but it is always good practice to quote as little as possible, unless you are including specific textual examples for criticism. Properly quoted material is presented as either an in-text quote, or as a block quote; and lengthy quotes might require permission. Consult the style manual your discipline uses to see how block quotes are set and cited.

It is exact   Wording in a quote must be exactly as it appears in the source exactly. The words should not be pulled out of context or misquoted by the user. The text you use is indicated as exact or precise quoted by putting quotation marks around the section taken directly from the source..

It is cited   The precise source of a quotation is given in the standard documentation style used by the discipline. Ask about style manuals at the campus writing center or library reference desk.

Learning how to use quoted material is an important skill strengthening good writing.

Some things are common knowledge and do not need to be either quoted or cited. Facts that can be found in a variety of places and are likely known by a lot of people are considered common knowledge.

Example A: George W. Bush was elected President of the United States in 2006.

This fact is generally known information and you would not need to document it in a paper. Facts that are not generally known are documented in a citation. The citation not only provides a way to prove a writer has done their homework, they are evidence readers use to help them determine whether the fact (and writer) is credible.

Always document a comment, opinion, or interpretation made ABOUT facts.

Example B: Despite serving two terms as president, George W. Bush was popularly elected only once, in 2006.

Example C: According the American Family Leave Coalition's book, Family Issues and Congress, President Bush's relationship with Congress has hindered family leave legislation (6).

In the second example, the idea that Bush's relationship with Congress has hindered family leave legislation is not a fact but an interpretation. You would cite the source of that interpretation, as is shown in the example. The first statement, though stated as fact, would be considered opinion or interpretation and its source should be cited as well.