Referencing & Avoiding Plagiarism

Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.

~Author unknown; commonly misattributed to Samuel Johnson

Have you ever wondered whether you were paraphrasing correctly? For example, how many words do you actually have to change to call it a paraphrase and not use quotation marks? There are some very simple rules to follow to ensure you attribute ideas to their sources and avoid inadvertent plagiarism. These are the rules:

• If using the exact words of your source, place them in quotation marks and cite appropriately.
• If you'd like to paraphrase someone's argument, ensure you change the words to be completely your own and then cite the source.
• If you choose a brief summary of an author's work, again, the words must all be your own yet the ideas must still be acknowledged to belong to the author.

Effective use of sources shows the reader that you are up to date with information about your topic and familiar with the main schools of thought in the area. Using and referring to other writers' ideas while developing your own position will strengthen your credibility and command of the topic. It is extremely important that you are ethical with the use of other people's ideas, that you acknowledge them properly and treat them with care. Plagiarising - that is, using other people's ideas without proper acknowledgment - is very poor and dishonest academic practice. That means it's important to learn how to use their ideas ethically.

Let's look at a few examples and see whether you can identify the difference between a quotation, a paraphrase, a summary and plagiarising.

1. Quality of Life can be an important concept and outcome measure for occupational therapists (Liddle & McKenna, 2000).

   • Direct quotation
   • Paraphrase
   • Summary
   • Plagiarism

2. Quality of Life can be quite important for occupational therapists to use in outcome measurement as long as they understand the conceptualisation and methods of application (Liddle & McKenna, 2000).

   • Direct quotation
   • Paraphrase
   • Summary
   • Plagiarism

3. Quality of Life has been described as an important outcome measure for occupational therapists, provided it is adequately conceptualised and the methods of applying it are understood (Liddle & McKenna, 2000).

   • Direct quotation
   • Paraphrase
   • Summary
   • Plagiarism

4. According to Liddle & McKenna (2000), "QOL (Quality of Life) can be an important concept for occupational therapists to use in outcome measurement," provided it is adequately conceptualised and the methods of applying it are understood.

   • Direct quotation
   • Paraphrase
   • Summary
   • Plagiarism

1. Select the version below which uses the original text appropriately without plagiarising.

   • Today, the Internet has changed the appearance of libraries and how librarians work and the library is no longer confined to the four walls of a building. Instead, the library has extended into cyberspace and so many librarians go into cyberspace to locate online resources.
   • Today, the Internet has changed the appearance of libraries and how librarians work and the library is no longer confined to the four walls of a building. Instead, the library has extended into cyberspace and so many librarians go into cyberspace to locate online resources (Yong, 2001: 294).
   • The library is no longer confined to the four walls of a building. It has, instead, extended into cyberspace and many librarians have gone into cyberspace to locate online resources. The Internet has thus changed the appearance of libraries and how librarians work (Yong, 2001: 294).
   • Recent developments in Internet technologies have brought about a major transformation of libraries and the way that librarians conduct their work. Extending beyond the physical space of the library itself, many resources are now found online and are therefore easily accessed by library users and librarians alike.
   • Recent developments in Internet technologies have brought about a major transformation of libraries and the way that librarians conduct their work. Extending beyond the physical space of the library itself, many resources are now found online and are therefore easily accessed by library users and librarians alike (Yong, 2001: 294).

Tables, figures, graphs, diagrams or images

1. Can I use images or graphs without citing their sources?

   • Yes
   • No

Information obtained from lectures or personal communication

1. Can I use ideas I got from my lecturer without citing the lecture or conversation?

   • Yes
   • No

Common knowledge - what is it?

When information is common knowledge, such as, "The twin towers in New York were attacked by terrorists on the 11th of September 2001", you do not need to quote a source. Something more specific and less commonly known, such as, "The World Trade Center first opened in 1970" would need a source. If in doubt, acknowledge your source.

Read more about the University's policy on plagiarism and the possible penalties.