Are You an Unwitting Plagiarist? Review of Citing and Paraphrasing

In academic, technical, and scientific writing, intellectual property is valued in the English-speaking world. Intellectual property is the product of the creative process, and it is protected, so giving credit to individuals for their ideas ties in with ethical behavior, authorship, and the treatment of intellectual property. The consequences for plagiarism can include dismissal from the university and a stigma that may follow one in academic life and possibly one’s professional life. For novice writers, knowing when to cite and paraphrasing may be new skills. The presentation will include a refresher on plagiarism with some basic “rules of the road” along with some strategies for paraphrasing sources to avoid plagiarism. The presentation will include three examples of passages that have been plagiarized and strategies for how to paraphrase to avoid plagiarism. Paraphrasing is a skill that students and novice writers need to learn to be successful in academia and future careers. Keywords: plagiarism, paraphrasing, intellectual property