Using Quotations, Paraphrases, Internal Citation, and Documentation to Avoid Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

Most Americans believe that people own their thoughts.  For this reason, it is very important to give authors credit for their ideas.  Documenting who you receive your information from is the way for you to show your respect for another person’s ideas and avoid plagiarism, which occurs any time a writer uses another person’s ideas or writing without giving him or her proper credit.  It can include anything from buying a paper off the Internet to not using quotation marks properly.  So, when you do research and use sources, you have to write where your information came from.  Because plagiarism makes everything you write less believable, even unintentional plagiarism is a very serious offense in the academic world.  If an instructor suspects that a student has plagiarized, he or she may contact the Associate Dean of Student Services for disciplinary action.

Careful Note-taking

The first step to avoid plagiarism is taking notes carefully by copying quotations and paraphrasing.  One way to ensure you take accurate notes is paraphrasing, taking the author’s ideas and putting them into your own words. You cannot simply rearrange the original words using synonyms; that is still plagiarism.  Instead, when you want to paraphrase a source, read it carefully.  Then, without looking at the source, think of how you would tell someone about what you just read.  Write down your thoughts.  This way, you have paraphrased properly with your own words instead of accidentally using the author’s words.  After you have written the ideas in your own words, you can check the original source to makes sure your words accurately describe the author’s ideas.

If you decide to quote a source, copy the words and punctuation exactly and put quotation marks around the words in your notes.  If you copy and paste words from a website into your notes, either put quotation marks around those words or highlight them.  Now, when you write your paper, you will be sure these are the author’s exact words.  Every word, phrase, sentence, or paragraph that comes directly from a source must appear in your paper within quotation marks.  Also, using an author’s photographs, charts, graphs, etc. is just like quoting him or her, but you do not need to put quotation marks around illustrations.  In these cases, simply cite the source. Often, it is better to paraphrase rather than use quotations.  However, there are a few times when using quotations is better.  Use quotations when:

1. The author’s writing is particularly beautiful or descriptive,
2. You need specific words to accurately communicate a technical idea,
3. You want to let the author speak for him or herself on a specific issue,
4. The author is an expert, and his or her words will support your argument, and
5. You are analyzing or critiquing the author’s writing.

Inserting Quotations

Properly using quotations in your essays shows that you researched your topic and understand how your sources relate to your ideas.  You cannot simply insert a quotation as a separate sentence, which is sometimes called a dumped quote.  Doing this is like stopping in the middle of a speech, holding up a sign with someone else’s words on it, and then continuing your speech without mentioning the sign.  If a quotation is disconnected and seems to appear out of nowhere, the writing sounds undeveloped, as in the first example below.

By the time the battle ended, there were thousands of refugees. "I couldn't see the ground through all the feet around mine" (Numa 274). Within hours, the water problems began to take shape.

 

The next passage, on the other hand, relates the quotation to the writer’s ideas.

By the time the battle ended, there were thousands of refugees. One witness said that he "couldn't see the ground through all the feet around [his own]" (Numa 12). Within hours, the water problems began to take shape.

In the second example, the quote becomes part of the writer's design for the paragraph. The writer even has changed part of the quote to make the material fit better into the surrounding sentence. To do this, you can enclose the altered words in square brackets.

Properly Paraphrasing

Even if you cite your sources, it is possible to plagiarize when paraphrasing if the words, phrases, or sentence structure are too alike the original source. 
Original Quotation:

“If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists” (Davis 26).

In the following example, the writer uses the same words, only changing the verb tense. Because the new sentence is so similar to the author’s sentence, it is plagiarized.

The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Another example of plagiarism occurs when the writer utilizes the same sentence structure but replaces key words with their synonyms.

 
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior (Davis 26).

Here are two appropriate paraphrases.  While they contain the same information as the original quotation, they utilize new sentence structure and words.  When this writer applies her own expressions, the instructor knows that she has thought about the information.

When they learned of an ape’s ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise (Davis 26).

According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists were unprepared for the news that a chimp could communicate with its trainers through sign language (26).

 

Documenting and Citing

Documenting and citing your sources has several benefits.  First, clearly stating where your words end and your source’s begin means that you will receive proper credit for your own work and ideas.  Also, crediting your sources shows the reader that other writers agree with your ideas.  Finally, noting your sources will help you find information again if you need to add to your paper.

                Although different methods of citation exist, generally all of them require you to have in-text citations by noting the authors whose work you used. (Sometimes you will need the page number and year in which the source was written, too.) You can include the author’s name in an introductory phrase or a parenthetical citation.  Introductory phrases often take the form of “According to author” or “Author states” followed by the information you want to communicate.  However, if it is difficult to put the author’s name in the sentence, you can instead write it at the end of the sentence in parentheses (author).  This is known as a parenthetical citation.  You do not need to include the title unless you refer to two sources by the same author. 

The in-text citations are simply a short form of the complete documentation you write at the end of your essay, called the works cited page, which should include detailed information about every source you used.  This detailed information is different for different types of works.  The table below includes general information you will need no matter whether you are using MLA or APA format. 

To Cite or Not to Cite

Most of the time, you will need to cite your sources in the text.  However, three instances in which you do not need to cite are when everyone who will read your paper already knows the information, every source your read has the same facts, or the ideas are yours.  You will need to cite your sources when you:

1. Quote an author exactly,
2. Paraphrase an author’s words,
3. Summarize an author’s words,
4. Use another author’s photographs, charts, graphs, illustrations, etc.,
5. Include facts that not everyone who will read your paper knows, and
6. Include ideas that not everyone agrees with.

MLA and APA: The Similarities

While the disciplines of English and the humanities use the Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation style, the American Psychological Association (APA) style shows the timeliness of sources, which is important in psychology, sociology, and other sciences. Both styles require in-text citation and follow some general rules for works-cited pages:

1. Do not number entries, instead alphabetize by author;
2. If there is no author, then alphabetize by title (not including a, an, or the);
3. Double space everything on the works-cited page;
4. Leave only one space after all punctuation; and
5. If a website does not have page numbers, do not include page numbers in your citations. (Usually websites only have page numbers if they are PDF format).

Proper MLA Citation

Wherever possible, include the author (and sometimes the title) as part of the text in your paper.  Note that the punctuation (the period) follows the parentheses.

In her autobiography, Memoirs of a Seattle Girlhood, Elspeth Wetly describes growing up in Seattle as "a damp experience" (219).

Sometimes, though, it is awkward to include the source as part of the text.  Then, you can enclose the author’s last name and the page number in parentheses after the quotation or paraphrase.  You do not need to write the title within the parentheses unless you cite more than one work by the same author (or works by the same authors with the same name) in your paper.  If you cite several facts from the same source in a row, you should include the author’s last name and the page number in the first citation.  In the following citations, use only the page number.  However, if you cite another work, then you need to write the author’s name again.

People who grew up there complain that Seattle is a damp city to live in (Wetly, Memoirs 219). This dampness, in fact, leads to frequent minor illnesses among the population in general (Wetly, Dripping 204). Often, these illnesses can last through the winter, and in at least one case, a common cold "dragged on for an entire hanky-soaked year" (274). The dark, damp autumns, winters and springs can also lead to serious depression. In some people, the depression abates only in July and early August, when Seattleites celebrate the presence of the sun by staging the annual Seafair festival (Wetly, Memoirs 156).

Proper APA Citation

Like MLA style, APA requires internal citation, including the author’s last name.  Unlike MLA style though, you only need to include the page number when you use a quotation.  Instead, APA requires you to include the date. 

You can begin the sentence with the author’s last name and the date in parentheses. 

Kahn (1997) suggested that the partying styles of college students affected their grades.

Second, you can write both the author’s name and the date within the sentence.

In 1997, Kahn demonstrated that the partying styles of college students had a direct effect on grades.

Finally, you can place the author’s name, the date, and the page number (if you use a quotation) in parentheses at the end of the sentence.

One researcher even went so far as to assert that the partying styles of college students “had a direct effect on grades” (Kahn, 1997, p. 1513).