1. No category

Plagiarism and how to avoid it – a good practice guide for
students
Although we realise that most students are well aware of the
need to avoid plagiarism, we ask that you take a few minutes
to read this short guide. Thank you.
What’s it all about?
The information in this guide for students has been put together to
provide help and advice to all students to help them to avoid
plagiarism in their assessed work. “Assessed work” includes all
essays, projects, assignments, art work, dissertation, thesis or any
other work that a student is required to present to meet the
assessment requirements of his or her programme at Glyndŵr.
Glyndŵr like many other HEIs in the UK recognises that incidents
of plagiarism are increasing and it wishes to help all students to
ensure that they are not involved in any form of plagiarism, as all
cases of plagiarism that are proven have serious consequences
for students and their academic achievements at Glyndŵr.
Glyndŵr recognises that the majority of students are well aware of
the need to avoid plagiarism and to take care that they
acknowledge and reference correctly all the sources that they use
in their work. However, all students should take a few moments to
read this guide to make absolutely certain that they are fully aware
of what plagiarism is and how they can make sure that all of their
work is free from any suspicion of plagiarism.
Glyndŵr acknowledges the generosity of a range of Universities
and Colleges in providing Glyndŵr with their guides on plagiarism
as examples of such guides. Glyndŵr has also drawn upon
Guideline no. 78 which is attached to this guide, to prepare this
guide for students. This guideline is also available in the library
and on the Glyndŵr web.
PLEASE NOTE THAT PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS ACADEMIC
OFFENCE AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED BY ALL STUDENTS.
What is plagiarism?
Pyper (2000) defines plagiarism as: “.. simply theft. It is taking the
words, ideas and labour of other people and giving the impression
that they are your own...”
To expand, plagiarism is the representation as your own work,
the work of another person or organisation. This can include
lecture notes, handouts, presentations, and also applies to any
other material created by another student, past or present, or by
any other person, including authors of books, journals or web
pages.
You are plagiarising if you:
copy verbatim the work of another without proper
acknowledgement
closely paraphrase the work of another by simply changing a
few words or altering the order of presentation, without
acknowledgement
quote phrases from another‟s work without proper
acknowledgement
deliberately or inadvertently present another's concept as
your own.
Unfair practice and plagiarism
Plagiarism is one of the ways that a student may either
inadvertently or deliberately has used “unfair practice” to complete
any element of his/her assessed work.
Why does it matter if I plagiarise?
In most systems of higher education in the world, it is agreed that
students must present their own work, and where they draw upon
the work of others, they must reference that work correctly and not
attempt in any way to present another person‟s work as their own.
Depending on the country involved, to plagiarise is regarded as a
serious academic offence that attracts a serious penalty when it is
detected.
So what’s the fuss all about?
Think about the cases below1 and their implications. We hope you
will understand why higher education institutions in the UK are
clear that plagiarism is not permissible under any circumstances:
A medical researcher falsifies the results of his new anticancer drug to make his discovery seem more important and
able to save lives
A young writer submits his ideas to a film company which
refuses to consider them. Later on a film is produced that is
based on his writing. The film company refuses to
acknowledge his work
A historian publishes a book claiming that there was never
any genocide in Rwanda. He states that he has a lot of
evidence for this and provides anonymous quotations, but
does not give any sources for this claims
A number of students on a particular programme at a
University are acquiring their essays from an Internet site for
£50 each. The university has not detected this. This has led
to a decline in the University‟s reputation for that programme
with employers as its graduates appear not to have
appropriate skills to enable them to work after graduation
A design student loses the portfolio containing all the
sketches for her final year project - many weeks and months
of work. She is devastated but works night and day to
recover her work. On the day of the show she finds out that
many of her original ideas have been used in another
student‟s work and have been awarded higher marks than
the work she produced 1
We hope you will agree that all of the above situations have
immediately serious consequences. They all affect people‟s lives
and distort perceptions of the truth. In the long term, such
dishonesty undermines everyone and stifles creativity and the
creation of new ideas.
What are the possible penalties if plagiarism is proven in a
student’s work?
We hope that students will avoid any suspicion of plagiarism in
their assessed work by using this guide carefully and by asking for
help if they are unsure.
However, if a case of plagiarism, no matter how small, is found, a
student‟s case must be considered either by an Assessment Board
(which confirms a student‟s marks) or by a specially convened
Committee of Enquiry.
Both are formal processes and follow the “Unfair Practice
Procedures” which are included in Glyndŵr‟s Academic
Regulations and apply to all study at Glyndŵr. The possible
penalties that an Assessment Board or a Committee of Enquiry
1
Thanks are due to the University of Brighton for providing these examples in their guide for students
can decide to apply to a student‟s case are set out in the
Procedure and include:
Verbal or written reprimand. NB. This is kept on file and
discussed with the student to ensure that any repeat
offence cannot then be classed as „inadvertent‟. A
second or subsequent offence will be treated more
harshly
Cancellation of the student‟s mark for all or part of the
module affected
Cancellation of the student‟s mark for all or part of the
module affected and postponement of his or her study at
Glyndŵr
Cancellation of the student‟s mark for all modules for the
particular level of study
Termination of his or her study at Glyndŵr
Professional programmes
Students on Professional Programmes should also note that many
Professional Bodies regard plagiarism as a very serious matter.
Many define it as “theft” with all the very serious consequences
that apply when a professional person is regarded as dishonest,
including the removal or refusal to register a dishonest person as a
on plagiarism and how to avoid it.
person who is recognised as being able to work as a professional.
A proven case of plagiarism could therefore prevent a student
obtaining a job in his her chosen profession such as teaching,
nursing, social work or youth and community work.
To summarise, plagiarism is a very serious matter and
students must take steps to avoid it at all times, and if in
doubt ASK before handing in your assessed work for
marking!!
How will I know if I have plagiarised or not?
In many cases, plagiarism is committed simply because the
student does not know how to reference properly. A typical piece
of research quite properly involves taking different views on a topic
from recognised authors and measuring them against each other.
The result of this exercise is to produce a synthesis, and from that
work - another view (that of the student) which draws upon the
views or ideas expressed by the other persons is written up in the
assessed work.
As long as you clearly identify these previous views and ideas as
belonging to other authors whenever they are used in your
work, no plagiarism is committed. The recommended way to
identify such views and ideas is by using the Harvard Referencing
Method (see guideline no. 78)2. You should learn how to use
Harvard and use it consistently.
2
Students should note that while Glyndŵr‟s Academic Board has asked that all students have
an understanding of the Harvard referencing system students should note that in their own
A dissertation, thesis, essay, project or any other work submitted
by you for formal assessment during the course of your study must
be produced by you alone and in your own words, except for
quotations from published and unpublished sources which shall be
clearly indicated and acknowledged. You must acknowledge all
sources, including thoughts, words, drawings, designs,
illustrations, photographs, maps, statistical data, graphs, computer
programs, information from the Internet, or any other work. Failure
to reference the use of any of these sources constitutes
plagiarism.
What should the balance be between use of my own words
and using quotations or references from other people?
Making a decision about the balance between using your own
words and acknowledging in the text where you are drawing upon
ideas or work of other people is part of your examination technique
and needs to be judged by you, and discussed with your module,
programme leader or tutor if you are unsure and need advice.
Also reading published work in books or journals will give you
some ideas about the balance between using quotations and your
own words.
As a general guide it is much better to use your own words to
show that you have read and understood the work of another
subject discipline different referencing systems may apply. Staff will advise students if this is
the case. However, if you are in any doubt PLEASE ASK a member of staff.
person and to acknowledge them in your text, than it is to use
large quotations from other people.
Ask yourself the question - what am I being assessed on? The
answer is that you are being assessed on the extent to which you
have understood the topic which you have studied and the way in
which you are able to communicate that understanding clearly to
another person and to present your own ideas and analysis of the
topic you have studied. You are not therefore likely to gain good
marks for using cut and paste from other people‟s documents
(whether or not you reference or acknowledge the authors).
How to avoid plagiarism
When taking notes from any source, remember to write down
all the bibliographic details at the time (e.g. author and / or
editor, date, page number(s), journal title, article title, book
and chapter title, publisher and place of publication). This
means you can reference it properly later on.
When making notes, separate your ideas from the ideas of
others, for example use a different coloured pen to note what
others have said, so you do not inadvertently use it without
referencing it in your final work.
Don‟t be afraid to use your own words. You are not expected
to write as professionally as the authors of the books and
journals you have read. Be confident enough to write your
own ideas in your own words. A good tip is to close the book
or journal you are using and then write your own summary.
Try not to write your own assignment based solely on your
notes from books and journals. Think of your own views and
ideas, and use references from others to back them up or
counterpoise an argument.
Plan your assignments in good time, so you are not tempted
to make shortcuts.
How can I find out more?
There are many sources of advice and guidance on plagiarism and
how to avoid it. If in any doubt ASK.
Sources available to students include:
Glyndŵr guideline 78 (attached to this Guide). This guideline
is also available in the library and on the Glyndŵr web page
(www.glyndwr.ac.uk.guidelines/guidelines.htm)
“Avoiding Plagiarism - advice for students”- by Dr Hugh S
Pyper available on the JISC Plagiarism Advisory Service at
http://online.northumbria.ac.uk/faculties/art/information
_studies/lmri/JISCPAS/docs/external/student_plagiarism_ad
vice.doc (copy attached to this Guide)
Your Student Programme Handbook
Sessions offered on preparing essays, assignments, projects
or dissertations offered by your Programme at Glyndŵr PLEASE ATTEND THESE!
78. Glyndŵr University guide to
referencing using the Harvard
method
Contents:
Audio material
BBC iPlayer
Books
British Standards
Conference papers
Corporate authors
Direct quotations
E-books
E-journals
Exhibition catalogues
FAQs
Glossary
Government publications
Help
Highlighting (citing) references in your
text
Internet sources
Journals
Legal material
Personal additions
Personal communication
References
Research reports
Secondary references
Theses and dissertations
TV programmes
Unpublished material
YouTube
Page
8
8
5
8
9
9
3
8
8
9
12
12
9
13
4
7
7
10
11
11
5
10
6
10
8
10
7&8
What is referencing?
Referencing is a way of acknowledging the published work that you have
used in your academic assignments.
Referencing is more than simply providing a list of the books that you have
used at the end of your assignment. It is a technique used within your work to
show the source of all the ideas and information that you have used. You
should provide a „flag‟ (citation) in the main body of the assignment (usually a
name and date in brackets after the information for example; (Jones, 2010)).
This should correspond to an entry in your reference list where you would give
the full reference for that flag. A flag and a corresponding reference is
required for factual information, theories and data that you provide in your
work and is also required when you discuss ideas that you have read in
published work. Any direct quotations also require referencing and also
require the addition of a page number in the flag (Jones, 2010, p.15).
Why do I need to reference?
Using references shows that you have conducted thorough research and that
your arguments are presented in the context of published work. It also shows
that you can substantiate the information and arguments that you have
presented. A well referenced piece of work will have a strong academic style
and this will be reflected in the marks that you receive. Providing references
also allows the reader to locate the source of the information for themselves.
It is also important to reference your work so that you are not accused of
plagiarism. This is where you present material as if it is your own work when
in fact it has been taken from another source without you acknowledging this.
For further information on plagiarism see the University Guide: Plagiarism and
how to avoid it: a good practice guide for students.
What do I need to reference?
The general rule to remember is that you should reference everything unless
it is „common knowledge‟. This would be something that is so well known that
is does not need a reference. For example, you would not need to reference a
statement such as „a day has 24 hours‟ or „the UK is made up of Wales,
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland‟. Therefore anything that you have
used in your work should be referenced and this would include books,
journals, newspapers, websites, television programmes etc.
How do I reference?
For a detailed description of referencing you should refer to page 4. However,
there are a number of simple principles concerning the best use of references
in academic writing.
The effective use of a reference involves more than simply citing the source.
For example,
studies by Jones (2010) confirm this argument
is far less effective than
the recent research showing that violent computer games increase
levels of aggressive behaviour (Jones, 2010) confirms the argument
that parents should restrict the amount of time their children spend
playing these games.
The first example gives no actual information about the study by Jones
whereas the second example makes it clear to the reader that you understand
the work that has been conducted and that you understand the conclusions
that can be drawn from this.
Make it clear which precise part of your discussion is attributable to ideas from
other sources. This means doing a little more than simply tagging a reference
on at the end of the paragraph. This makes it difficult for the reader to know
which are your ideas and which came from elsewhere. Try to provide
references throughout your work as in the following examples:
Wilson (2009) argued that..
The research by Jones (2008) concluded that ...
… work by Smith (2010) has largely discredited the theories originally
proposed by Jones (2008)…
The findings that …… (Evans, 2005) has since been confirmed by
Smith (2009) and Jones (2010) in their research on ….
If you use a reference at the end of a sentence, ensure that this is included
before the full stop (Jones, 2009).
How do I use direct quotations?
Use direct quotations sparingly. In general you should use your own words to
describe / explain the work of others. However, sometimes you will read
something which is worded in an exceptional or particularly memorable way
and you may feel that it is worth using the original writer‟s own words. If the
quotation is only a few words long it is acceptable to simply put this within
single inverted commas within the sentence that you are writing.
For example,
the research by Jones (2008) has been described as „the most
significant contribution to our understanding of this question‟ (Smith,
2010, p. 125).
Remember that you must also include a page number when giving a direct
quotation.
It may be that you wish to quote a longer section of text. In most subjects it
would be inappropriate to use too many quotations or to use lengthy
quotations (you should check your departmental guidelines for further
information on this). As a general rule, avoid quoting anything more than three
or four lines long and no more than 5% of the total word count should be
made up of direct quotations. If you are using a longer quote you should
indent this as a new paragraph, single space the lines and reduce the font
size. It is not necessary to use inverted commas.
For example; Pears and Shields (2008) argue that;
When you paraphrase, you express someone else‟s writing in your own words,
usually to achieve greater clarity. This is an alternative way of referring to an
author‟s ideas or arguments without using direct quotations from their text. Used
properly, it has the added benefit of fitting more neatly into your own style of
writing and allows you to demonstrate that you really do understand what the
author is saying. (p.16)
Using the Harvard method
The Harvard, or “Name and Date”, method of referencing is one of the most
commonly used. There are two aspects to the system. Firstly, a „flag‟
(citation) is entered, in brackets, in the body of your text at the point at which
you make use of another writer‟s work. Secondly, a list, entitled “References”,
is provided at the end of your work in which fuller details of all the references
you have flagged in your text are presented alphabetically. The purpose of
this method is to ensure that the main body of your text is not cluttered up with
large amounts of bibliographic information, which the reader might find
intrusive. The flags themselves contain the minimum amount of information
possible – just sufficient to locate the reference in your list.
Please note
While Glyndŵr‟s Academic Board has asked that all students have an
understanding of the Harvard referencing system, students should note that in
their own subject discipline (e.g. Psychology and Humanities) different
referencing systems may apply. Staff will advise students if this is the case.
However, if in doubt PLEASE ASK a member of staff.
Highlighting (citing) references in your text
You need to identify references by citing them in the text. The citation is
usually presented in the following form: a set of brackets containing the
surname of the author to whom you are referring followed by the year of
publication of the source document. For example:
The original conclusions (Fill, 2009) have now been questioned (Lee,
2009)
If the author‟s name appears naturally in the text, add only the date in
brackets. For example:
The original conclusions have now been questioned by both Lee
(2009) and Fill (2009).
Where there are 2 authors, both should appear in brackets. For example:
A more recent study (Pooke and Newall, 2007) disproved the earlier
findings.
If there are 3 or more authors, only the first should appear, followed by the
term “et al.” (A shortened form of the Latin for “and others”). Please note that
the words “et al” should appear in italics. For example:
In a recent report, Kotler et al. (2008) have* suggested yet another
solution.
(* note the use of the plural for „Kotler et al.‟)
When an author has published more than one work in the same year, the
works should be identified with lower case letters (a, b, c, etc. – in the order
used) after the date. For example:
Further studies (Smith, 2009b) agreed with the initial findings (Smith, 2009a).
References
Your list of references appears alphabetically by author at the end of your
document. The information provided for each (known as “a bibliographic
citation”) must comply with a strict set of requirements that would enable any
of your readers precisely to locate the source items to which you refer. The
format of the citation varies slightly according to the type of material it relates
to. You should note that the punctuation used and the emphasis given to
sections of the typeface is of great importance. For instance, at Glyndŵr
University the use of italics, where specified, is essential because it
conventionally serves to identify the type of source material (e.g. book or
journal). One point to note is that bibliographic citations in the reference list
include the names of all authors of a source, no matter how many; the term „et
al.‟ is not used.
Books:
Each author‟s surname and initial(s). (the year of publication in brackets), the
title of the book in italics. the edition, if more than the first. The place of
publication: the publisher‟s name.
For example:
Fill, C. (2009), Marketing Communications: Interactivity, Communities and
Content. London: Prentice Hall.
Pooke, G. and Newell, D. (2007), Art History the Basics. London: Routledge.
Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Wong, V. and Saunders, J. (2008), Principles of
Marketing. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
For different works by the same author place in chronological order, with the
oldest book first.
For different works by the same author in the same year, the lower case
letters used in the flags are included
Bowen, M. and Costello, P.J.M. (1996a), Deadly Habits? Cambridge:
Independence Educational Publishers.
Bowen, M. and Costello, P.J.M. (1996b), The Rights of the Child. Cambridge:
Independence Educational Publishers.
Bowen, M. and Costello, P.J.M. (1996c), Issues in Personal Social and Moral
Education: Teachers’ Handbook. Cambridge: Independence Educational
Publishers.
Please note these are books that you have actually read and are not
secondary references. For more information on secondary references, please
see the section below.
For edited books, cite under the editor‟s or editors‟ names and include the
term (ed. or eds.)
For example:
Lloyd, M. and Murphy, P. (eds.) (2008), Essential Study Skills for Health and
Social Care. Exeter: Reflect Press.
If you are directly quoting an author who has contributed to an edited book,
cite the name of the chapter (in single inverted commas) written by that
author, then, following the word „in‟ cite the bibliographic details of the source
book.
For example:
Jeorrett, P. (2008), „Presentations and Public Speaking‟ in Lloyd, M. and
Murphy, P. (eds.), Essential Study Skills for Health and Social Care. Exeter:
Reflect Press. pp. 93-105.
Secondary references:
Wherever possible, you should quote from original sources. If this is not
possible, use the term “cited by...” followed by the reference for the work in
which it is quoted in the text, this would look like:
Stubley, (2002, cited by Stokes and Martin, 2008)
.
In the reference list this would be shown as:
Stokes, P. and Martin, L. (2008), „Reading lists: a study of tutor and student
perceptions, expectations and realities‟, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 33,
No. 2, pp.113-124.
Journals:
Each author‟s name and initial(s), (the year of publication in brackets),‟the
title of article in single inverted commas‟, the title of journal, in italics, issue
information (the volume number, and part number, or month or season of an
issue where appropriate), the number of the first and last pages of the article.
For example:
Oddner, F. (2010), „The character of sport and the sport of character‟, Sport in
Society, Vol.13, No.2, pp.171-185
(NOTE the distinguishing difference between the format of citations for books
and for journals. With the former, it is the name of the book that appears in
italics; with journals, it is the title of the journal)
Internet sources:
Credible Internet sources follow the general rules for Harvard referencing by
citing the author(s), the date, the title, a web-site address, AND enough
information to locate the publisher of the site so that you might be able to
obtain a hard copy. You must also note the date you accessed the site.
For example:
The Chartered Institute for IT, (2010), Universal broadband needs to arrive
sooner for UK economy, says CMA.
http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.34391 . [Electronically
accessed 26th February, 2010.]
If two websites are referenced that have the same year, place in chronological
order, with the oldest reference first.
For example:
YouTube
Walt Disney Pictures (2010a), Alice in wonderland official trailer. Burton, T.
Available from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMkNrX60mA . .
[Electronically accessed 26th February, 2010.]
YouTube
Walt Disney Pictures (2010b), Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Bruckheimer, J. and
Turteltaube, J. Available from YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZIUUX8XThk [Electronically accessed
26th February, 2010.]
E-book
Costello, J. and Haggart, M. (eds.) (2003), Public health and society.
Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan Ltd. Available from:
http://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/direct/SearchResults,butto
ns.eBookView.sdirect?sp=S9781444302585 [Electronically accessed 26th
February, 2010.]
BBC iPlayer/T.V. Programme
Cox, B. (2010), Wonders of the Solar System: 1.Empire of the Sun (2010)
BBC2, 10 March 2010. Available from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rf172/Wonders_of_the_Solar_Syste
m_Empire_of_the_Sun/ [Electronically accessed 12th March, 2010.]
Ejournals:
Reference as a journal, adding the date the article was electronically
accessed in square brackets.
Audio material:
For audio materials, include the author or composer, title, [format], date and
publisher.
For example, an audio CD:
Fron Male Voice Choir, (2009), Voices Of The Valley: Memory Lane. [CD]
London: Decca
TV programmes:
For programmes viewed on television the following format should be used:
Presenter. (year of production), Title in italics. name of channel, date of
transmission.
For example:
Cox, B. (2010), Wonders of the Solar System: 1.Empire of the Sun. BBC2, 10
March, 2010.
British Standards:
The citation should include the following details: the words British Standards
Institution (the date of publication), British Standard number: year, the title and
subtitle in italics, the place of publication: the name of publisher using the
abbreviation “BSI”.
For example:
British Standards Institution (2009), BS EN 15381: 2008, Geotextiles and
geotextile-related products. Characteristics required for use in pavements
and asphalt overlays. Milton Keynes: BSI.
Conference papers:
As a general rule, list as much information as possible, including dates and
the body responsible for publication. The author (presenter) of the paper, the
year of publication in round brackets, the title of the paper in single quotation
marks. [The title of the conference in italics, the location and date of
conference]. Place of publication: publisher.
For example:
Watkinson, N. (2009), „Virtual (electronic) learning in the workplace:
facilitating evidence based practice‟. [Paper presented to the Modern Mentors
and Practice Teachers in Health and Social Care Conference held at Glyndŵr
University 5th June 2009]. Wrexham: Glyndŵr University.
Corporate authors:
Works of corporate authorship are works produced by national bodies,
groups, government departments, committees, etc. Such publications are
often casually referred to by the name of the chairperson but this name should
not be used as the author. However, you can give the name of the
chairperson in brackets after the title.
For example:
The Code. Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and
midwives, (2009), London: Nursing & Midwifery Council.
Exhibition catalogues:
Where there is no author, use the Gallery or Museum.
For example:
Ruthin Craft Centre (2006), Collecting Contemporary Ceramics [exhibition
catalogue]. Ruthin: Ruthin Craft Centre.
Government publications:
These are usually of corporate authorship and should be listed according to
the department responsible for publication. However, the citation should
always commence with the words “Great Britain”.
For example:
Great Britain, Department for Health and Home Office (2003), Laming, W. The
Victoria Climbie Inquiry, Inquiry by Lord Laming
Research reports:
A research report is a written account of recent research which has been
undertaken. If possible it is important to include the subtitle and series
information. You should include the following information: Author‟s name (date
of publication), title and subtitle in italics, research report number, place of
publication: publisher.
For example:
Health and Safety Executive (2010), Improving health and safety. An analysis
of HSE’s risk communication in the 21st Century. RR785, London: Kings
College.
Legal material:
Higher Education Act 2004. (c.8), London: HMSO
Video Recordings Act 2010. (c.1) London: HMSO
Theses and dissertations:
Author‟s name (year of submission), title and subtitle type of document in
italics, e.g. Ph.D. thesis, degree dissertation, place of publication if not clear
from the institution name (e.g. Bristol: University of the West of England),
awarding institution.
For example:
Costello, PJ.M. (1990), Against unjustifiable indoctrination: philosophy in the
primary school. Ph.D. thesis, Hull: University of Hull.
Unpublished material:
You may refer to items which you found useful, but which are not officially
published, for example pamphlets, internal working papers. They should be
referenced in the same way.
For example:
Butters, C. (2009), Academic writing, unpublished report, Wrexham: Glyndŵr
University.
Personal communication:
You may even wish to reference a useful interview or conversation you have
conducted.
For example:
Roberts, A. (2009). Conversation with Smith, J. 23rd March 2009.
Personal additions:
Sometimes you may wish to append personal notes to a citation or to a
bibliographic entry in your reference list. This is often best done by using
square brackets.
For example:
[paper presented to a conference held at the Catrin Finch Centre 8th January
2010.]
How can I develop good referencing skills?
Keep a note of everything you consult when writing an assignment. You
can use a card index box, a small notebook or folder on your computer.
Some people use RefWorks, which is a web-based reference manager
that allows you to create your own reference list and personal database
from online databases and other sources. You can use these references in
writing assignments and format your reference list automatically. You can
access this via the Athens system. For more information ask a member of
the library staff.
Always note down the details you will need to reference any source before
you begin to make notes from it (including page numbers).
If you photocopy a page from a book or a journal article remember to write
the reference details on the photocopy ready for when you write your
references.
Don‟t forget to reference diagrams, images, tables, graphs etc.
Paraphrase what you have read to demonstrate your understanding.
Remember that even if you have put ideas into your own words you still
need to acknowledge your source.
Read journals and text books. Become familiar with how references look.
Use information from reputable sources. Some websites provide opinion
rather than peer-reviewed research. If in doubt ask your lecturer if an
online source is well regarded within your area of study.
Do not gather all the research for your assignment from one source (e.g.
the internet). Use a variety of sources in your work. This could include
books, journal articles, internet sources, Government reports, manuals,
guidelines from professional bodies etc.
FAQs
What do I do if there is no author?
First consider whether the source is reputable – why has nobody put their
name to this information? If your source is an internet website and there is no
author then the organisation which is responsible for the website is
considered to be the author (e.g. the Department of Health, Glyndŵr
University, the BBC).
There is no date – what do I do?
You need to think carefully about whether to use undated sources (how can
you be sure the information is accurate?). It may be better to carry on
researching until you find current data. However, if there is no choice then to
make sure that your reader does not conclude that you have simply forgotten
to date your source you need to write “no date” e.g. (Jones, no date).
How many references should I use? How old should they be?
There are no definitive answers to these questions as requirements will vary
according to the subject you are studying and the type of assignment you are
writing. Seek guidance from your lecturer.
What is the difference between a reference list and a
bibliography?
A reference list contains details of all the sources you have cited in your
assignment. A bibliography is a list of other sources you have consulted or
have found helpful but which you have not cited in your work. These may be
sources which may be of additional interest to your reader if they wish to read
more on the topic you have written about. Beware: sometimes people use the
terms reference list and bibliography interchangeably. Check with your
lecturer exactly what is required in your assignment.
Do I need to reference lecture notes?
Not as a general rule. Your lecturer will already be aware of this information
and will expect you to use it to seek out additional research.
GLOSSARY
Flag: the citation in your work e.g. (Jones, 2009)
Citation: the reference for your source
Reference list: the alphabetical list at the end of your work in which all your
sources are cited
Bibliography: A separate alphabetical list at the end of your work containing
sources of information which you have not cited in your work but which are
useful works providing additional reading on the topic you are writing about.
HELP!
You can find additional help here:
The Glyndŵr University online study guides which you can find at:
http://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/Studentsupportservices/en/Studysupport/Onlines
tudyguides
Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2008), Cite them right. Newcastle upon
Tyne: Pear Tree Books
Your lecturers or the library staff will be able to help. If in doubt, ASK!
Contact your Study Skills Lecturers or email
[email protected] for further information.
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM, ADVICE FOR STUDENTS, DR HUGH S PYPER
Academic Integrity
Every piece of written coursework submitted to the department must be
accompanied by a Declaration of Academic Integrity which you sign, affirming
that the work is your own and does not contain material from unacknowledged
sources. Work submitted without the Declaration will not be marked until the
Declaration is supplied and in the meantime may incur late submission
penalties.
Signing this declaration falsely is regarded as a very serious offence and
students who are found guilty of it are subject to severe penalties. The
university can refuse to award a degree if a student is shown to have made a
false declaration with intent to deceive. It is vital, therefore, that you are clear
what you are committed to when you sign this document. Any breach of that
declaration lays you open to a charge of plagiarism.
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is simply theft. It is taking the words, ideas and labour of other
people and giving the impression that they are your own. This applies to even
a single phrase or a sentence, not just to the work as a whole. They may be
taken from authors you have read or from a fellow student. If this is done with
the deliberate intention to deceive your reader, it clearly deserves severe
punishment.
Sadly, however, it is possible for students unwittingly to lay themselves open
to a charge of plagiarism through carelessness or ignorance. The process of
investigating such a charge is time-consuming and unpleasant for everyone
concerned. For everyone‟s sake, you should take every care not only to avoid
plagiarism but also to avoid giving your reader any reason to suspect it in your
work
Whatever the intention, it is still wrong for anyone to be given credit for a
piece of work which is not theirs. If it is not clear to the reader what your
original work is and what you have derived from somewhere else, how is a
marker to know what deserves credit? Marks will inevitably be lost, even if
nothing more serious is amiss, because it is your business as the writer to
make the distinction clear for your reader.
How do I avoid a charge of plagiarism?
The first thing to say is ‘If in doubt, ASK!’ Your Personal Tutor, Year Tutor
or Module Tutor can give you advice. However, common sense will help you
avoid most of the problems.
The main thing to do is to provide full and meticulous references to any
material that you draw on in your essay. References should enable the
reader to turn straight to the passage you are referring to or quoting in the
same edition of the book or article that you read. This is why it is important
to include full details of publisher, place of publication and date and any other
information that pinpoints the particular edition. Different editions of the same
book may vary in page numbers, for instance, so your reader will not find the
passage on the page you cite.
By putting in full references you are enabling your reader to check the
quotation and its context to see if you have reproduced and interpreted it
correctly. It also alerts them to other material that might be interesting for
them to read if they wish to follow up the topic for themselves. The
department issues a style guide on referencing and footnotes which gives you
models to follow. Make sure you have a copy and make use of it.
It is not enough just to provide a general reference to a book in a bibliography,
however. You need to be specific about which passages you have used
where in your essay. If references are inaccurate or incomplete or missing,
then, whether you mean to deceive or not, your work by definition contains
material from „unacknowledged sources‟. For instance, if you fail to provide a
bibliography, you are either implying that you made the essay up entirely out
of your own head, or else the essay must be based on unacknowledged
sources. A source which cannot be traced because of inadequate
references is in effect ‘unacknowledged’. If you have attached the
department‟s declaration of academic integrity to a piece of work with
inadequate references, you are lying.
Failure to provide accurate references must also raise the question as to
whether you have something to hide from your reader. What would they find
if they did go back to the source?
POSSIBLE PITFALLS
There are some particular areas in referencing which can be genuinely
confused. Remember, the basic principle is that you must make it clear to
your reader what is your work and what is someone else‟s.
Quotations
Quite simply, if you use sentences, phrases, or even distinctive words from a
source, you must place them in quotation marks and give a reference to the
page from which the words come. If in doubt, follow this rule and you
can’t go wrong, at least in regard to plagiarism (but see below).
NB: If your reader can go back to the source and find word-for-word
correspondence between what you write and what the source writes,
you are not covered from a charge of plagiarism by the fact that you put
a general reference to a book or even to the particular passage. Such
‘hidden’ quotations are not acceptable. They must be marked as
quotations in the text.
Summaries
Often, however, you do not need to or want to quote a long passage from a
book to put across the main point. Indeed, an essay which is just a string of
quotations may be covered from plagiarism in the strictest sense if it is
properly referenced, but it won‟t get many marks! Showing you can copy
quotations doesn‟t give a reader much indication of what your take on the
subject is, and doesn‟t show that you are capable of getting the gist of a
passage and communicating economically its important and relevant points.
It is quite legitimate to summarise what a writer has said. You need to provide
your reader with the information she needs to check whether your summary is
accurate, however. It is also absolutely essential to make it clear where
you are summarising someone else’s work and when you move on to
your own assessment or development of what they have written.
This is a particularly difficult but important area. It is not enough just to use
footnotes and references, though these are essential. You should be
scrupulous in using phrases such as
According to Smith, …
Jones argues …
Put in summary form, Black‟s thesis is …
and then signal clearly that you are moving on with phrases such as
The conclusion we can draw from this is…
This argument seems flawed in two ways…
Black‟s opinion needs to be balanced with that of Green, who claims
that …
In the above examples, there should be a footnote or reference beside each
name, so the reader can check back for the source of your summary.
NB Summaries must be in your own words. Any sentences, phrases or
distinctive words which you take from the source must be put in
quotation marks. This is one of the most common mistakes students make
and the point cannot be repeated often enough. You are not covered from a
suspicion of plagiarism simply by giving a general reference. Nor is it
enough simply to change the odd word here or there while basically copying
what your source says. Picking out sentences and then stringing them
together is also not acceptable. The summary must be in your own words, or
else in quotation marks. A good tip is to close the book as you write up the
summary. If in doubt, quote, but remember that you can‟t get any credit for
the contents of a quotation! One of the most important skills which an essay
is assessing is your ability to communicate succinctly the important and
relevant point you have gained from your reading.
You should also remember that what you will get most marks for in an essay is
not your summary, but what you do with it: how you build on or critique the
material you are using. An essay which just consists of summaries of other
people‟s work with no evaluation or attempt to come to a conclusion, however
well written or referenced, will not gain high marks. The more you can show
an original approach, the less likely it will be that any suspicion of plagiarism
will arise.
SECOND -LEVEL SOURCES
Experience shows that students find particular problems in dealing with what
could be called „second-level‟ sources as opposed to „first-level‟ sources. The
distinction is simple. If you quote directly from an author‟s own work, you are
using a first-level source. However, if you quote what someone else says that
the author says, whether by quoting the author or summarising their work, you
are using a second-level source.
You need to be most careful not to give the reader the impression that
you have done the work that was really done by the writer of the secondlevel source.
Quoting quotations
A common problem arises because, almost inevitably, the books you read for
an essay will themselves contain quotations from other books, often the most
relevant and useful quotations for the topic. You must be careful here,
because you should not give the reader the impression that you have read
books that you haven‟t! You did not do the work of finding the quotation, so
you should not claim you did. If you simply quote the words you find, you are
not acknowledging the source from which you got the words, which is actually
the book you are reading, and so are in danger of breaching the declaration of
academic integrity. In fact, the best advice is probably not to quote at one
remove.
If you do decide it‟s necessary the first rule is check the quotation.
Researchers in the humanities spend a lot of time on doing just this. How do
you know that the book you are reading has quoted accurately or given the
proper reference? Misprints and other accidents may occur. The quotation
may actually have been taken out of context and when you read the whole
passage, you may decide the writer in whose work you found the quotation
has misrepresented the source.
You need to go back to the original source of the quotation to check the
reference. If it is a quotation from a classic work that exists in many editions
and/or translations, you may decide that checking its accuracy from a different
edition is enough, but then you should quote and refer to the source you used
to check it as you cannot vouch for the accuracy of the reference in the
second-level source.
If you cannot check the quotation, either because the original source is not
available or because time will not permit, you must give a reference both to
the source of the quotation and to the place where it is quoted e.g.
Jeremy Fisher The Crimes of Peter Rabbit (Oxford, Oxford University
Press, 1987) p. 45, quoted in Jemima Puddleduck „Peter Rabbit
Vindicated‟ Journal of Beatrix Potter Studies 2 (1999) pp. 2-12; p. 5.
{Note: this is a made-up example for this purpose – which is not any
kind of excuse for you inventing references in your assessed work!)
Referring to both sources is best practice in any case.
Quoting Summaries
Another common problem for a reader of essays is to find that a student
suddenly seems to have become an expert on obscure 19 th Century
commentaries on the book of Job, for instance. In the middle of a not very
good essay, there may be a long list of arguments along the lines of
„Whereas Eisberg saw Job as a comedy, Schmidt and Schleswig-Holstein
emphasis the tragic aspects.‟
It is usually fairly obvious that the student hasn‟t actually read what any of
these people say, particularly when the books are out of print and in a foreign
language. The same thing can happen with contemporary English authors,
however. The list of authors and opinions is not the student‟s own work; it
comes from some second-level source.
Here again, it is not enough to put the second-level source in a bibliography,
or even to footnote a reference to the page. You need to do these, but you
also need to put a phrase in the text like „According to Brown, …‟. This both
acknowledges that Brown did the work, but also to some extent protects you if
Brown got it all wrong!
WORKING WITH ANOTHER STUDENT
It hardly needs saying that copying another student‟s work and passing it off
as your own is unacceptable, with or without their consent. Trying to gain
credit for essays available on the internet or from other sources is also clearly
unacceptable.
A more difficult case arises when two students have worked together or have
shared books, so that the reader notices similar quotations, arguments or
overall structures between the two essays and the question arises whether
these are parallels, or whether one student has depended on another. In
such cases, if the matter cannot be resolved, the mark may be halved and
shared between the students. It is in both your interests, then, to make sure
that your work can be seen to be independent.
There can also be a problem if there are a limited number of books available
for a large class and similar quotations and bibliographies appear. In such
cases, it is doubly important to show not only that you can quote material, but
that you are capable of summarising it and structuring your essay
independently. Note the warnings under summaries above.
IN CONCLUSION
Though plagiarism is a serious offence, if you are clear, careful and honest
there should be no problem. Don‟t let the fear of plagiarism keep you from
using to the full the amazing resources in other people‟s writings. Learning
how to make proper and responsible use of other people‟s work in developing
your own understanding of a subject is the heart of academic life. Reading
good scholarly work should also give you useful examples and models of
good practice and you should actively look out for ways in which these may
help you improve your own writing.
A final word: If in doubt, ASK!
HSP 16/06/00