1. Avoiding Plagiarism
Safe Practices for
Academic Writing

2. What is Plagiarism?
• “The unauthorized use or close
imitation of the language and
thoughts of another author and the
representation of them as one's own
original work.”
- "plagiarism." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
Dictionary.com. Web. 16 Jun. 2010.

3. ASU’s Academic Integrity Code States:
• Students attending Appalachian State University
agree to abide by the following Code:
▫ Students will not lie, cheat, or steal to gain academic
advantage.
▫ Students will oppose every instance of academic
dishonesty.
• Code Violations include:
▫ Lying
▫ Plagiarism
▫ Unauthorized Assistance
▫ Stealing of Academic Materials
▫ Multiple Submissions without an Instructor’s Consent
▫ Assisting Code Violations
 (ASU’s Academic Integrity Code pp. 44-45)

4. ASU Takes Plagiarism Seriously
(as do I).
• Faculty and Student may agree to:
▫ A reduced grade on the assignment.
▫ A reduced grade for the course.
▫ A grade of F on the assignment.
▫ A grade of F for the course.
▫ Faculty members may require a student found in-
violation of the Academic Integrity Code to attend
a workshop on academic integrity.

5. Worse-Case Scenario:
• The Review Board may impose upon the
student:
▫ Probation.
▫ Disciplinary suspension.
▫ Expulsion.
▫ Special programs.
 (ASU’s Academic Integrity Code pp. 45-46)

6. What Constitutes Plagiarism?
 Buying, stealing, borrowing, or
copying an entire paper from the
internet or other source
 Hiring someone to write your
paper for you
 “Cutting and pasting” large
portions of text without using
quotation marks or citing the source
 Paraphrasing too closely or
changing only a few words in a
passage
- Cartoon. Pyrczak Publishing, 2001. Robert A. Harris. The Plagiarism
 Using someone else’s idea without
Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with
Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing, 2002. AntiPlagairism.com. 6
giving proper credit, even if you
Mar, 2002. Web. 16 June, 2010.
develop your own idea from his

7. How do I Avoid Plagiarism?
• The key to avoiding plagiarism is to be certain
that you give credit where credit is due. This
includes the use of someone else’s
words, ideas, pictures, data, statistics, and
research.
- Gold Skeleton Key Clipart. clipartof.com. nd. Web.
16 June, 2010.

8. What Should be Cited?
• Words or ideas presented in any
medium, including
magazines, books, newspapers, songs, TV
programs, movies, Web pages, computer
programs, letters, advertisements, etc.
• Information you gain through interviewing
or conversing with another person, face to
face, over the phone, or in writing
• When you copy the exact words or a unique
phrase, reprint any
diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or
other visual materials
• When you reuse or repost any
electronically-available media, including
images, audio, video, or other media
- Stolley, Karl and Allen Brizee. “Is It Plagiarism Yet?”
- “Frustrated.” Cartoon. Healeylibrary. wikispaces.com. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University. 21 Apr.
nd. Web. 16 June, 2010. 2010. Web. 16 June, 2010.

9. What Should NOT be Cited?
• Writing about your own ideas, personal
experiences, and conclusions about a topic
• When you are writing up your own results
obtained through lab or field experiments
• When you use your own artwork, digital
photographs, video, audio
• When you are using "common knowledge," things
like folklore, common sense
observations, myths, urban legends, and historical
events. Generally speaking, you can regard
something as common knowledge if you find the
same information undocumented in at least five - Icon. ICONS etc.
credible sources. mysitemyway.com. nd. Web.
16 June, 2010.
• When you are using generally-accepted
facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment
- Stolley, Karl and Allen Brizee. “Is It Plagiarism Yet?” Purdue Online Writing
Lab. Purdue University. 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 June, 2010.

10. What should I do if I am unsure?
• When in doubt, ask your instructor or consult a
reputable website like these:
▫ The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/
▫ The Writing Center at ASU
http://writingcenter.appstate.edu/

11. Any questions?
• Write on…
- Wise, Diane. Illustration. Wordpress.com. nd. Web. 16
June, 2010.

12. Works Cited
“Academic Integrity Code” ASU Student Handbook. Pp. 44-46.
Cartoon. Pyrczak Publishing, 2001. Robert A. Harris. The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for
Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing, 2002.
AntiPlagairism.com. 6 Mar, 2002. Web. 16 June, 2010.
“Frustrated.” Cartoon. Healeylibrary. wikispaces.com. nd. Web. 16 June, 2010.
Gold Skeleton Key Clipart. clipartof.com. nd. Web. 16 June, 2010.
Icon. ICONS etc. mysitemyway.com. nd. Web. 16 June, 2010.
"plagiarism." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Dictionary.com. Web. 16 Jun. 2010.
Stolley, Karl and Allen Brizee. “Is It Plagiarism Yet?” Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue
University. 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 June, 2010.
The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University. Purdue University. 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 16
June, 2010.
The Writing Center. Appalachian State University. Web. 20 May, 2012.
Wise, Diane. Illustration. Wordpress.com. nd. Web. 16 June, 2010.