Citation Help and Avoiding Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

As described in the CSB and SJU Academic Catalog, plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty involving "the act of using ideas, words, or work from another source (including content creating tools) and presenting it as one's own without giving credit to the source creator(s)." Sources that are "works of original expression" and that you should cite can include books, articles, poetry, newspapers, speeches, movies, videos clips, protected pieces of art, illustrations, musical compositions, and a variety of online content.

Plagiarism can be intentional (when you knowingly try to pass off someone's else's work as your own) or unintentional (when you accidentally plagiarize, often because you are unsure of when or how things need to be cited). You can face negative consequences in college for plagiarism, even if the plagiarism was unintentional. So make sure you understand your instructors' expectations. (Is there a particular citation style you should use in their class? What is their stance on student use of generative AI?) Hopefully plagiarism will never be an issue for you, but your instructor or a librarian can help you understand how to avoid plagiarism or, if needed, what you can do differently to avoid plagiarizing in the future. 

Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding plagiarism is easy - just give credit to others' ideas by citing everything you use! As a developing scholar, practice taking accurate and detailed notes when you are gathering information on your topic and incorporating this information into your assignment. Some tips for your notetaking include

• making a "working bibliography" or list of the sources you have found so far in your search for information
• indicating an author's exact words by using quotation marks around them (so it's easy for you to tell when something is a direct quotation)
• carefully citing each author and source in the text of your paper.  Each reference in the text of your research paper should link to a full citation in the Works Cited list at the end of the research paper.

A Note on ChatGPT and Generative AI

If you plan to use ChatGPT or similar on an assignment, check with your instructor first about their expectations! GenAI technology has only recently become widely available, and even though it's increasingly built into software and search tools that we regularly use, there's still a lot of debate in higher education around when, how, and to what extent it's appropriate for students to use GenAI tools in their coursework. CSB and SJU don't have a one-size-fits-all GenAI policy, so please be mindful that some instructors are fine with students using GenAI tools, others are only comfortable with students using it in specific ways or for specific assignments, and some consider any use of these tools an act of academic dishonesty. If you're given an okay to use a tool like ChatGPT, ask your instructor for specific guidelines around citing the tool, including your specific prompts, or otherwise acknowledging its use, too.

READ THE SOURCE IN ITS ENTIRETY

• It's easy to take something out of context if you only read a portion of it! If you read the entire source, you should have a better feel of the author's meaning.

TAKE DETAILED NOTES AS YOU READ

• Anytime you note something word-for-word, immediately place it in quotation marks. Also note what page or section you found it on.
• On each page, make sure you note the original source and the date you accessed the source. This will make citation much easier, especially if you are working with multiple sources or doing research over a long stretch of time.
• Try not to mix your own thoughts and commentary with excerpts from your source. Keep them on separate pages, draw two columns on your page, or switch your pen color.
• If you find it difficult to take notes with electronic sources - or if you find yourself drawn to the copy-paste method - print out your sources and deal with them in print form.

RETURN TO YOUR NOTES LATER

• In order to do this, you must not procrastinate on your projects. If you don't have sufficient time, you won't do your best work, and it may lead you to make poor decisions when including your sources. Remember, if you get caught plagiarizing, the situation or your intentions won't be an excuse. Build in time to synthesize and properly work in your sources.
• Identify which sources are best for inclusion. Understand when you have to cite. Then decide whether you should directly quote, summarize, or paraphrase. If you are directly quoting, double-check your notes against the source for accuracy. If you are summarizing or paraphrasing:
  • Make sure the source is fresh in your mind, but not right in front of you. If you see the original text, you are more likely to want to use their terms and sentence structure.
  • Check your writing against the original. Remember, you should have changed the sentence structure and the language but the meaning of the source should still be the same. Any language that is unique to the source should be placed in quotation marks or removed. You may find it necessary to do several edits.

CONSULT WITH THE EXPERTS

• Reach out to the experts in The Writing Center, your librarian or faculty. 

Librarians are here to help you “learn the skills of scholarship and the expectations of academic honesty” (“Academic Misconduct,” CSB and SJU Academic Catalog).

• Contact a librarian
• Make an appointment with a Writing Center tutor