University of Ottawa

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Integrity in Writing:
Avoiding Plagiarism

Academic Writing Help Centre

Student Academic Success Service
 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY T HE C ORRECT USES OF SOURCE MATERIAL
Academic integrity is respect for the intellectual The rights of intellectual property must be respected There are three different methods of using source material:
community in which you are participating as a student by properly acknowledging the original author’s
and the standards governing it. This means that you ownership of any words, phrases and ideas that are
are accountable for the honesty and the quality of the used in academic writing. 1. Quoting
work that you submit. • The purpose of quoting is to support your own argument. Important:
• Take the exact words of an author and place them between • Be accurate in transcribing the original; there
quotation marks. is no reason for mistakes appearing in quotes.
PLAGIARISM • Quoting is different from paraphrasing or summarizing • Use quotes sparingly.
Plagiarism in writing is the incorrect use of source Writing a paper is not only a matter of gathering because it uses only the words of the original author.
material. Whether it is intentional or not, failing to and presenting information, it is an exercise in
give credit for words, ideas or concepts that you comprehension and critical analysis. 2. Summarizing
get from any source, including your own previously Sanctions for committing plagiarism include a • The purpose is simply to give a brief account of what an author Important:
submitted work, is plagiarism. says, without going into the specific details or examples. • Remain true to the original author’s intent.
failing grade for the work concerned or in the
• Condense the meaning of a larger text into a more • Use only what is most important or relevant from
Avoiding plagiarism requires learning two skills: class concerned; a loss of credits for the year or
concise format, using your own words. the text.
a) using source material correctly and an additional requirement of 3 to 30 credits; suspension • When summarizing, follow the same order of ideas as • Put any of the author’s key terms in “quotation
b) referencing that material. or expulsion from your faculty; or revocation of your the original. marks” or italics to show that they are not your own.
degree.
Any information that you take from another source
must be properly referenced, whether it is from a As a student, it is your responsibility to know and 3. Paraphrasing
understand the University’s policies on academic • The purpose is to reword what an author says in order Important:
book, a journal, a movie, a friend, or from class notes
to support your own argument. • Be selective. Use only what you need for your
or lectures. fraud. The rules apply whether the offence is
• Condense material into a concise format, using your own words. own purposes.
intentional or not.
• Use your own style without changing the meaning of the • Put any of the author’s key terms in “quotation
original text. marks” or italics to show that they are not your own.
“I didn’t know” will not
be accepted as an excuse.

PLAGIARISM COMES IN MANY FORMS: THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES TO LEARNING R EFERENCING SOURCE MATERIAL
• Using an author’s words or ideas without proper reference HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM:
Always introduce the material with a leading then consult the Academic Writing Help Centre’s
• Failing to put quotation marks around words taken from • Acquiring the ability to construct a paper and integrate
phrase (e.g. In a recent article, Smith says…) and documents on referencing (APA, MLA and CM style) or
a source sources properly
provide the reference information in the text their resources on other referencing styles.
• Doing work for someone else, or having someone • Developing critical thinking skills
and in the Bibliography, Works Cited or References list.
do it for you • Taking ownership of your own ideas by making a clear N.B. All images, statistics, charts and tables,
• Unauthorized collaboration distinction between others’ ideas and your own analysis The style of presentation of the reference information including their format, cannot be used without
• Falsifying or inventing information or data • Creating a good impression of yourself as a writer often varies by faculty, program and professor. Ask proper reference. The same is frequently true for
• “Cutting and pasting” from the Internet • Preventing unintentional academic fraud your professor which style you should be using, software and specific computer codes.

www.sass.uOttawa.ca Integrity in Writing: Avoiding Plagiarism

 S OURCES THAT DO NOT HAVE TO BE REFERENCED
Your own ideas do not have to be referenced. Common knowledge does not have to be referenced.
Anything that you conclude from your research or If the information meets the following criteria, it can
that you think up on your own counts as your own usually be considered common knowledge:
idea. • It appears in several sources without reference.
The exception to this is work that you have previously • It is not controversial. This means that the
submitted. This must be referenced like any information is generally considered as fact.
other source. • It takes up only a minor part of your paper. If it is
part of your thesis or main arguments, or it is the
If your idea is similar to another author’s, make it clear
in your writing that you thought of this idea on your basis of your research, it must be referenced.
own, but you later discovered it in another source (e.g. If you have any doubts as to whether the information
Similar conclusions are found in…). constitutes common knowledge, cite the source or
consult your professor.

COLLABORATIVE W ORK
There are two types of collaborative work, and each 2) Unauthorized Group Work: in which students
has its own difficulties regarding plagiarism. work together on a project without the
permission of the professor. Sharing data and
1) Authorized Group Work: in which the professor
copying another’s work, even a small section, are
assigns more than one person to complete a
considered plagiarism. Each student involved may
project as a team. Each member of the team is
be sanctioned.
equally accountable for the final product. If one
of your partners commits plagiarism, you are
responsible and you may be sanctioned equally.

I MPORTANT C ONSIDERATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

As your level of study increases, the importance of acceptable and what is not. Ask your professor or
being responsible for your work and the information supervisor what level of editing is allowed.
you use in it, including the sources of that information,
also increases. This issue becomes especially crucial in 2) Working collaboratively with a professor has its
two situations: own unique challenges. An agreement should be
reached before the work begins about who will take
1) Having your thesis edited can lead to the credit for the work accomplished. Your ideas are
complications. There is a fine line between what is entitled to the same protection as any other author’s.

For more information on plagiarism, referencing and academic writing: For information concerning sanctions and penalties for
The Academic Writing Help Centre plagiarism, contact your faculty.
110 University St., 562-5601
www.sass.uOttawa.ca/en/awhc/ © 2006 The Academic Writing Help Centre – Student Academic
cartu@uOttawa.ca Success Service

www.sass.uOttawa.ca