Research Strategies

Plagiarism is using facts or ideas from another source without attribution, thereby presenting it as original work.

Adapted from CSUN Policies and Procedures

Best Practices to Avoid Plagiarism:

• Plan in advance your research assignments.
• Be 100% scrupulous in your note taking.
• Cite your sources scrupulously.
• Understand good paraphrasing.
• Learn how to cite in different citation style.

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Adapted from: Vega García, S.A. (2012). Understanding plagiarism: Information literacy guide. Iowa State University. Retrieved  from http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/content.php?pid=10314. [Accessed February 8, 2018]

Direct Quotation: Every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, by appropriate indentation or by other means of identification and must be promptly cited in a footnote. 

Example:

• Original Text: And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
• Your Text: “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry says in The Little Prince. 

Paraphrase: Prompt acknowledgment is required when material from another source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in your own words. 

Example: 

• Original Text: And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
• Your Text: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry emphasizes in The Little Prince the importance of seeing through the obvious and understanding the essential truth of things with one's heart.

Borrowed Facts or Information: Information obtained in one’s reading or research that is not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged. Examples of common knowledge might include the names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc.

Example:

• Original Facts of Information: The Little Prince was translated into 300 languages and dialects.
• Your Text: The Little Prince was translated into 300 languages and dialects. (Relaxnews)
• Citation in the Work Cited page: Relaxnews. “'The Little Prince' Becomes World's Most Translated Book, Excluding Religious Works.” CTV News, 7 Apr. 2017, www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/the-little-prince-becomes-world-s-most-translated-book-excluding-religious-works-1.3358885.

Pro-Tip: 

Use the citation feature in OneSearch to quickly generate citations, send yourself the sources you like, and pin your sources while writing. Don't know how? Check out this interactive screenshot of OneSearch.