PSYC 2301/2308 Phillips

The following examples are from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL).  You are given the passage and are shown the difference between proper paraphrasing and plagiarism.

The original passage:
Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:
In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:
Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

A plagiarized version:
Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes

Citing your sources allows you to:

• Avoid plagiarizing.
• Let readers find your sources.
• Provide credible evidence for your arguments.

Your information can come from books, magazines, journals, newspapers, databases, or websites. The source doesn't matter, giving credit with a citation does.

Watch these videos for an in-depth explanation of why you should cite:

You properly paraphrased a passage from a database article.  You read the material, and put it in your own words.  Do you need to cite this?

The answer is YES.  A paraphrase is just a restatement of the author's ideas.  So, you must always cite the source in-text and in your bibliography.

See examples of paraphrasing and proper citation below:

Paraphrasing is taking someone else's idea, and restating it in your own words.  Remember, paraphrasing does not make this your idea.  Therefore, you must cite the original source of the idea. When paraphrasing, write your paraphrase without looking at the original source -- then go back and check for accuracy and for any direct quotes.

A quote is when you take a segment of the source (whether it be from a book, journal article, or otherwise), and you copy that segment into your paper word for word.  A quote must be put in quotation marks and cited properly.
 

Don't forget, whether you paraphrase or quote, you must cite the original source! 

You copied a passage from a book and changed a few of the words.  Is this paraphrasing?

The answer is NO.  The passage must be rewritten in your own words.  Just changing a few words doesn't mean you paraphrased.

See examples of paraphrasing below: