Citing Sources Ethically and Avoiding Plagiarism  Tags: turnitin scholarly_publishing english_composition literature dny  

Once you understand the general principles of how and when to cite a source, it is necessary to learn the specifics of how to properly format your citations and bibliography. The "Citations and Styles" tab covers some of the major citations styles, but consult with your professors about the guide for your "discipline." You might also consider using RefWorks citation manager to help you in your quest for proper citation format.

Modules of the Libraries' Information Literacy Tutorial are listed below for easy access

Avoiding Plagiarism [pdf]
A one-page handout that includes a definition of plagiarism, common forms of plagiarism, consequences of plagiarism, and how to avoid plagiarism by citing sources correctly.

Information Literacy Tutorial - Avoiding Plagiarism:   Provides more in-depth information about plagiarism, such as descriptions of intentional and unintentional plagiarism, and real-world examples.

Turnitin
Turnitin is software that allows faculty members and students to check their term papers for improperly-cited material lifted from the Internet, books, periodical articles, and other student papers.

Faculty: To set up a Turnitin account, e-mail turnitin@stjohns.edu. For helpful information on using Turnitin, use the following online tutorials and Quickstart Guide:

• Instructor Video
• Originality Report Video
• Instructor Quickstart Guide

Students:  To get started with Turnitin, you will need a Class ID and Enrollment password, which is provided by your Instructor. For information on using Turnitin, view the following online tutorials and Quickstart Guides:

• Student Video
• Originality Report Video
• Student Quickstart Guide

Further Readings on Plagiarism

The article by Terril Y. Jones discusses the widespread problem of students plagiarizing from the Web, and outlines some of the techniques that educators are using to address the problem of plagiarism. The articles from Charles McGrath of the New York Times provide interesting commentary on the use of "paper mill" web sites by students, and the quality - or lack thereof - of the term papers downloaded from such sites.

• Jones, Terril Y. "If this were a Term Paper, You might have seen it on the Web." Los Angeles Times Jun 17 2006: A.1.
• McGrath, Charles. "At $9.95 a Page, You were Expecting Poetry?" New York Times Sep 10 2006: 4.1.
• McGrath, Charles. "Term Paper Project, Part II." New York Times Sep 17 2006: 4.5.

Craig Silverman's Regret the error blog keeps tracks of reported cases of plagiarism and "fabrication" in the media. In addition, the author compiles an annual "round-up" of such problems with citations, most recently 2008.