(City, State)
Q.1 In your own words, explain the difference between direct quoting and paraphrasing material from your sources.
Quoting refers to the act of taking a segment of the original work in another work where the segment taken matches the original work word for word. The segment is usually attributed to the author who originally created the work and must begin and end with quotation marks. The reference while quoting is placed right after the quote (Driscoll & Brizee, 2013). On the other hand, paraphrasing refers to the act of putting a passage that has been taken from source material and put into the writer’s own words. A segment that has been paraphrased also needs to cite the original source and is usually shorter than the passage that is paraphrased. Paraphrasing takes some lines or paragraphs of the original source, reword or rewrite the passage as one likes but retains the essence or the meaning of the original passage (UNSW Sydney, 2013). The citation is then placed at the end of the paraphrase.
When paraphrasing, it is not enough to make simple changes to the way words are ordered or replace the words with their synonyms. A paraphrase that is well done provides a more precise message than the original text. Quoting is usually preferred than paraphrasing when the writer feels that the original words engage the reader better, and paraphrasing may not match with the original wording. Quoting is also used when the quote is well known, and when the writer wants to offer the exact position of the original author (The University of Adelaide, 2010).
As a student, I have the responsibility of using either quoting or paraphrasing in the right way depending on the sensitivity of the information. I have the responsibility of using quoting where I feel paraphrasing will not bring out the original information accurately, and paraphrasing to avoid a lot of quotes in my assignments.
Q.2 In your own words, define plagiarism
Plagiarism refers to the acts or instances that a writer uses or imitates closely the language and thoughts belonging to someone else without proper authority and representing the work as one’s own without crediting the author who originally owned the work (Princeton University, 2003). The definition applies to the work that is published such as books, online work, manuscripts, as well as the work by a student. Submitting text done by someone else or attempting to shadow the lines between those taken from other sources and one’s own words may be referred to as plagiarism (iParadigms, 2013). It is also plagiarism when one cites ideas or words that belong to someone else carelessly or inadequately. Some of the types of plagiarism include lack of using quotation marks and proper citation when one has taken a phrase or a segment word for word from another source, when one paraphrases the original text and fails to cite the source, using a style used by another author without proper acknowledgement, and using someone’s idea without properly citing the source (NCSU Libraries, 2006).
Q.3 In your own words, explain your academic responsibilities when using information from text books, journal articles and the internet in your assignments.
As a student, I have various academic responsibilities while using the information that I find in books, journal articles and the internet in doing my assignments. I should understand that assignments offer me an opportunity to have a rigorous and genuine inquiry and learning. This involves bringing together information and analyzing the sources to make sure they are relevant in answering the issues being investigated. I also have the responsibility of acknowledging in a clear manner how and when the information has been taken from another source. I thus need to reference each and every source that I use in writing my assignments. I may do this by adding citations in the text and listing the sources used at the end of my assignment (Princeton University, 2003).
Referencing enables the readers of my assignments know where I got the information that I used came from and supports the claims and facts that I make in the assignment. Proper referencing also enables me avoid any form of plagiarism accusations (Williams, Spiro, & Swarbrick, 2008). In order to avoid plagiarism, the text that I take from another source and use it word for word, I have the responsibility of quoting the segment and add citation at the end of the segment. For the piece of work that I paraphrase using my own words, I have the responsibility of adding citations after each segment that I have paraphrased. Through quoting, paraphrasing and proper citing I am thus able to use the information that I get from books, article and the internet responsibly.
Reference List
Driscoll, D. L. & Brizee, A., 2013. Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. [Online] Available at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/[Accessed 25 August 2013].
iParadigms, 2013. Types of Plagiarism. [Online] Available at: http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/types-of-plagiarism/[Accessed 25 August 2013].
NCSU Libraries, 2006. Five Types of Plagiarism - NCSU Libraries. [Online] Available at: www.lib.ncsu.edu/lobo/lessonplans/14_fivetypes.doc[Accessed 25 August 2013].
Princeton University, 2003. Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices. [Online] Available at: http://www.princeton.edu/writing/university/resources/WPAPlagiarism.pdf[Accessed 25 August 2013].
The University of Adelaide, 2010. To Paraphrase or to Quote - University of Adelaide. [Online] [Accessed 25 August 2013].
UNSW Sydney, 2013. Paraphrasing, Summarising and Quoting. [Online] Available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/paraphrasing-summarising-and-quoting[Accessed 25 August 2013].
Williams, K., Spiro, J., & Swarbrick, N. (2008). How to reference. Oxford: Westminster Institute of Education.
