Plagiarism, or using someone else's words or ideas as your own, is stealing. It is a serious offense and is easier to detect than you may think. Plagiarism can result in expulsion from BB&N.
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You should always acknowledge where the words, phrases and ideas in your writing were found. It’s an enormous time-saver to note each resource as you do your research.
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If you use your own words to rephrase a passage of text, you are paraphrasing. You must cite the original passage’s source.
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If you use your own words to describe someone else’s idea, or explanation of an idea, you are summarizing. Again, you must cite the original source.
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If you use the source’s exact wording, you are quoting the author. You must use quotation marks for a shorter sentence or phrase; you must indent and single space exacting wording of more than three lines; and you must cite the original source.
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Always cite your sources! Write them down right away!
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The following is the BB&N Upper School Handbook’s definition of plagiarism:
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“‘Plagiarism means presenting another person’s words, organization of material, or ideas as though they were your own. The term applies whether or not the attempt to plagiarize is successful and whether it is due to intentional deceit, carelessness, or misunderstanding. It refers not only to written works but also to songs, paintings, sculptures, computer programs, websites, and films. In other words, you must give credit for any aspect of a work that you have not invented. Putting your name on a paper, a poem, a sketch, etc. is your pledge that, except where specified, it is completely your own work.’
- Sharon Hamilton, Solving More Common Writing Problems
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Each student should discuss and sign this statement or comparable explanation of plagiarism for every class in which s/he does research and the Dean of Students will keep these statements on file.”
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For further information, check out this video and visit the following websites:
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Plagiarism.org: Facts and information about plagiarism, run by a company that creates software that checks for it.
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Cornell University - Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism: Exercises that test your understanding of plagiarism and provide further clarification and examples.
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Please see the Almy Library's Style Guide for more information about how to create bibliographies and use footnotes in your papers.