Dissertation Research Guide – Avoiding Plagiarism

As students prepare their various written assignments, including dissertations, they use many resources. Each of these resources, unless the student is compiling personal research from laboratory experiments or personal observation in the field, has a point of origin in the writing or creation of another person.

To avoid accusations of plagiarism, these outside sources must be recognized and properly documented. If the student fails to do so, they are in effect claiming the work as their own instead of respecting the ownership of others to the information. This is the core definition of plagiarism, composing both an act of theft by copyright infringement and an act of academic cheating.

Tips to Avoid Plagiarism

There are many ways to reduce the chance of plagiarism, particularly with some of the new software available. Some of the non-software techniques are:

• Cite every source used, even if it was only a small amount or a simple idea. This should be done even when you paraphrase what was said. You are still using the ideas of other people.
• Use quotation marks or other means to indicate direct quotes. Some citation styles require use of block-quote format in some cases, which should be respected if you are using those citation styles.
• If you use images or photos found on the Internet, get permission first. Even with such permission, be sure to give the source proper credit.
• If you find a useful paper or article on an Internet website, regardless of the “authority” cite it as you would any other source.
• Never simply cut and paste information from another source unless you are using it as a direct quote. If the source cites another source, copy the bibliographic information for the original source to cite the information properly.
• Keep a copy of all sources, particularly Internet sources, as evidence verifying the information used.
• The rule on citing all sources includes any source translated by you from another language.
• Do not copy a friend’s or senior student’s work and claim it as your own.
• Using a paper written for another class is ill advised unless permission is received from your instructor beforehand. Though using your own materials is not technically plagiarism, it could be seen as another form of cheating. However, this does not preclude you reusing a previous idea or topic and performing fresh research, writing a new paper from another viewpoint or addressing another aspect of the topic.
• Beware of websites promising free essays or essays costing less than ten to twelve dollars a page. The finished products from these companies have been used by other students, are often below par in quality or flatly plagiarized from other sources. With services such as Turnitin.com, it is easy for instructors to identify these papers.
• If your source is an email or interview, get permission from the author or interview subject to use the material in your dissertation.
• Use the citation style required by your instructor. If he or she has failed to mention such requirement, ask about it.
• Keep records of every information source. Use of a data organizing or mind-mapping program is recommended, though simple pen and paper can be used as well. At a minimum, you should record the following information:
  • The author and/or editor’s name(s)
  • Article title and title of source
  • The date of publication.
  • The name of the publisher and their location.
  • The URL and date of access for Internet resources.
  • Page number(s) containing the cited materials.
• Writing a short paragraph about the source is advisable as well, particularly in dissertation writing, from which an annotated bibliography can be formed.

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