Don’t Get Burned By Plagiarism

A Rock Star Story

By Eileen Jones

in cooperation with Marilyn Zimny Lyons Township High School

Library

You Be the Judge

Did the party in question do anything wrong? Listen to these clips, and you be the judge.

Queen vs. Vanilla Ice

Burned at the Stake

Vanilla Ice included liner notes to thank MC Hammer, Ice T, and Sir-Mix-A-Lot for their inspiration, but gave no credit to Queen (David Bowie, Queen and Vanilla Ice).

The copyright holder threatened to sue Vanilla Ice, but it was settled out of court (David Bowie, Queen and Vanilla Ice).

Vanilla Ice’s fading reputation was ruined for good.

MC Hammer was questioned for similar allegations. He credited the artist, however, and no charges were made against him (David Bowie, Queen and Vanilla Ice).

How Can You Avoid the

Heat? ...and other commonly asked questions of citation

Isn’t a Bibliography all I need?

No. You have to place citations in the paper at the point where you use the idea, fact or quote (Proctor).

You can avoid a parenthetical citation by mentioning the author in a lead-in to the quote:

Ex: In his 1961 inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy said, “…ask not what your country can do for you-- ask what you can do for your country.”

Do I still have to use citations even if I use my own words?Yes. It is always safer to over-cite. Citing not only acknowledges the source of the idea or fact, but also gives credibility to your own ideas. Identify the source as you use it—at the

end of the sentence or at the end of the paraphrase (Proctor).

Ex: The popularity of Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, rivaled Gone with the Wind, but in the same breath it was denounced as vulgar and depraved

(Johnson xi).

ParaphrasingYou’ve learned how to quote. If you cite correctly, its easy to quote exact words.Paraphrasing can blend more smoothly into a paper, but it is tricky to make sure you paraphrase enough.

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from a source into your own words. It’s usually shorter than the original passage and it needs to be documented just like a quote.

Tips for Paraphrasing

Make sure you understand the meaning of the paragraph.Make notes on the main idea in your own words—without looking at the passagePlace quotation marks around any original language taken from the source.

Write down the citation of the source so you know where the information came from (Paraphrase).

Now it’s your turn…

On the next slide, quickly scan the original passage and the following citations:

Which passage is an accurate paraphrase? Which passage plagiarizes? WHY?

“In the sixties, the public’s hunger for all things Beatle sent music industry bigwigs both here and abroad scurrying in search of anything remotely like them. Even Brian Epstein [The Beatles’ manager] recruited a few of his own makeshift Mop Tops to cash in on the Beatle explosion. When groups couldn’t be found, they were often manufactured to order”(Stallings 94).

1. Many similar groups were created after the popularity of The Beatles (Stallings 94).

2. After the success of The Beatles, music managers hustled to create groups that were similar. The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, also joined this movement and created groups with a similar sound and image (Stallings 94).

3. After The Beatles became really successful, industry bigwigs went scurrying to find groups remotely like the band. Even The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, recreated similar Mop Top type groups to cash in on the success (Stallings 94).

“In the sixties, the public’s hunger for all things Beatle sent music industry bigwigs both here and abroad scurrying in search of anything remotely like them. Even Brian Epstein [The Beatles’ manager] recruited a few of his own makeshift Mop Tops to cash in on the Beatle explosion. When groups couldn’t be found, they were often manufactured to order”(Stallings 94).

2. After the success of The Beatles, music managers hustled to create groups that were similar. The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, also joined this movement and created groups with a similar sound and image

(Stallings 94). This one is accurately paraphrased. The writer has used her own words and sentence structure to convey the essence of the passage.

3. After The Beatles became really successful, industry bigwigs went scurrying to find groups remotely like the band. Even The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, recreated similar Mop Top type groups to cash in on the success

(Stallings 94). In spite of citation, this one is still plagiarized in that it retains too much of the source’s language and sentence structure.

The Final Debate

Is this following example changed enough to be a paraphrase, or is plagiarism the more accurate accusation?:

George Harrison vs. The Chiffon’s

Here is the outcome...

Guilty or Innocent?

The court decided that George Harrison had violated the copyright of He's So Fine even though it may have been done unconsciously.

"His subconscious knew it already had worked in a song his conscious did not remember... That is, under the law, infringement of copyright, and is no less so even though subconsciously accomplished” (George Harrison and the Chiffons).

Something to think about...

“It's like lip-synching to someone else's voice and accepting the applause

and rewards for yourself” (“Writing a Research Paper”)Pop Stars Milli Vanilli: Grammy

Award Winning Artists were punished for lip-synching their hit songs. They returned their awards. Fab Morvan attempted unsuccessful albums, and Rob Pilatus died of a drug overdose.

(“All or Nothing”)

Put out the fire on plagiarism...be sure to cite your work!

Works Cited“All or Nothing.” CD Universe. 2005. 3 March 2 005

<http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1271112/a/All+Or+Nothing.htm>.

“David Bowie, Queen and Vanilla Ice.” Copyright Website. 2005.

8 March 2005 <http://www.benedict.com/audio/Vanilla/Vanilla.aspx>.

“George Harrison and the Chiffons.” Copyright Website. 2005.

8 March 2005 <http://www.benedict.com/audio/harrison/harrison.aspx>.

Johnson, Claudia Durst. Understanding the Grapes of Wrath. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999.

Kennedy, John F. “Inaugural Address.” Washington, D.C. 20 Jan. 1961.

“Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words.” Owl Online Writing Lab. 2004. Purdue University. 30

June 2004 <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html>.

Proctor, Margaret. “How Not to Plagiarize.” 2005. Writing at the University of Toronto. University

of Toronto. 30 June 2004 <http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/plagsep.html>.

Frequently asked questions about plagiarism are answered here. Helpful and informal

resources for students.

“Writing a Research Paper.” Owl Online Writing Lab. 2004. Purdue University. 30 June 2004

<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/plag.html>.

This website is a fantastic resource for all kinds of writing techniques. Very authoritative.

ResourcesFoss, Kathleen, and Ann Lathrop. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era.

Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 2000.

This book tackles the complex issues of plagiarism in light of technological developments.

It offers suggestions lessons for teachers to reduce plagiarism in their classrooms.

Moore, Stephanie. Borrowing? Fraud? Plagiarism? Oak Hill School . 30 June 2004

<http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/samplagiarist.html>.

This is a website created by a teacher. There are several plagiarsim/paraphrasing activities

that are informative and interactive

Steps in writing a research paper. Empire State College. 30 June 2004

<http://www.esc.edu/htmlpages/writerold/steps.htm>.

This is a helpful resource for some quick citation tips

Teacher Resources• Paraphrase Practice: If your students are in a computer lab,

this is a great resource. It is interactive and allows students to decide if a paraphrase is acceptable. There are additional resources available from this site.

• Paraphrase Information: This site is from Purdue University’s Owl Writing Lab. It is a trusted, authoritative source giving information on paraphrasing and follow up activities.

• Plagiarism 101: You may use all of this presentation, or just the interactive quiz. It is great resource from the University of Albany on how to write research papers and avoid plagiarism.

• Plagiarism Quiz: Another interactive quiz. This one determines plagiarism and explains why a selection is or is not plagiarized.