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My Professional Writing Papers

Technical Writing ·  Exposition & Argumentation ·  Non-fiction Creative Essays ·  Grammar and Usage of Standard English ·  The Structure of English ·  Analysis of Shakespeare

Analysis of Literary Language ·  Advanced Professional Papers ·  The History of the English Language ·  First Internship: Tutoring in a Writing Workshop

Visual Literacy Seminar (A First Course in Methodology) ·  Theories of Communication & Technology (A Second Course in Methodology) ·  Language in Society (A Third Course in Methodology)

The Writer's Guild

Journalism

UMBC'S Conservative Newspaper: "The Retriever's Right Eye" ·  UMBC'S University Newspaper: "The Retriever Weekly" ·  Introduction to Journalism ·  Feature Writing ·  Science Writing Papers

Tutoring as CRLA Certified Level III "Master Writing and Philosophy Tutor" within the UMBC Writing Center

Writing an Informative Abstract ·  Why Professors Dislike the "To Be" Verb: A UMBC Writing Center Handout ·  Weekly Tutoring Logs

My CRLA Level III “Master Tutor” Research Paper

On Plagiarism

Summary of Chapter 8 "Coping with Different Tutoring Situations"

The Writer Who Plagiarizes

The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors

4th ed. By Leigh Ryan and Lisa Zimmerelli

Definitions
Plagiarism-- "In an instruction setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else's language, ideas, or other original (not common knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. [This applies to] texts published in print or on-line, to manuscripts, and to the work of other student writers" (http.wpacouncil.org).

Misuse of Sources-- "A student who attempts (even clumsily) to identify and credit his or her source, but who misuses a specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks or other forms of identifying material from other sources, has not plagiarized, Instead, such a student should be considered to have failed to cite and document sources appropriately" (http://www.wpacouncil.org).

Advice for Tutors

1. UMBC's definition of plagiarism-- "Plagiarism means knowingly, or by careless or negligence, representing as one's own in any academic exercise the words, ideas, works of art or computer-generated information and images of someone else. For example:
   
   • Turning in as your own, work done in whole or in part by someone else
     
   • In a course requiring computer wok, copying another person's program rather than creating your own
     
   • Paraphrasing or copying material from a written source, including the Internet, without footnoting or referencing it in a paper
     
   • Copying material from a written source, including the Internet, without using quotation marks to indicate wording that is not yours
   • Turning in a paper obtained at least in part from a term paper "mill" or website
   • Turning in a paper copied at least in part from another student's paper, whether or not that student is currently taking the same course"
     (http://www.umbc.edu/provost/integrity/ACC_final.pdf)
2. Familiarize one's self with the UMBC academic code of integrity.
   (http://www.umbc.edu/provost/integrity/students.html)
3. Familiarize one's self with the manuals and handouts for proper summarization paraphrasing, and documenting information within the Writing Center.
4. Explain to tutees the importance of constructing note from research sources mindfully. The best bet is to write out the author's text, word for word surrounded by quotations on index cards, recording the page number of the resource, and all other information necessary for proper citation.
5. Language within a tutee's paper that does not sound like the tutee's voice previously in the text is suspect of having been taken from another source. Explain to your tutee that material that is not common knowledge credited to the original author either by direct quotation, paraphrased, or summarized.
6. Some tutees do not include all information for citations in early stages of their drafts. Bedford offers no advice on this matter. My advice is "just [don't] do it." Not citing the source even in an early draft creates headaches later when one tries to determine who provided the information. This is one reason why index cards are helpful. Some professors may tell their students not to bother with citations in a paper because everyone is quoting from the same reading. When in doubt, check the tutee's assignment sheet and ask questions.
7. Speak with Professor Hickernell if you are unsure about how to handle a suspected case of plagiarism.
8. If you have suspicions, inform your tutee that acknowledging sources is an ethical issue. Citation is matter of crediting an author where credit is due. Documenting sources acknowledges the original author and allows the reader to locate the source if necessary.