with Professor Jack Dougherty (who adopted this exercise from Professor Zayde Antrim, who adopted it from Professor Kathleen Archer, and so on. . . )
In order to avoid plagiarism, one must first learn how to plagiarize, and then how to paraphrase properly. This exercise requires students to demonstrate the differences in five steps.
Read the “Intellectual Honesty” section of the Trinity College Student Handbook (2012), pp. 19-21. Compare the examples of improper paraphrasing (which follows the structure of the original source too closely, regardless of a citation) versus proper paraphrasing (which restates the original source in one’s own diction and style, with a citation).
Write responses to each of the steps listed below, based on this original text. Feel free to copy and paste any content into your word processor, rather than retype it.
Step 0: Original text: Select what you believe to be the most important passage from Susan Eaton’s book.
Step 1: Plagiarize any portion of the original text by copying portions of it word-for-word.
Step 2: Plagiarize any portion of the original text by paraphrasing its structure too closely, without copying it word-for-word.
Step 3: Plagiarize any portion of the original text by paraphrasing its structure too closely, with a citation to the original source (using any academic citation style). Remember, even if you include a citation, paraphrasing too closely is still plagiarism.
Step 4: Properly paraphrase any portion of the original text by restating the author’s ideas in your own diction and style, with a citation to the original source.
Step 5: Properly paraphrase any portion of the original text by restating the author’s ideas in your own diction and style, supplemented with a direct quotation of a key phrase, plus a citation to the original source.
Clearly label each of your five responses in your new document. You may use any academic citation style for this assignment (such as a Chicago-style full note, or MLA/APA in-line citation with a bibliography). Remember to include a full reference to the source in the appropriate place in your document.
Recommended tool: How to capture, manage, and cite sources with Zotero.
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