Example 1: Plagiarize the original text by copying portions of it word-for-word.
Sean Corcoran, an economist at New York University, studied the teacher evaluation systems in New York City and Houston. He found that the average “margin of error” of a New York City teacher was plus or minus 28 points.
Example 2: Plagiarize the original text by paraphrasing its structure too closely, without copying it word-for-word.
An economist at New York University, Sean Corcoran, studied the teacher evaluation systems in New York City and Houston. In his results he found that the average “margin of error” of a New York City teacher was plus or minus 28 points.
Example 3: Plagiarize the original text by paraphrasing its structure too closely, and include a citation. Even though you cited it, paraphrasing too closely is still plagiarism.
According to Sean Corcoran, an economist at New York University who studied the teacher evaluation systems in New York City and Houston, the average “margin of error” of a New York City teacher was plus or minus 28 points (Ravitch 270).
Example 4: Properly paraphrase from the original text by restating the author’s ideas in different words and phrases, and include a citation to the original source.
According to NYU economist Sean Corcoran’s findings, there is a flaw in the teacher evaluating system in New York City, therefor causing a teacher’s ranking, compared to others, to fall anywhere from plus 28 or minus 28 points (Ravitch 270).
Example 5: Properly paraphrase from the original text by restating the author’s ideas in different words and phrases, add a direct quote, and include a citation to the original source.
After studying the teacher evaluation systems in New York and Houston, NYU economist Sean Corcoran reported “that the average “margin of error” of a New York City teacher was either plus or minus 28 points” (Ravitch 270).
This exercise demonstrates that you correctly understand key differences between plagiarizing versus properly paraphrasing sources. However, you forgot to include a full reference to Ravitch at the bottom of your post. Furthermore, example #5 should use single quotes to distinguish the internal quotation from the broader quotation, like this:
After studying the teacher evaluation systems in New York and Houston, NYU economist Sean Corcoran reported “that the average ‘margin of error’ of a New York City teacher was either plus or minus 28 points” (Ravitch 270).