What does the MBA Honor Code have to say about plagiarism?
The MBA Honor Code begins: "The Honor Code prohibits any attempt to deceive in a school or school-related event. A student must not lie, cheat, steal, or act dishonorably."
Plagiarizing any work violates all aspects of the MBA Honor Code. Do you really want to take that risk?
If you use the words, ideas, or phrasing of another person or from published material, you must
Use quotation marks around the words and cite the source, or
Paraphrase or summarize acceptably and cite the source.
If you use charts, graphs, data sets, or numerical information obtained from another person or from published material, you must also cite the source.
You must always acknowledge your sources by citing them. In this way, you have the right to use another’s creative output by giving that person credit for the work s/he has done.
Several options exist for incorporating the words and ideas of others into your own work - paraphrase, summarize, or quote them directly. In your writing you will paraphrase and summarize more often than quoting directly.
An added benefit to your writing is that these strategies both avoid plagiarism and make your writing stronger!
WHY USE QUOTATIONS, PARAPHRASES, AND SUMMARIES?
You might use them to:
Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
Give examples of several points of view on a subject
Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with
Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original
Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own
Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
Good paraphrasing:
Uses synonyms for all words that are not generic.
Changes the structure of the sentence.
Changes the voice from active to passive and vice versa.
Changes clauses to phrases and vice versa.
Changes parts of speech.
Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a NoodleTools notecard.
Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.
Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.
Record the source (including the page) on your NoodleTools note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.
What makes for unacceptable paraphrasing?
Keeping the exact same sentence structure
Keeping everything the same but using one synonym
Key phrases of the original idea are used
A good summary:
Identifies the writer of the original text.
Synthesizes the writer’s key ideas.
Presents the information neutrally.
Avoiding Plagiarism by Quoting Directly -
To quote sentences or phrases directly, put quotation marks around the words and identify the source. Do not quote all the time: save quotes for instances where the wording is especially powerful.
When should I quote?
When language is particularly vivid or expressive.
When exact wording is needed for technical accuracy.
When the words of an important authority lend weight to an argument.
Your goal is to paraphrase more often than quote
How do I show I am quoting?
Name the source in an introductory phrase.
Use quotation marks or indent long quotations.
Cite the source appropriately
If you fail to do this, it is plagiarism.