IXL | Identify plagiarism | 8th grade language arts

Compare the student text with the source.

Source: Jennifer Armstrong, Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, page 2. Published by Crown, 1998:

Antarctica had never even been sighted before the nineteenth century. Until then it was a rumor, an undefined, unseen question mark shrouded in fog and surrounded by ice.

Student text:

Prior to the nineteenth century, Antarctica was just a rumor, an undefined, unseen question mark shrouded in fog and surrounded by ice (Armstrong 2).

Is the student text plagiarized?

No, it is not plagiarized.

Yes, because it fails to use quotation marks.

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Compare the student text with the source.

Source: Peter Tyson, "End of the Big Beasts." Published on NOVA Online, 2009:

Who or what killed off North America's mammoths and other megafauna 13,000 years ago? It takes a certain kind of person to tackle this question in earnest.

Student text:

What wiped out North America's large animals? It takes a certain kind of person to tackle this question in earnest.

Is the student text plagiarized?

No, it is not plagiarized.

Yes, because it fails to use quotation marks and fails to cite the source.

key idea

Plagiarism is the act of taking another person's work or ideas and presenting them as your own, either accidentally or on purpose. When you use outside sources in your writing, you must be careful to avoid plagiarism. Look at this source:

Kristen Purcell and Lee Rainie, "Americans Feel Better Informed Thanks to the Internet." Published by the Pew Research Center, 8 Dec. 2014:

The vast majority of Americans believe their use of the web helps them learn new things, stay better informed on topics that matter to them, and increases their capacity to share ideas and creations with others.

A quote is when you copy a source's exact words. If you quote a source, you must put the words that were copied into quotation marks and cite the original source.

red X symbol, Internet users appreciate how the internet increases their capacity to share ideas.

green checkmark, Internet users appreciate how the internet "increases their capacity to share ideas" (Purcell and Rainie).

green checkmark, Purcell and Rainie state that internet users appreciate how the internet "increases their capacity to share ideas."

A paraphrase is when you use an idea from a source and put it into your own words. If you paraphrase a source, you don't need to use quotation marks, but you still need to cite the original source of the idea.

red X symbol, Internet users appreciate the opportunities for both learning and sharing that the internet offers.

green checkmark, According to Purcell and Rainie, internet users appreciate the opportunities for both learning and sharing that the internet offers.

green checkmark, Internet users appreciate the opportunities for both learning and sharing that the internet offers (Purcell and Rainie).

There are different rules about how to format citations, such as when to include page numbers for print sources. Check a style guide, such as the Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook, for a complete list of these rules.

solution

The student text is plagiarized. It uses the source's exact words without quotation marks, and it also fails to cite the source.

What wiped out North America's large animals? It takes a certain kind of person to tackle this question in earnest.

Source: Peter Tyson, "End of the Big Beasts." Published on NOVA Online, 2009:

Who or what killed off North America's mammoths and other megafauna 13,000 years ago? It takes a certain kind of person to tackle this question in earnest.

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U.4Use in-text citations (MLA 8th–9th editions)

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