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Avoiding Plagiarism in Student Assignments
I. The Department of Management Studies’ Position on Plagiarism:
Policy Statement
The Department of Management Studies considers plagiarism to be
a serious offense –it is ‘stealing’! –and
we will treat it as a serious academic offense which may result in
one or more of the following actions: (a) assigning an ‘F’ (i.e.,
zero points) to the assigned task (i.e., your ‘work’ in
which the plagiarism has occurred), (b) assigning the grade of ‘F’ for
the course, and (c) filing for disciplinary action for ‘scholastic
dishonesty’ (see University of Minnesota Duluth Catalog, and
the Student Conduct Code).
Papers (e.g., research/term papers) submitted for the fulfillment
of course requirements must be a product of your creation. The purchase
of papers, the use of papers or portions thereof written by others,
and papers or portions of papers down-loaded from electronic sources
will be considered academic misconduct resulting in a filing for disciplinary
action and the receipt of a “F” for the course.
If you have doubt as to the meaning of plagiarism, or if you have
questions pertaining to how to avoid this serious offense this document
is intended to help. In addition, please feel free to talk to any
faculty member in the Department of Management Studies. We are willing
to help you avoid this problem. You can also get assistance from one
of many writers’ style guides, faculty in the university’s
composition department, or from the style guide adopted by the School
of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth --the
American Psychological Associations’ (APA) Publication Manual.
II. Plagiarism
Plagiarism –What is it?
The word plagiarize is commonly defined as the act of taking and
passing off as one’s own the ideas, writings, words, utterances,
etc. of another. Diana Hacker (1977), author of a writing style guide
(A Pocket Style Manual) identifies three types of plagiarism: (1)
failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas; (2) failing to enclose
borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries
and paraphrases in your own words” (Hacker, 1997, p. 92).
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity (or Why it
is ‘wrong’ to copy)
To quote Hacker (1977), “Your research paper is a collaboration
between you and your sources. To be fair and ethical, you must acknowledge
your debt to the writers of these sources. If you don’t, you
are guilty of plagiarism, a serious academic offense” (p. 92).
Academic scholarship and therefore the mission of the university
is twofold –the development (creation) and dissemination of
knowledge. The first task is accomplished through research, while
the second is fulfilled through teaching/lecturing and writing --the
public presentation of ideas. When you are involved in a research-based
class project, you too are involved in either or both of these tasks.
In addition, and as noted by Hacker, you are involved in a collaborative
enterprise with your sources (p. 92).
As students and professors of business we are interested in coming
to understand social science phenomenon as they relate to formal organizations
(e.g., human resources, management, marketing, organization). Our
craft, the thoughts, ideas, hypotheses, explanations, and the theories
we form, gets expressed through the words that we speak and write.
Herein lies the importance and value of our words, as they are representations
of us and our work. Similarly, the words and ideas of others are representations
of them. This is the underlying reason for the need for proper citation
-- “to be fair and ethical, you must acknowledge your debt” to
the original author of an idea (Hacker, 1997, p. 92). Thus, acknowledging
the ideas and representations of others by proper citation is, quite
simply the ‘right thing to do’!
There is another reason why we as scholars place great concern on
plagiarism. The issue plagiarism revolves around our profession. As
scholars, the university and the broader society calls upon us to
work on the development and transmission of new ideas. Career decisions
(e.g., tenure, promotion, and job mobility) are determined, in large
part, by a scholar’s ability to develop and share ideas with
their colleagues, students, and society at large. To take the ideas
of another and represent than as one’s own fails to give justice
to their original creator..
One final reason underlies the importance of proper citation. Few
of us will ever develop “truly original” work. Throughout
lives as students and careers as professors, most of us will “build
on the shoulders of (others)” (source unknown). Proper citation
allows our readers to understand the genesis and development of our
ideas. Where did the original seeds for an idea come from? Who has
studied the phenomenon before? What do we (as a field) already know
about the phenomenon? What does this particular work add to our body
of knowledge? Proper citations allow our readers to understand the
answers to these questions, and thus, the value of our work as an
addition to an existing body of knowledge.
It is therefore imperative that scholars (both professors and students)
learn well the art of proper citation –giving credit for the
ideas of others to those others. It is also imperative that when we “borrow” the
ideas of others to bolster our own, we do not claim those ideas as
our own, but summarize and give credit for them to their original
author.
III. Referencing Instructions –Ways to avoid ‘plagiarism’ and
How to Paraphrase
“How do I avoid plagiarism?” –Quite simply cite
where your thoughts and ideas come from, and use quotation marks when
you use the exact words of others. In both instances identify both
within the text and on your reference page the appropriate location
of the materials used (see below for examples on how to reference
paraphrased and quoted word).
Paraphrasing simply means that you are taking the words (ideas)
expressed by another individual and recrafting those idea through
the construction of your own sentences. According to Hacker (1997), “When
you summarize or paraphrase, it is not enough to name the source;
you must restate the source’s meaning using your own language” (p.
94). She goes on to state that “You are guilty of plagiarism
if you half-copy the author’s sentences –either by mixing
the author’s well-chosen phrases without using quotation marks
or by plugging your own synonyms into the author’s sentence
structure” (Hacker, p. 94).
Regarding ‘paraphrases’ Hacker (1977: 94-95) provides
a useful example:
Original Source
“If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists,
it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.” –Davis,
Eloquent Animals, p. 26.
Unacceptable Borrowing of Phrases
The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal
behaviorists (Davis, 26).
Unacceptable Borrowing of Structure
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for
scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists
studying animal behavior (Davis, p. 26).
Acceptable Paraphrases
When they learned of an ape’s ability to use sign language,
both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise (Davis,
p. 26).
According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists were
unprepared for the news that a chimp could communicate with its trainers
through sign language (p. 26).
Reference Page Citations
ALL works employed in the writing of your paper should be referenced
(listed alphabetically) on a ‘reference page.’ The information
contained on the reference page should enable the reader of your paper
to be able to quickly and easily find the exact location of the work
upon which you are drawing and the specific page(s) within that work
that you are quoting.
The following illustrations are intended to show you how to handle
different types of citations and within text references:
? Journal Articles:
Albert, S., & Bell, G. G. 2002. Timing and music. Academy of Management
Review 27:4, 574-593.
Note: the number 27 above represents the journal’s volume number, 4 is
the issue number, and 574-593 represents the article’s page numbers.
The issue number is not needed if the pages within a particular volume run
consecutively.
? Books:
James, W. 1890. The Principles of Psychology. New York: Holt Publishing
? Magazines:
Brown, T. L. 1989. What will it take to win? Industry Week, June 19, p. 15.
? Interviews:
O’Driscoll, M. P. Professor of Psychology, The University of Waikato,
Hamilton, New Zealand, personal conversation, January 24, 2002.
? On Line Sources:
Dunham, R. B. (1999). Organizational commitment: A multidimensional attitude.
Journal of Organizational Behavior. [On-line]. Available: –here you are
to specify the exact and full path– (Note: this is a not a real publication,
created for illustrative purposes only)
NOTE: You must be carful in your use of ‘internet’ sources. Many
internet sources are valid and reliable. Many, however, are not! Virtually
anyone can put up a web page that says anything that they want it to say –without
any regard for the truth, accuracy, or validity of the assertion.
It is NOT appropriate to use people’s personal web pages as academic
sources. Always look at the source of the website before you use it. If the
source is credible (i.e., academic publications on the web, government pages)
then use it, but provide a full citation.
It is also important to note that the web is not complete, it is just one source.
There is a great deal of valuable literature that is not available electronically.
For any piece of information that you take from the internet for use in your
paper, that does not come from one of the ‘on-line’ refereed journals
you must do the following:
a.. List the source (complete and full reference so that anyone reading your
paper could easily find and access the reference that you employed –specify
the exact ‘path’ to the materials employed;
b. Cite when the item/source was published and last up-dated;
c. Identify the person or organization that placed the material on the net;
d. If a person, identify what their position (role) is and the organization
with whom they are affiliated (what type of organization is it, what is its
mission);
e. If an organization, identify who the organization is – what is its
purpose in being is, what type of organization it is, ...
f. Comment on why this information was created and why it was placed on the
internet.
Use of References within the Text of your Paper
The following examples reflect the writer’s ‘paraphrasing,’ summarizing,
the work of others without directly quoting their work.
There are two acceptable ways of handling references within the text of your
paper.
1. Include the author’s name as a part of the written sentence. For example:
Pierce, Rubenfeld, and Morgan (1991), in a review of the employee ownership
literature, theorize that formal ownership may produce positive attitudinal
and behavioral effects through psychologically experienced ownership.
2. Parenthetically include the reference in the written sentence. Two illustrations
are provided:
a. Several studies (e.g., Dittmar, 1992; Kubzansky & Druskat, 1993; Kostova,
1996) provide insight into the powerful role played by feelings of possession.
b. Ownership and the rights that come with it allow individuals to explore
and alter their environment, thus satisfying their innate need to be efficacious
(Beggan, 1991; Furby, 1980; White, 1959).
Quotations within the Text
The following illustrates several different, appropriate and acceptable ways
to handle material that is directly quoted from the works of others. All work
that employs the ‘word-for wording’ of others MUST be quoted, and
listed on your reference list. Examples include the following:
a. As Weil (1952) states, “to have a place is an important need of the
human soul” (p. 41).
b. As Weil states, “to have a place is an important need of the human
soul” (1952, p. 41).
c. “To have a place is an important need of the human soul” (Weil,
1952, p. 41).
Please note that the placement of the author’s name (Weil), the year
of the publication (1952), and the page number that the quote appeared on in
the original text (p. 41) have a different placement in the three illustrations
of a quotation that appears in the text.
A Unique Quoting and Referencing Situation
Suppose that you are reading an article written by Pierce, Kostova, and Dirks
(2001) and they are quoting the work of Weil (1952), and you are interested
in using Weil’s observation in the writing of your paper. Who do you
cite? How do you handle this reference?
So long as you are quoting Weil’s work, you only need to place Weil’s
reference on you list of references. [This source should appear in Pierce et
al.’s (2001) references.] It is not necessary to indicate that it came
out of the Pierce et al., article, as you have Weil’s exact words, and
not Pierce et al.,’s interpretation of Weil’s observations.
If, on the other hand, you are commenting upon Pierce et al.,’s interpretation
of Weil’s work, then you should cite both the work of Pierce, et al.,
and Weil. For example –Pierce et al., (2001), commenting upon the work
of Weil (1952) observe that people have an innate need to have a place in which
to ‘dwell’ –home appears to provide a person with a place
of safety, physical and psychological comfort. One can be at home, for example,
in one’s house, in one’s community, and in one’s own language.
IV. The Quality of Your Papers
In large part, the quality of the paper that you write and what you learn in
the process is a product of the quality of the references that you draw upon.
Not all printed sources are of equal quality (reliability and validity). Draw
from the best possible sources. Recommendations for reputable and high quality
sources can be obtained from professors within the discipline that you are
writing for.
References
Albert, S., & Bell, G. G. 2002. Timing and music. Academy of Management
Review, 27: 574-593.
Beggan, J. K. 1991. Using what you own to get what you need: The role of possessions
in satisfying control motivation. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality,
6:6, 129-146.
Brown, T. L. 1989. What will it take to win? Industry Week, June 19.
Dittmar, H. 1992. The social psychology of material possessions: To have is
to be. New York: St. Martin Press.
Furby, L. 1980. The origins and early development of possessive behavior. Political
Psychology, 2:1: 30-42.
Hacker, D. 1977. A pocket style manual. Boston, MA: Bedford Books, St. Martin’s
Press.
James, W. 1890. The principles of psychology. New York: Holt Publishing.
Kostova, T. 1996. Success of the transnational transfer of organizational practices
within MNEs. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Carlson School of Management,
University of Minnesota: Minneapolis, MN.
Kubzansky, P. E., & Druskat, V. U. 1993. Psychological sense of ownership:
conceptualization and measurement. A paper presented at the American Psychological
Association, Toronto, Canada, August.
O’Driscoll, M. P. Professor of Psychology, The University of Waikato,
Hamilton, New Zealand, personal conversation, January 24, 2002.
Pierce, J. L., Kostova, T., & Dirks, K. T. 2001. Towards a theory of psychological
ownership in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 26: 298-310.
Pierce, J. L., Rubenfeld, S., & Morgan, S. 1991. Academy of Management
Review, 16: 121-144.
Weil , S. 1952. The need for roots: Prelude to a declarationof duties towards
mankind. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd.
White, R. W. 1959. Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological
Review, 66: 297-330.
– January 16, 2003
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