Strategies to avoid plagiarism - a summary

  1. Reference accurately when you are note-taking.
  2. Use double quotation marks when you use the exact words of the author. Cite your source i.e. author's surname, year of publication, page number,
    e.g. Smith, 2003, p. 135.
  3. Paraphrase by :
    • Changing the language structure
    • Changing the sentence structure
    • Keeping the same meaning
    • Citing the source

Be sure NOT to just rearrange or replace a few words. This is NOT paraphrasing.

  1. Summarise accurately; keep the same meaning; cite your source
  2. Where appropriate, use 'Your voice' to show your opinion or your interpretation of the authors' works in relation to the task.
  3. Assemble the References list in conjunction with the in-text references.
  4. Be consistent with in-text and end-of-text citations
  5. Take time to be selective regarding you research and resources. Cite your sources.
  6. Allow time for reading, absorbing information and note-taking, synthesizing concepts and revisiting your assessment question. Cite all sources that you will be mentioning in-text. List these alphabetical, in full bibliographic detail, in the 'References' List.
  7. When note taking, identify words, phrases, expressions, lengthy quotations in another colour or highlight or place quotation marks around them immediately.
  8. Sloppy note taking increases the risk that you may unintentionally plagiarise.
  9. Jot down the full bibliographic detail of the source that you have used, whether you have directly quoted, paraphrased or summarised information.
  10. Keep a working 'References' List of your sources so that you can double check the accuracy of your notes. If you do this faithfully during the note-taking phase, you will reduce your risk of plagiarising.
  11. You must cite direct quotes.
  12. You must cite paraphrases
  13. You must cite summaries
  14. You must cite any material from printed sources, electronic sources, images, recorded or spoken material.

    Printed sources include:
    Books, parts of books, magazines or journal articles, newspaper articles, letters, diaries, public or private documents, poetry, scripts, chapters in a text etc.

    Electronic sources include:
    Web pages, articles from e-journals, newsgroup postings, graphics, email messages, software and databases.

    Images include:
    Works of art, illustrations, cartoons, tables, charts, diagrams, models and graphs.

    Recorded orspoken material includes:
    Course lectures, films, video, DVDs, TV or radio broadcasts, interviews, public speeches, conversations.

  15. Audio Visual and Electronic sources, as well as printed sources of information must be cited if used.
  16. If you use someone else's ideas, cite the source.
  17. If you received specific help from someone in writing your paper, cite the source; acknowledge the source.
  18. If you have quoted or partially quoted, cited the source.
  19. Have your APA Referencing Summary with you at all times. Consult this guide for accurate referencing steps.

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