Why is this chapter important?
Conventions regarding exactly what constitutes
plagiarism vary from country to country. Plagiarism in its simplest terms means
cutting and pasting from other studies and papers. It also means taking credit
for work that others have done. Plagiarism includes plagiarizing your own work.
In fact, some journals stipulate that you cannot use more than five consecutive
words from another paper that you have written. If a referee thinks you may
have plagiarized other people’s work or your own, then there is a very high
probability that he or she will recommend rejecting your paper. If you commit
plagiarism within your university or institute then you may risk
expulsion. This chapter is designed to help you understand what is and what is not plagiarism,
and how to paraphrase other people’s work (but always giving a reference). What the experts say
Conventions with regard to what constitutes plagiarism vary in different countries
and not infrequently clash with commonly accepted practice in most international
journals. It is vital that authors ensure that they credit the originator of any ideas
as well as the words and figures that they use to express these ideas. Copying without
proper acknowledgement of the origin of text or figures is strictly forbidden.
Small amounts of text, a line or two, are usually ignored. Plagiarism includes self-plagiarism, which is, in effect, publishing the same work twice. Robert Adams, Emeritus Professor of Applied
expulsion. This chapter is designed to help you understand what is and what is not plagiarism,
and how to paraphrase other people’s work (but always giving a reference). What the experts say
Conventions with regard to what constitutes plagiarism vary in different countries
and not infrequently clash with commonly accepted practice in most international
journals. It is vital that authors ensure that they credit the originator of any ideas
as well as the words and figures that they use to express these ideas. Copying without
proper acknowledgement of the origin of text or figures is strictly forbidden.
Small amounts of text, a line or two, are usually ignored. Plagiarism includes self-plagiarism, which is, in effect, publishing the same work twice. Robert Adams, Emeritus Professor of Applied
Mechanics, University of Bristol (UK), and
visiting professor at the Department of Engineering Science, University of
Oxford (UK) Plagiarism is unacceptable under any circumstances but, despite
this universal disapproval, it is one of the more common faults with student
papers. In some cases, it is a case of downright dishonesty brought upon by
laziness, but more often it is
lack of experience as how to properly use material taken from another source. …
Plagiarism in professional work may result in dismissal from an academic position,
being barred from publishing in a particular journal or from receiving funds from
a particular granting agency, or even a lawsuit and criminal prosecution. Dr. Ronald K. Gratz, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
(USA), author of “Using Another’s Words and Ideas” In my work as a supervisor I occasionally come across cases of plagiarism. When I confront my students with this issue, most have absolutely no awareness that they have committed plagiarism, so I work with them to explain what is acceptable and what is not, and get them to make revisions.
James Hitchmough, Professor of Horticultural Ecology, University of Sheffield (UK)
lack of experience as how to properly use material taken from another source. …
Plagiarism in professional work may result in dismissal from an academic position,
being barred from publishing in a particular journal or from receiving funds from
a particular granting agency, or even a lawsuit and criminal prosecution. Dr. Ronald K. Gratz, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
(USA), author of “Using Another’s Words and Ideas” In my work as a supervisor I occasionally come across cases of plagiarism. When I confront my students with this issue, most have absolutely no awareness that they have committed plagiarism, so I work with them to explain what is acceptable and what is not, and get them to make revisions.
James Hitchmough, Professor of Horticultural Ecology, University of Sheffield (UK)
10.1 Plagiarism is not difficult to spot
Plagiarism is very easy to identify, particularly
in papers written by non-native speakers. I revise a lot of research papers
from my PhD students. Sometimes I read a paragraph that contains a considerable
number of mistakes in the English (grammar,
vocabulary, spelling etc.) and then suddenly there is a sentence written in perfect
English! This immediately makes me suspicious, so I Google the sentence and very
frequently discover it comes from a published paper.
10.2 You can copy generic phrases
vocabulary, spelling etc.) and then suddenly there is a sentence written in perfect
English! This immediately makes me suspicious, so I Google the sentence and very
frequently discover it comes from a published paper.
10.2 You can copy generic phrases
It is perfectly normal to copy phrases from other
people’s papers. However, these
phrases must be generic. In fact, such phrases should help you to improve your
English - see Chap. 19.
phrases must be generic. In fact, such phrases should help you to improve your
English - see Chap. 19.
Let’s look at what you can paste from another
paper.
Here is an example from the literature review of a very interesting paper entitled
International scientific English: Some thoughts on science, language and ownership
by Alistair Wood of the University of Brunei Darussalam. In the extract below
Wood talks about different styles of scientific writing around the world and how
non-native authors may be at a disadvantage with respect to native authors.
Let’s imagine that you work in the same field of research as Wood. I have highlighted
phrases in italics that would be perfectly acceptable to paste into your own
paper. In fact, these phrases are completely generic.
Here is an example from the literature review of a very interesting paper entitled
International scientific English: Some thoughts on science, language and ownership
by Alistair Wood of the University of Brunei Darussalam. In the extract below
Wood talks about different styles of scientific writing around the world and how
non-native authors may be at a disadvantage with respect to native authors.
Let’s imagine that you work in the same field of research as Wood. I have highlighted
phrases in italics that would be perfectly acceptable to paste into your own
paper. In fact, these phrases are completely generic.
In fact there is some cross-linguistic
contrastive research to suggest that the foreigner is at
a disadvantage. Even where the grammar and vocabulary may be perfectly adequate, it
seems to be the case that a non-native may tend to transfer the discourse patterns of her
native language to English. It has been suggested, for example, that Asian languages such
as Chinese, Japanese and Korean have different patterns of argument to English [3]. Thus
one study found that those Korean academics trained in the United States wrote in an
‘English’ discourse style, while their colleague who had trained and worked only in Korea,
with a paper published in the same anthology, wrote in a Korean style with no statement
of purpose of the article and a very loose and unstructured pattern from the English point
of view [4]. More generally Hinds has put forward a widely discussed position that
Japanese has a different expectation as to the degree of involvement of the reader compared
to English, with Japanese giving more responsibility to the reader, English to the
writer [5].
a disadvantage. Even where the grammar and vocabulary may be perfectly adequate, it
seems to be the case that a non-native may tend to transfer the discourse patterns of her
native language to English. It has been suggested, for example, that Asian languages such
as Chinese, Japanese and Korean have different patterns of argument to English [3]. Thus
one study found that those Korean academics trained in the United States wrote in an
‘English’ discourse style, while their colleague who had trained and worked only in Korea,
with a paper published in the same anthology, wrote in a Korean style with no statement
of purpose of the article and a very loose and unstructured pattern from the English point
of view [4]. More generally Hinds has put forward a widely discussed position that
Japanese has a different expectation as to the degree of involvement of the reader compared
to English, with Japanese giving more responsibility to the reader, English to the
writer [5].
It might be objected though that this is relevant
only to languages and cultures which differ
greatly to English. However, research on German has shown that German academic writing
greatly to English. However, research on German has shown that German academic writing
in the social sciences has a much less linear
structure than English, to the extent that the
English translation of a German textbook was criticized as haphazard or even chaotic by
American reviewers, whereas the original had received no such reviews on the European
continent [6]. Academic respectability in English is evidenced by the appropriate discourse
structure but in German by the appropriate level of abstraction [7]. Similarly, academic
Finnish texts have been shown to differ in the way they use connectors and previews and
are much less explicit than English in their drawing of conclusions. Spanish also has a
similar pattern [8]. English, therefore, would seem to be a more ‘writer-responsible’ language
than at least some other European languages.
English translation of a German textbook was criticized as haphazard or even chaotic by
American reviewers, whereas the original had received no such reviews on the European
continent [6]. Academic respectability in English is evidenced by the appropriate discourse
structure but in German by the appropriate level of abstraction [7]. Similarly, academic
Finnish texts have been shown to differ in the way they use connectors and previews and
are much less explicit than English in their drawing of conclusions. Spanish also has a
similar pattern [8]. English, therefore, would seem to be a more ‘writer-responsible’ language
than at least some other European languages.
Note how none of the phrases in italics contain
unique information. The phrases
could be used in many other contexts.
could be used in many other contexts.
The above extract is also a good example of how
to write a literature review
(Sect. 14.1).
(Sect. 14.1).
Reference:
Adrian Wallwork (2007) ENGLISH FOR WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS.
