History Day Research Paper Guidelines Name _______________________Period SS ____LA____

A paraphrase is...

• your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
• one legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
• a more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single main idea.

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill because...

• it is better than quoting information from an undistinguished passage.
• it helps you control the temptation to quote too much.
• the mental process required for successful paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full meaning of the original.

6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing

1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.

2. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card.

3. 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.

4. Check your rendition with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential information in a new form.

5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the source.

6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.

Some examples to compare

The original passage:

Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A legitimate paraphrase:

In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:

Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47). O V E R >>>>>>>>>>

A plagiarized version:

Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/

HOMEWORK: Directions: On a piece of notebook paper, write a paraphrase of each of the following 3 passages. Review the 6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing (on the first page) and try not to look back at the original passage. Your paragraph should be IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

• Read the entire paragraph, noting the key points and main ideas.
• Summarize, in your own words, what is the single main idea.
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01

1. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From "Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers," Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348.

2. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, "Reaching for the Sky." Dial (May 1990): 15.

3. "The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate," [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. "The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity." From "Captain Cousteau," Audubon (May 1990):17.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/02/

History Day Research Paper Guidelines Name __________________________Period ____

Paraphrasing and Plagiarism continued…on the following day

Paraphrasing Exercise: Possible Answers

Here are sample answers for the paraphrasing exercise:

1. The use of a helmet is the key to reducing bicycling fatalities, which are due to head injuries 75% of the time. By cushioning the head upon impact, a helmet can reduce accidental injury by as much as 85%, saving the lives of hundreds of victims annually, half of whom are school children ("Bike Helmets" 348).

2. How much higher skyscrapers of the future will rise than the present world marvel, the Sears Tower, is unknown. However, the design of one twice as tall is already on the boards, and an architect, Robert Sobel, thinks we currently have sufficient know-how to build a skyscraper with over 500 stories (Bachman 15).

3. According to Jacques Cousteau, the activity of people in Antarctica is jeopardizing a delicate natural mechanism that controls the earth's climate. He fears that human activity could interfere with the balance between the sun, the source of the earth's heat, and the important source of cold from Antarctic waters that flow north and cool the oceans and atmosphere ("Captain Cousteau" 17).

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/03/

Definition: In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.

This definition applies to texts published in print or on-line, to manuscripts, and to the work of other student writers.

http://www.wpacouncil.org/node/9

O V E R >>>>>>>>>>

BASIC TIPS ON AVOIDING CLAIMS OF DISHONESTY

Careful attention to your own academic duties is the best way to avoid allegations of academic dishonesty. If you are asked to do something that you feel is wrong or unethical, it probably is. Aiding someone in committing an academically dishonest act is just as serious as receiving the aid. Make sure you understand your instructors' expectations and responses regarding academic dishonesty. The following tips may help you avoid problems:

• Do not look around, particularly in the direction of other students' papers, during an exam since it may appear you are trying to copy from others.
• When taking an exam, shield your answer sheet. If you feel someone is trying to copy from you, ask the proctor if you may move. This will alert the proctor to a potential problem and help remove suspicion from you as aiding the other student if a claim of cheating arises.
• If you are allowed to take materials into a testing site, make sure no notes or materials are exposed or accessible that could cause one to believe you are using unauthorized aids (cribs).
• Should there be any doubt, clarify with your instructor how much collaboration, if any, is permitted or expected when working on projects or assignments with other students.
• Know that it is risky to electronically copy or transmit a computer program or file to other students. You could be implicated in a cheating incident if others alter that program and submit it as their own work.
• Protect your computer log-in identifications and passwords. Other students could use them to access your work and subsequently implicate you in a cheating case.
• Since it is impossible to write everything with complete originality, use quotation marks, footnotes, and parenthetical textual notes to acknowledge other people's words or ideas employed in your paper. Check with you instructor for proper techniques for citations and attribution if you have any doubts.
• Do not include sources in a bibliography or reference list if you have not used the sources in the preparation of your paper. To list unused sources is called padding the bibliography.
• Do not acquire previous papers, lab reports, or assignments used in a course with the intention of copying parts or all of the material. Consult with your instructor on how such materials may be used as general guides.
• Keep rough drafts and copies of papers submitted in courses since other students may get access to your work and attempt to claim it as their own.
• Do not leave copies of assignments in computer labs.
• Do not share your current or former assignments, projects, papers, etc. with other students to use as guides for their work. Such a practice could lead to claims of collaboration if part or all of your work is lifted by another student. Sometimes friendly assistance may escalate into claims of blatant dishonesty.
• Check with your instructor before turning in a paper or project you submitted in another course.
• Do not give your homework papers, projects, or other assignments to other students to submit for you. They may use parts of your work.
• When completing take-home exams, do not collaborate with other persons unless approved by the instructor.
• Do not make any marks on a graded exam if there is any chance you may submit it for a regrade. Make all notations on a separate paper.

http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm