Forums → WEPR → Plagiarism and Reliable Sources

**Plagiarism**

Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as "the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and
publication, of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them
as one's own original work."

Sources: Wiki
Book: Webster's Dictionary

There are two kinds of plagiarism:
-- deliberate plagiarism is where you are intentionally plagiarizing for
personal gain;
-- accidental plagiarism is where you mistakenly plagiarize without intention, whether it is
from incorrectly citing your sources, have a complete or partial ignorance to plagiarism or citing, or have
a complete disregard for citing.
Both types of plagiarism are grounds for referrals to the sticky, warnings,
and bans. (Freakenstein)

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In this section of the forum we want all your posts to be original. This is a debate forum. Citations and original ideas are very important. Please try to follow these guidelines when posting here:

1. All opinions are welcome as long as there is evidence to back up those claims.
(Subjective views do have a place and time)

2. If any portion of your post has been copied from somewhere else besides your own work, then a source MUST be provided.

3. All sources that are cited must be reliable. (This brings us to the next important topic)

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**Reliable Sources**

Again, I've decided to quote wiki on this, but please read the end where I discuss Wikipedia. Wikipedia explains reliable sources in such a simple and great way.

The word "source" as used on Wikipedia has three related meanings: the piece of work itself (the article, book), the creator of the work (the writer, journalist), and the publisher of the work (The New York Times, Cambridge University Press). All three can affect reliability. Reliable sources may be published materials with a reliable publication process, authors who are regarded as authoritative in relation to the subject, or both.

Questionable sources are those with a poor reputation for checking the facts, or with no editorial oversight. Such sources include websites and publications expressing views that are widely acknowledged as extremist, or promotional in nature, or which rely heavily on rumors and personal opinions. Questionable sources are generally unsuitable for citing contentious claims about third parties, which includes claims against institutions, persons living or dead, as well as more ill-defined entities. The proper uses of a questionable source are very limited.


Source: Wiki

Please remember to determine if your source is biased or objective. Here are a few tips for spotting a biased source:

-- Opinions masked as facts

-- The article/journal is peer-reviewed (when applicable)

-- Examine the validity of the study, if one is used (Sample size, diversity, etc)

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Why cite your sources?

-- To give the information's credit to the author

-- Allows for further reading on the topic

-- Increase your credibility on AG

(Freakenstein and Asherlee)

How to cite

-- A simple link:

If you are starting a thread, it is already expected of you to provide a source for what the thread will be about. Simply copy and paste the URL and provide what/where the source is. You can even use words with the links (refer to BBCode Guide v.4.1 for details)."

-- Use Parenthetical Notes

"INFORMATION" (AUTHOR/SITE, YEAR) " You don't have to go into detail and use MLA or APA format, just properly show where you are getting your information from. If you are using a direct source, just quote the info, provide where you found it, and your credibility is saved.

(Freakenstein)

What about paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving the meaning in another form.
(Source: Webster)

The use of paraphrasing in WEPR is accepted. We should all strive to post a source when paraphrasing another's work. The source does not always have to be a link, a simple mention of where you received your information would suffice. However, if you are challenged by another user on AG to show evidence of your claims, then you must post your source without exception.

(Kudos thepossum for bringing this to light)

What do I do if I spot plagiarism?

Don't spend time on the thread pointing out that someone just plagiarized--report it to a moderator.
Provide 3 links:

1. The user you believe is plagiarizing
2. The actual post he/she plagiarized
3. If you've found the original work

(Asherlee and Freakenstein)

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As you can see, I quoted and sourced wikipedia for some sections of this post. Wikipedia can be a reliable source. You can determine whether or not the information you are using from a Wikipedia article is reliable by referencing the superscripted numbers:



will take you to here:



These are the references you want to check for reliablity.