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Research Skills Tutorial
Module 2: Copyright and Plagiarism
Introduction
According to UMUC's Guide to Writing and Research, plagiarism is defined as "presenting the ideas of another as your own." (Burke, 61). When you conduct research, you will be collecting the works of other authors. The materials may be in books, journals, encyclopedias or other print sources. In addition, you may obtain information from CD-ROMs (Compact Disks, Read Only Memory) or from the World Wide Web. Wherever you obtain information, you must be sure to give the author of the work credit when using this information in a research paper or report.
- If you quote another work word-for-word, you must put that passage in quotation marks and use in-text citation as well as a full citation at the end of your paper.
- If you paraphrase an idea from another work, you must also use in-text citation as well as a full citation at the end of your paper.
- If no author is given for an article, Web page, or other work, you still must cite the source.
- It is important that you obtain a complete citation for any document, electronic or print, that you think you may use for a paper or project so you have the information you need to properly cite the document.
Plagiarizing someone's work is unethical and it is against the law. Copyright law protects an author's work from being copied without his/her permission. To learn more about copyright law, visit this page on copyright and fair use in the classroom. In order to comply with copyright law, you should always credit the source. If you plagiarize a work, you may be sued by the author, you could fail your course and you could even be expelled.
Citation Formats: MLA and APA
There are two major styles, or standards, for citing works in a research paper - MLA and APA styles. Each of the citation formats is described fully in a separate style manual which provides examples. These style manuals can be found at most university, college, and public libraries.
- Modern Language Association (MLA) Style - This style is used most often in the humanities (literature, languages, etc.). The MLA Style Manual, 4th edition, provides information on how to cite resources using the MLA style.
- American Psychological Association (APA) Style - This style is used in the sciences, including the social sciences (psychology, business, etc.). It is the style used by all students in the UMUC Graduate School of Management and Technology. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition, provides information on how to cite resources using the APA style.
Citing Electronic Resources
If you are citing an electronic resource, such as a Web site, there is a special format to follow as well. Both the MLA and APA style manuals provide information on how to cite electronic resources.
To see information and examples of citing electronic resources using MLA or APA style, go to the Library Services Web page on Citation Resources. This brief guide gives a few examples for how to cite resources retrieved in electronic format.