Plagiarism "is the act of not acknowledging your source" (CSU Student Services, n.d., p. 6). In other words, you have represented a written idea as yours when it is from another person. "To avoid plagiarism, always cite your source" (p. 6).
Morling College takes the issue of academic integrity seriously (www.morling.edu.au/policies/).
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| To avoid plagiarism | Avoiding plagiarism: examples | Self-plagiarism |
Detailed guidance on referencing is provided in the Morling APA Referencing LibGuide. https://morlingcollege.libguides.com/apareferencing
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
CSU Student Services. (n.d.). Avoiding plagiarism: the CSU guide to avoiding plagiarism. Charles Sturt University.
Acknowledge the source and give credit. Do this whenever you use:
(CSU Student Services, n.d., p. 10)
Self-plagiarism happens when words or ideas previously published by a person are published again in a different context without acknowledgement. For students, an example is when part or all of a previous assignment is submitted for a new assignment. Self-plagiarism is a form of plagiarism and is a breach of academic integrity.
There are exceptions such as when an assignment expressly builds upon a previous assignment in the same unit: for example, a literature review written for an assignment early in a unit is revised and used in a research proposal submitted later in the unit. The instructions for the assignments in this case would indicate the process for students to follow.
Cases of self-plagiarism arise when a student attempts to pass off previously completed work for another subject or lecturer as new work.
Whereas plagiarism refers to the practice of claiming credit for the words, ideas, and concepts of others, self-plagiarism refers to the practice of presenting one's own previously published work as though it were new. (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 170)
To avoid self-plagiarism, brief quotations and paraphrases of previous work are cited in-text and appear in the reference list in exactly the same way as for other sources.
Block quotations
Quotations over 40 words in length are indented into a block paragraph. The citation, including the page number (or paragraph number in the case of electronic books or media), is written at the end, after the full-stop. All quotations must have a page number—or paragraph number for electronic documents—in the citation so that the sources can be checked for accuracy and suitability.
Example 1 Quotations 40 or more words in length
Lewis (2017) writes about one leader in the technology movement who is now warning others of the dangers of technology.
Not according to Tristan Harris, a 33-year-old former Google employee turned vocal critic of the tech industry. “All of us are jacked into this system,” he says. “All of our minds can be hijacked. Our choices are not as free as we think they are.” Harris, who has been branded “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience”, insists that billions of people have little choice over whether they use these now ubiquitous technologies, and are largely unaware of the invisible ways in which a small number of people in Silicon Valley are shaping their lives. (Lewis, 2017, paragraph 23)
Quotations within the sentence structure
Quotations less than 40 words are enclosed in double quotation marks with the citation at the end, within the sentence punctuation. All quotations must have a page number—or paragraph number for electronic documents—in the citation so that the sources can be checked for accuracy and suitability.
Example 2 Quotations less than 40 words in length
A number of writers have expressed concern about the global influence of “a small number of people in Silicon Valley” (Lewis, 2017, paragraph 23).
Paraphrasing
It is better to state the ideas you are writing about in your own words. In APA Style, quotations are only used if they are absolutely needed and then as briefly as possible. This saves space and allows you room to develop your ideas. An example of a paraphrase of the Lewis (2017) passage follows. Including a page number is optional, but encouraged, where you have not directly quoted the reference. In this case, you are referencing ideas rather than text.
Example 3 Paraphrasing
A number of writers have expressed concern about the global influence of Silicon Valley technology developers. Reliance upon technology can result in undue influence being brought to bear over populations by a very small number of people (Lewis, 2017).
Reference
Lewis, P. (2017, 6 October). "Our minds can be hijacked": The tech insiders who fear a smartphone dystopia, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia