United States History Student Edition

found the information. Of course, you may want to use some direct quotations from a primary source. If you do quote a source directly, put the words in quotation marks and write the page number of the source on the back of the card. Plagiarism Why do you need to document your sources? When you write your research project, you need to write it in your own words. You must not plagiarize. To plagiarize (PLAY•juh•RYZ) is to present the ideas or words of another person as your own without giving credit to the source. Plagiarism is similar to forgery, or copying something that is not yours. It also violates copyright laws. These laws prevent the unauthorized use of a writer’s work. If you copy an idea or a written text exactly word for word and present it as your own, that is plagiarism. Some scholars have ruined their careers through plagiarism. They used content from books or the Internet without citing the source or giving credit. • When you restate an opinion from something you read, include a reference to the author: “According to Smith, . . .” • Always include a footnote when you use a direct quotation from one of your sources. plagiarize to present someone’s work as your own without giving that person credit violate to disobey or break a rule or law; to break, to treat with disrespect 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. Summarizing What are the consequences of using an Internet resource with biased information? 2. Analyzing What is one way to avoid plagiarism when writing about history? APPLYING WHAT I LEARNED 1. Argumentative Writing Write a paragraph about why plagiarism is wrong. Be sure to give reasons to support your opinion. 2. Analyzing Information Work with a partner to research and find at least two different sources about a historic event of your choice. Then analyze each source based on the criteria in the lesson and write a summary of your analysis on how credible you think each source is. To avoid plagiarism, follow these rules: • Put information in your own words.

A URL that ends in .edu is usually a site for an educational institution, such as a college or university. Most .edu sites pride themselves on accuracy. However, some documents on these sites are written by students. If so, they do not have as much reliability as material written by a professor. Look closely at the author’s identification information. Nonprofit organizations usually use .org at the end of their URLs. These sites may be very accurate. Museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum have .org in their URLs. Their Web sites contain articles written by experts in their field. However, some groups that use .org publish information to support their own causes. Their sites may contain biased information, and they often contain opinions. Taking Notes As you find useful information, note it on your cards. Your notes should be in your own words and in complete sentences. On the back of each card, make notes about the books in which you Take great care when researching, either online or from print sources, not to copy other people’s work. Always give credit when quoting someone, too.

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