Paraphrasing Incorrectly

Review the following examples** and Test Your Knowledge.  This is an original paragraph from: Delfattore, Joan. What Johnny shouldn't read : textbook censorship in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.

In the Dick and Jane readers some of us remember from our childhoods, a family consisted of a married couple, two or three well-behaved children, and a dog and a cat. Father wore suits and went out to work; mother wore aprons and baked cupcakes. Little girls sat demurely watching little boys climb trees. Home meant a single-family house in a middle-class suburban neighborhood. Color the lawn green. Color the people white. Family life in the textbook world was idyllic; parents did not quarrel, children did not disobey, and babies did not throw up on the dog.

These three paragraphs illustrate common ways Delfattore's paragraph is plagiarized.

Practice what you've learned about Paraphrasing Incorrectly.  Click your answer.

Scenario 1
Tina Triton has found information in a book that's exactly on her topic. She decides to incorporate two paragraphs from one of the book's chapters into her paper. She rewrites the paragraphs in her own words and credits the author. Has Tina committed plagiarism?

• Yes, Tina has committed plagiarism.

  Incorrect. Tina has not committed plagiarism because she gave credit to the author. Paraphrasing is okay as long as you credit the author for his/her original ideas.

• No, Tina has not committed plagiarism.

  Correct. Tina paraphrased the writing and gave credit to the author. If Tina had not given credit to the author, then she would have committed plagiarism.

Scenario 2
Tommy Triton located information in a journal article that is perfect for his research paper. He rearranges a few words in the sentences and uses a thesaurus to substitute some of the words. Has Tommy committed plagiarism?

• Yes, Tommy has committed plagiarism.

  Correct. Tommy did not use his own words in his paraphrasing and he did not give credit to the author.

• No, Tommy has not committed plagiarism.

  Incorrect. Remember, paraphrasing is not merely rearranging the words in a sentence or simply substituting words with a thesaurus. Use your own words when you paraphrase. In addition, Tommy did not give credit to the author. When you paraphrase, you still need to cite your source because the idea you are expressing is not your own.