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Five strategies to avoid plagiarism

Paraphrase is one of the strategies to avoid plagiarism. So you have found information that is perfect for your research paper. Read it and put it into your own words. Make sure that you do not copy verbatim more than two words in a row from the text you have found. If you do use more than two words together, you will have to use quotation marks

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Citing is one of the effective ways to avoid plagiarism. Follow the document formatting guidelines (i.e. APA, MLA, mutare, etc.) used by your educational institution or the institution that issued the research request. This usually entails the addition of the author(s) and the date of the publication or similar information. Citing is really that simple. Not citing properly can constitute plagiarism.

The other strategy is quoting. When quoting a source, use the quote exactly the way it appears. No one wants to be misquoted. Most institutions of higher learning frown on “block quotes” or quotes of 40 words or more. A scholar should be able to effectively paraphrase most material. This process takes time, but the effort pays off! Quoting must be done correctly to avoid plagiarism allegations.

The fourth strategy to avoid plagiarism is referencing.  One of the most important ways to avoid plagiarism is including a reference page or page of works cited at the end of your research paper. Again, this page must meet the document formatting guidelines used by your educational institution. This information is very specific and includes the author(s), date of publication, title, and source. Follow the directions for this page carefully. You will want to get the references right.

The fifth one is citing your own material.  If some of the material you are using for your research paper was used by you in your current class, a previous one, or anywhere else you must cite yourself. Treat the text the same as you would if someone else wrote it. It may sound odd, but using material you have used before is called self-plagiarism, and it is not acceptable.

The attributes of inforrmation literate person

Doyles’ (1992) attributes of the information literate person are the outcome of a Delphi study, in which a group of experts discussed and agreed upon characteristics associated with information literacy. In this model, the information literate person is one who recognises that accurate and complete information is the basis for intelligent decision making, recognises the need for information, formulates questions based on information needs, identifies potential sources of information, develops successful search strategies, accesses sources of information, evaluates information, organizes information, integrates new information into an existing body of knowledge, and uses information in critical thinking and problem solving (p.2). Learning to be information literate involves acquiring and demonstrating these attributes. The relational model of information literacy (Bruce, 1997) was developed through researching the information experiences of professionals representing a range of disciplines. 

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This model frames information literacy in terms of seven different ways of seeing and experiencing information use. Each of these reveals one of seven facets of the information literacy experience: information technology for retrieval and communication, information sources, information process, information control, knowledge construction, knowledge extension and wisdom. Many of these ways of seeing information literacy involve recognizing interdependency between groups and individuals in the information literacy experience. Learning to be information literate, in this model, involves becoming aware of different ways of experiencing information use through engaging in relevant information practices and reflection.

Importances of journals  in academic researches

In the adult education classroom, this learning method becomes a tool to aid learners in terms of personal growth, synthesis, and/or reflection on new information that is acquired. I urge my learners to use one of the journaling formats as a means for assisting them obtain the maximum amount of interaction, knowledge, and personal growth from their reading efforts or other learning experiences. There also is the potential for a journaling technique to promote critical self-reflection where dilemmas, contradictions, and evolving worldviews are questioned or challenged. In the graduate classroom, for example, this may be an especially valued result as teachers attempt to facilitate a professional development in their learners. Learning something that is new or different and then reflecting on what that means for a current or expected professional position can be an important outcome. Some of my students include portions of a journal or diary in a professional portfolio as a means of demonstrating to current or prospective employers their ability to critically reflect on issues.

Many writers also students to incorporate such self-reflection through a journaling technique into the development of a personal statement of philosophy or a code of personal ethics (Hiemstra, 1999). “This recognition of personal values, beliefs, and the various changes a person undergoes throughout life, if combined with a personal philosophy statement, can result in foundational tools useful as guides or mirrors for subsequent professional action and ethical decision making”

References

 1.Bruce, Christine (2004) Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change. A Background Paper . In Danaher, Patrick Alan, Eds. Proceedings “Lifelong Learning: Whose responsibility and what is your contribution?”, the 3rd International Lifelong Learning Conference, pages pp. 8-19, Yeppoon, Queensland

2.Hiemstra, R. (2001). Uses and benefits of journal writing. In L. M. English & M. A. Gillen, (Eds.), Promoting journal writing in adult education (New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 90, pp. 19-26). San Francisco: Jossey-Bas

4 Bailey, J. (2013). The Difference between Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism. Plagiarism Today. Retrieved November 29, 2014 from https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2013/10/07/difference-copyright-infringementplagiarism/

5  For strategies to avoid plagiarism. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Cliffs Notes, n.d. Web. 4 August 2010.