Reasons for Citations: Citation of Source(s)
When you write a paper or a book, compose a song or an opera, paint a portrait or create a sculpture, you own it. Whether your creation is in words or artistic form, it belongs exclusively to you. You have the right to copy, reproduce, change or sell it. No one else does, unless you give your permission. In the United States these intellectual property rights are constitutionally protected by copyright laws.
- Giving credit to the originator of the idea.
- Illustrating that you have researched the idea.
- Giving your readers access to the complete work, instead of just the segment you quoted.
When you use someone else's words or ideas or their music, you must give credit to the originator, or you are saying that something belonging to someone else is yours. It's misrepresentation, cheating, and lying. Taking false credit like this will be caught by professors (who have many tools to find the original author) and result in serious consequences. It's plagiarism, and it's against the law. Sometimes when you're doing research, you will find something that is said so perfectly, you just can't think of another way to say it, and you know your professor will just love it. Well then, quote it or paraphrase it, and always provide a citation.
Let's look at the following statement:
It is the basic instinct of all animals, territoriality, which will destroy us. Unless we give up possessiveness and become citizens of the world, without the hatred, fear, envy and prejudice which surround territoriality, the world will not survive. Here it is again restated:
It is a primary feeling of all animals, territorial behavior, which will be the end of all of us. Unless we stop being possessive, become citizens of the earth, and give up the prejudice, envy, fear or hatred, which are characteristics of territorial behavior, the earth will not survive.
What is the restatement, plagiarism or paraphrase?
plagiarism paraphrase Let's look at another restatement:
The author contends that territoriality, which is the basis of "hatred, fear, envy and prejudice" will destroy us. The statement is obviously a paraphrase, using a quotation and summarizing the main point of the author.
For some famous and some not-so-famous quotations according to Bartlett and prior to 1901, use http://www.bartleby.com.
