Preventing Plagiarism III

Introduction

To prevent plagiarism, proper attribution must be given to the creator of an idea. The works of document authors, presenters at conventions or in webinars, and participants in an interview need to be acknowledged. When the precise words of an author or presenter are repeated in a new format, the phrases need to be properly presented in quotation marks with specific levels of citation information, including page or paragraph numbers. Quotations are presented differently in documents written in American and British English.

Fair use and copyright law are the bases underlying the legal reuse of text and graphic information, but an in-depth discussion is beyond the scope of this article. In summary, the onus to understand the policies and laws governing intellectual property falls on all authors. This blog does not provide legal advice.

Quotations vs. Citations

Quotations

Quotations are words that are copied verbatim from written or oral documents and include the name of the person quoted. Quotations are used to emphasize or exemplify key concepts.

Quotation: 

In her recent article, Smith (2022) suggested that cheating students should “re-evaluate their reasons for taking the class and think about the consequences of their behaviors” (p. 212).

Quotations are recognized by quotation marks. The paragraph or page number from the original source is included before or after the quoted text.

Citations

In contrast, citations are notations that indicate the original source of an idea. They are used to as specific background to justify key concepts.

Citation:

In response, as suggested by Smith (2022) in the context of cheating, struggling students should be encouraged to reflect on the motivations underlying their educational pursuits.

Citations are not enclosed by quotation marks. Typically, only the source information is documented, not the page or paragraph number. However, for closely paraphrased citations, which are often rewritten to be more concise, a paragraph or page number is required.

Paraphrased text:

Smith (2022, p. 212) suggested that cheating students re-evaluate their educational goals and consider the outcomes of cheating.

Sources of Quotations

Quotations can be taken from written documents, audio and visual content, and in-person interviews. In every case, a quotation must be copied exactly as it appears in writing or is spoken.

Printed and Online Documents

The quoted material must be copied exactly as it is written, punctuated, and emphasized. For quotations from written documents, cutting and pasting is easy enough. However, decisions about the representation of several details need to be made.

Punctuation

In cases of a sentence ending (closing) with quoted material, the period (full stop) needs to be consistently inside or outsidequotation marks. In British format, the period is usually outside the closing quotation marks. In American format, it is usually inside the quotation marks.

British form:

In a recent article, Smith (2022, p. 212) suggested that cheating students should ‘re-evaluate their reasons for taking the class and think about the consequences of their behaviors’.

Notably, in both British and American English quotations, question marks must be placed according to context. For example, if the quotation is in the form of a question, then the question mark is inside the quotation marks. If the original material is in the form of a statement, and the author uses the quotation in the form of a question, the question mark is placed after the closing quotation marks.

Quotation of a question:

Li (2024, p. 4) asked, “Should a new author seek to publish a critical review?”

Quotation used to ask a new question:

What did Li (2024, p. 4) suggest by asking whether a “new author should publish a critical review”?

Single and double quotation marks

Quoted material is placed in single quotation marks in British format and in double quotation marks in American format. When the quoted material contains a quote, such as in case of dialog, the previously cited material in a quotation is placed in double quotation marks in British contexts and in single quotation marks in American contexts.

American form:

Kyra, referring to Martin (2019, para. 45), suggested in her thesis that “the composition of the material can be ‘seriously compromised’ when maintained at pressures higher than 700 psi.”

British form:

Kyra, referring to Martin (2019, para. 45), suggested in her thesis that ‘the composition of the material can be “seriously compromised” when maintained at pressures higher than 700 psi’.

Block quotations

Long quotations are generally set apart from the main paragraph without quotation marks. An extra space is added above and below quotation, and when formatting is allowed, the quotation may be double indented (the margins are larger on each side), italicized, and/or presented in single spacing. Please note that permissions may be needed to use long quotations from an original source.

Errors

Sometimes quoted material includes incorrect or outdated punctuation marks or grammatical errors. Publishers have different philosophies on how to handle errors in original text that is quoted. Some allow light editing to correct a comma splice or spelling error. Other publishers are very strict and suggest that the material must be quoted with the mistakes included. In the latter cases, an author may be allowed to use a notation such as [sic]to indicate that the error was in the original documentation and not introduced in the publication.

Error notation:

Parks (2015, p. 25) suggested that “the physicians and researcher has [sic] incorrectly identified the source of the failure.”

Incompatible phrasing

Similar to their philosophy on grammatical errors, the strictest publishers insist that errors be included without correction without an addendum. Others suggest a light edit to place the quotation in context is appropriate. For example, if an original article refers to students, but the quotation appears in a paper refers to a student, a less strident approach suggests that the writer can change the quoted material from the plural to singular form. Similarly, some publishers allow words to follow the capitalization style of the current document, not that of the original publisher.

Omissions

In most cases, ellipses are used to indicate that a portion of a quoted passage is deleted. A three-point ellipse (…) is used to indicate that text is missing from the middle of a sentence. A four-point ellipse is used to indicate that the quote at the end of a sentence has been truncated. Some publishers expect a three-point ellipse be used to indicate that the beginning of a quoted passage has been removed; others suggest that introductory phrases, such as “in addition” or “moreover” can be removed and the quote started with a capital letter, not an ellipse.

Emphasis

When a word is being used as a definition, in an ironic sense, or to emphasize a point, the author may have used underlining or italics for emphasis. Words or phrases given special attention in quoted passages need to be identified in the new document. In brackets after a quotation, the author generally uses the terms “emphasis in the original” to indicate that the italicized or underlined word is copied verbatim. A qualifier, “emphasis added,” should be used when an author adds emphasis to quoted material. The absence of an explanation is interpreted to mean that the emphasis was in the original text.

Emphasis notations:

Arroyo (2004, p. 24) clearly explained that “students caught cheating would be expelled without the option to reapply” [emphasis in the original].

Arroyo (2004, p. 24) clearly explained that “students caught cheating would be expelled without the option to reapply” [emphasis added].

Audio–Visual Contexts and Interviews

The ability to use proper punctuation is critical to convey the original intent of spoken material. However, the role of punctuation is often misused in this and other contexts. For example, although a comma is an indicator to pause when reading aloud, a comma is not added to dictate a pause in reading. Therefore, when quoting material from interviews or audio-visual presentations, an author may choose to use stage directions or other indicators in brackets to attribute emphasis accurately.

Grammatically correct rendering of an interview statement: Professor Miller (2014) explained as gently as possible that “the thesis of the paper had begun to unravel.”

Grammatically incorrect statement: Professor Miller explained as gently as possible that “the thesis of the paper had begun to, unravel.”

Statement with contextual information: Professor Miller explained as gently as possible that “the thesis of the paper had begun to [pause]unravel.”

In Summary

When the editing standards in the author’s guide of a publication are not stated or are unclear, I recommend following the strictest rules. The copyeditor of the publication can modify a quotation to meet more relaxed standards if the full and unedited quotation is presented in the submission. Failure to follow best practices can lead to plagiarism, and in cases of copyright infringement, authors can face costly legal processes and punishments.