Unit 2: Plagiarism

The first thing that jumped out at me while looking through the readings was that on the second page of the overview is says to memorize this "The problem of plagiarism occurs when you fail to give credit for information, such as ideas and words, that are not originally yours."

As someone who is working on their second degree I feel it should be common knowledge not to claim some ones else's work as your own, whether it be full or partial. Unfortunately, there are still many students who don't feel that way or just ignore that it's ethically wrong because they are too lazy or busy to do the work themselves. 

For me, I make sure that when I'm writing a paper I highlight what information Im using and then include where it is from. If I'm using a quote then I cite it using proper MLA format. After make it a system for myself and having various instructors engrain the consequences of plagiarism into me it is something that I avoid. If I question the possibility that it could be mistaken for plagiarizing I ask my instructor or go to the writing help center. 

Part 2:

1. Last summer, my family and I traveled to Chicago, which was quite different from the rural area I grew up in. We saw the dinosaur Sue at the Field Museum, and ate pizza at Gino's East.

I see no need to make changes. There are no citation errors since these facts are coming straight from the source.

2. Americans want to create a more perfect union; they also want to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for everybody.

I question where this material comes from. It needs a citation or some kind of attribution.

3. I find it ridiculous that 57% of high school students think their teachers assign too much homework.

This statistic is coming from some place and the author needs to inform the reader where it's coming from.

4. Martin Luther King was certain that nobody would want to be contented with a surfacy type of social analysis that concerns itself only with effects and doesn't deal with root causes.

This is a small summary of the original works. I do not feel it needs to be cited since the writer doesn't actually use quotes or specific details.

5. Martin Luther King wrote that the city of Birmingham's "white power structure" left African-Americans there "no alternative" but to demonstrate ("Letter from the Birmingham Jail" para. 5)

This writer quoted some one else’s work and then appropriately cited it.

6. In "Letter from the Birmingham Jail," King writes to fellow clergy saying that although they "deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham, your statement fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations."

This writer used attribution but didn’t cite. I would have included proper MLA citation to avoid any confusion or possible consequences.

7. My friend Kara told me that she loves living so close to the ocean.

This is a statement talking about a friend and what she said so I wouldn’t include citation. The writer attributed it appropriately.

8. Americans are guaranteed the right to freely gather for peaceful meetings.

This is a widely known part of the constitution but I would have included citation to clarify.