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Ethical Considerations

Plagiarism violates Pellissippi State Technical Community College’s Statement of Academic Honesty and carries severe penalties. Words and ideas are considered intellectual property, and the use of them without written permission or proper documentation is considered theft. For more information about academic honesty and Pellissippi State students go to Pellissippi P.A.T.H.S.on the English Department's Web site.

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Examples of Paraphrasing

The following original source is taken from:

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human.New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.

“It seems likely that no one ever will establish Shakespeare’s religious sentiments, whether early in his life or late. Unlike his father, who died a Catholic, Shakespeare maintained his usual ambiguity in this dangerous area, and Hamlet is neither a Protestant nor a Catholic work” (Bloom 391).

Plagiarized paraphrase:

No one will ever establish Shakespeare’s religious beliefs, either as a young man or an older man. His father died a Catholic, but Shakespeare’s beliefs remain ambiguous because the question of religion was a dangerous one in his era. For example, the play Hamlet is considered neither a Protestant nor a Catholic work.

An acceptable form of paraphrase:

Literary scholars have not identified Shakespeare’s Hamlet as either a Protestant or Catholic piece of literature. In Shakespeare’s day, the question of one’s religion was perilous, and researchers have been unable to determine Shakespeare’s religious beliefs. Though there is some proof that his family was Catholic, Shakespeare successfully avoided revealing his religious views to his audiences (Bloom 391).

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Testing Your Knowledge of Plagiarism

Original source:

Wright, Karen. “A Volcano is Born.” Discover. Dec. 2001: 34-35.

“The 10,000-foot peaks in Western Oregon known as The Three Sisters were once a flat stretch of real estate. Then the ground began to tremble and bulge, and the first in a long series of volcanic eruptions spewed ash and debris as far south as California and out into the Pacific Ocean. Such eruptions have been building the Sisters from lava and cinders for about 700,000 years. The last one occurred 2,000 years ago at South Sisters; it’s been pretty quiet ever since” (Wright 34).

Take the following quiz. Decide if each of the following selections contains plagiarized content:

1. The 10,000-foot mountain peaks in Western Oregon known as the Three Sisters were once flat ground. Then volcanic eruptions spewed ash and debris as far as the Pacific Ocean.
Plagiarism
Not Plagiarism

2. For about 70,000 years, lava and cinders from volcanic eruptions have been building The Three Sisters Mountains, and the last eruption occurred 2,000 years ago.
Plagiarism
Not Plagiarism

3. According to geologist Karen Wright, The Three Sisters Mountains of western Oregon began building approximately 700,000 years ago as a result of volcanic activity (34).
Plagiarism
Not Plagiarism

4. The force of the blasts is said to have "spewed ash and debris as far south as California and out into the Pacific Ocean" (Wright 34).
Plagiarism
Not Plagiarism

Score =
Correct answers:

How did you do?
Here is the explanation for the correct answers:

If your quiz results indicate problems with Modern Language Association (MLA) citations and documentation, see your English handbook, consult your English instructor, or visit the Writing Center located on each PSTCC campus.