EAP Avoiding Plagiarism 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student writes a paper using only sources from one author and cites every use correctly. Is this plagiarism?
- Yes, because you must use multiple authors
- No, as long as all sources are properly cited (Correct answer)
- Yes, because it shows lack of critical thinking
- No, but only if the author gave personal permission
Correct answer: No, as long as all sources are properly cited
Using a single author's work is not plagiarism as long as every instance is correctly cited; the issue would be academic quality, not integrity.
Question 2: In MLA style, what is included in a parenthetical citation for a direct quote from a book with a known author?
- Author, year, and page number
- Author's last name and page number (Correct answer)
- Title and page number
- Author's full name and publication year
Correct answer: Author's last name and page number
MLA parenthetical citations include the author's last name and the page number (e.g., Smith 45), with no comma between them.
Question 3: Which type of plagiarism involves submitting a paper written entirely by another person (e.g., purchased online)?
- Mosaic plagiarism
- Self-plagiarism
- Contract cheating (Correct answer)
- Incremental plagiarism
Correct answer: Contract cheating
Contract cheating occurs when a student pays or otherwise obtains a complete paper from another person and submits it as their own work.
Question 4: A student summarizes three pages of a source into two sentences and adds a citation. What should the citation indicate?
- Only the first page of the source
- The full page range covered in the summary (Correct answer)
- No page number is needed for a summary
- The page number of the most important sentence
Correct answer: The full page range covered in the summary
When summarizing a specific section, the citation should indicate the range of pages (e.g., pp. 45–47) to help readers locate the original material.
Question 5: What does it mean to 'integrate a quotation' effectively in academic writing?
- Place the quotation at the start of every paragraph
- Introduce the quote with a signal phrase and follow it with analysis (Correct answer)
- Use only quotes and avoid paraphrasing
- Summarize the quote immediately after presenting it
Correct answer: Introduce the quote with a signal phrase and follow it with analysis
Effective integration involves introducing a quote with a signal phrase (e.g., 'According to Smith…') and then analyzing its significance in your own words.
Question 6: Which of the following situations requires a citation in academic writing?
- Stating that water boils at 100°C at sea level
- Describing a specific experiment's methodology from a journal article (Correct answer)
- Noting that Shakespeare was an English playwright
- Mentioning that the US declared independence in 1776
Correct answer: Describing a specific experiment's methodology from a journal article
Specific methodologies, findings, and arguments from published research must always be cited, even when paraphrased.
Question 7: When paraphrasing, a student should always:
- Keep the same sentence length as the original
- Use the same technical terms without quotation marks
- Include a citation even though the wording is original (Correct answer)
- Avoid mentioning the author's name in the text
Correct answer: Include a citation even though the wording is original
A paraphrase uses your own words but the idea still belongs to the original author, so a citation is always required.
EAP Avoiding Plagiarism 4
A student writes a paper using only sources from one author and cites every use correctly.
Is this plagiarism?