Types of (Unintentional) Plagiarism
The Source:
After-school jobs have become a major force in teen life. More than five million kids between 12 and 17 now work, according to Simmons Market Research Bureau. Teens are twice as likely to work as they were in 1950. The change has been fueled by the growth of the service sector after World War II, the rise of the fast-food industry in the 1960s and ‘70s and an increase in the number of girls entering the work force. About two thirds of seniors today work more than five hours a week during the academic year.
Waldman, Steven and Karen Springen. “Too Old, Too Fast?” Newsweek.16 Nov. 1992: 80-88.
Word-for-Word Plagiarizing
In the following example, the writer simply inserts a transition before copying directly from the source.
Several factors contributed to the increase in working teenagers. The change has been fueled by the growth of the service sector after World War II, the rise of the fast-food industry in the 1960s and ‘70s and an increase in the number of girls entering the work force.
Quotation marks around all the copied text, followed by a citation, world avoid plagiarism. But a paper consisting largely of quoted passages would be relatively worthless.
Plagiarism by Paraphrase or Mosaic Plagiarism
In this case the writer follows the movement of the source, substituting words and sentences, but keeping the form and/or style of the original. Notice how the writer lifts phrases and terms from the source and embeds them in her own prose.
An increase of females entering the work force, the increased popularity of fast food, and the general growth of the service sector after World War II are all factors leading to the increase of teenagers working after school.
The writer could avoid plagiarism here by putting the source away and constructing a sentence which will present the same information in a different style. Also, the writer still needs to acknowledge the source, both by attribution (Steven Waldman and Karen Springen mention several factors which led to the increase of teenagers in the work force. . .) and with an in-text citation (Waldman and Springen 80).
If you find as you work at paraphrasing, quoting and citing that you are only gluing sources together, that too much of your paper comes from your sources and not enough from you own mind, go back to the drawing board. If you have doubts about the way you are using sources, talk to your teacher!