What is referencing and how do I avoid plagiarism?
Referencing
The work you submit for assessment must be your own and should reflect the amount of effort you have put into the assessment.
The School regulations state that:
'All work for classes and seminars as well as scripts (which include, for example, essays, dissertations and any other work, including computer programs) must be the student's own work. Quotations must be placed properly within quotation marks or indented and must be cited fully. All paraphrased material must be acknowledged. Infringing this requirement, whether deliberately or not, or passing off the work of others as the work of the student, whether deliberately or not, is plagiarism.
A student’s own work consists of:
- Work written exclusively by the student, which may draw upon source material but does not copy this material directly.
- Work produced by collaboration expressly allowed by the department or institute concerned (e.g. group project) or, at MPhil/PhD level, allowed under the Regulations for Research Degrees.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism refers to the use of any work of others without proper referencing, whether published or not, and can include the work of other students.. Any quotation from the published or unpublished works of other persons, including other students, must be clearly identified as such and a full reference to their sources must be provided using a recognised referencing style (e.g. Harvard). A series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism just as much as does a single unacknowledged long quotation from a single source.
You should also bear in mind that inadequate referencing can also result in an allegation of plagiarism. For example, inserting a section of text (of any size) from someone else's work in to your own without quotation marks would be plagiarism even if the source were acknowledged in a precise reference. If you use verbatim material from other sources it must both be in quotation marks or indented and precisely referenced with page numbers. When the work of other people is referred to, there should always be an acknowledgement.
For example, this constitutes plagiarism:
In my essay, I will be analyzing the rise of NGOs. Since the 1980s, NGOs have moved to the forefront of development policy and practice. There are many different types of NGOs, as I will show in the next section …
This does not constitute plagiarism (because it is properly quoted):
In my essay, I will be analyzing the rise of NGOs. As Smith has written (1998:17) "since the 1980s, NGOs have moved to the forefront of development policy and practice". There are many different types of NGOs, as I will show in the next section …
Nor does this (because it is properly referenced and summarised in your own words):
In my essay, I will be analyzing the rise of NGOs. Smith (1998) points out that from the 1980s onwards NGOs have become more important actors in the field of development. There are many different types of NGOs, as I will show in the next section.
Please note that plagiarism can arise from failing to source material obtained from Internet sources as well as from books, articles, etc.
Self-plagiarism
A piece of work may only be submitted for assessment once. Submitting the same piece of work or a significant part the same piece of work) twice) may be regarded as 'self-plagiarism' and may be investigated by the School, under the regulations for academic misconduct. If you do refer to any earlier work you have submitted in another assessment, you should make sure to reference yourself, as you would any other author. See an example of how to reference properly above.
How to ensure good academic conduct
The appropriate citation of sources is an important tool for assessment and it is your responsibility for learning the proper forms of citation.. However, the Department of Social Policy and the School provide resources to assist you.. Information about referencing is available from LSE LIFE.
If you want to look at some good examples of referencing, you could take a look at journals within the LSE Library.
If you are unclear about plagiarism and/or require assistance with the academic referencing conventions used by the School you should seek guidance from your Academic Mentor, the Library or LSE LIFE
Turnitin: a tool to help you avoid plagiarism!
Before you submit any work for your Social Policy courses, you will have the opportunity to check your work using text matching software known as ‘Turnitin’. This software can help you see where you may need to correct any poor referencing in your work to avoid plagiarism.
Markers are expertly familiar with their area of research and teaching and, therefore, are more able to spot poor referencing and potential issues of plagiarism within your work.
As well as you being able to use Turnitin as tool for checking your work, the Department also uses Turnitin to identify any potential plagiarism cases.. Your work of concern may be referred to an Assessment Misconduct Panel for investigation.
In a case of suspected plagiarism, the Department will act according to the School's Regulations on Assessment Offences - Plagiarism.