self-study: understanding plagiarism and referencing

Last week, Steve showed us how to avoid plagiarism ,which was a big help for me to write essay in an academic way. In my country,students in university don't pay too much attention to them. When I begin to write my introduction of essay, I feel frustration,I don't know how to avoid plagiarism which makes me helpless.

After Steve's modifying my mistakes, I understand a little about it. In order to know more plagiarism and referencing,I use the weblearn to study,I begin to know more about plagiarism.

It includes:

• copying words from a book, journal or other source without using quotation marks and giving the author and date;


• referring to ideas from books journals or other sources without mentioning the author and date;


• copying the work of another student or friend/relative;


• working with or getting the help of another student or friend/relative without mentioning this;


• submitting an essay which is merely a collection of summaries or paraphrases of others’ writings;


• commissioning a piece of writing from an outside agency instead of doing it yourself;
  inventing references or bibliography entries.

how to avoids plagiarism:

• is informed by the reading, and that information is integrated into my writing;


• is written by myself who has engaged with the reading not merely ‘remembered’ it;


• carries a distinct ‘voice’: that of myself;


• has my personal point of view and perspective running through it;


• is unique: it could only have been written by myself.

Another way of understanding plagiarism and referencing is reading other's reference,paying attention to his way of referencing.I find a reliable book in my subject area and read the reference in the back of book. I find the way to write correct reference.But I need practice.So I try to write my reference of my introduction and check weather I have written right reference or not.To my exciting, I write almost right!

Further more, I try to use Steve's advise--Harvard system of reference(http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm). It is a useful tool for me to write right reference!