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Mon 20 Aug, 2012 09:44 am
When you paraphrase a definition, is it plagiarism? So we learned the definitions for several terms in my philosophy class. Would it be plagiarism to go online and refresh myself with these terms and paraphrase the definition? I would not be stealing someone's original thoughts/ideas because these are general terms that were established a long time ago and the author of these articles defining these terms are essentially just putting these definitions in their own words. Thoughts?
The teacher also said that there should be no work cited page, as all the information should be in the articles we've read in class. I was able to do all the questions, but am having trouble with the definitions.
For example the assignment asks me to define a "intentional stance". In order to define it I would have to go online to get the definition and paraphrase it/ put it in my own words. But I'm not supposed to add a work cited. What to do?
@curiouslycurious,
As I understand it as an erstwhile writer it’s usually ok to quote brief passages and almost always ok to paraphrase. However the boundaries aren’t clearly defined
Doubtless someone else can be more precise
@dalehileman,
dalehileman wrote:as an erstwhile writer
When did you stop being a writer? And how does being an erstwhile one add authority to your pronouncements? (Given that anybody can be a writer?)
@contrex,
dalehileman wrote:
as an erstwhile writer
Quote:When did you stop being a writer?
One thinks of the term as implying remunerative publication, long since abandoned as just too much work
Quote:And how does being an erstwhile one add authority to your pronouncements?
It says that maybe I’ve had some experience in the realm
Quote:(Given that anybody can be a writer?)
Not in the sense I used it
@curiouslycurious,
curiouslycurious wrote:
When you paraphrase a definition, is it plagiarism? So we learned the definitions for several terms in my philosophy class. Would it be plagiarism to go online and refresh myself with these terms and paraphrase the definition? I would not be stealing someone's original thoughts/ideas because these are general terms that were established a long time ago and the author of these articles defining these terms are essentially just putting these definitions in their own words. Thoughts?
The teacher also said that there should be no work cited page, as all the information should be in the articles we've read in class. I was able to do all the questions, but am having trouble with the definitions.
For example the assignment asks me to define a "intentional stance". In order to define it I would have to go online to get the definition and paraphrase it/ put it in my own words. But I'm not supposed to add a work cited. What to do?
Not to do your homework for you, or to school you in the general ethics of scholastic notation, but...just notate who your source is. Take note of your professor's preferred citational method, and acknowledge it in your paper. Preferred bibliographical methods are diverse, but each is relatively simple.
@contrex,
Are you an erstwhile English teacher, C?
@curiouslycurious,
I do not understand how paraphrasing a definition could be considered plagiarism. If the easiest way to define something is to modify an existing definition, it can be a good idea to start from there.
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