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FCS 100

A course guide for students in FCS 100. Updated Fall 2020..

Citation Help

** This is a great resource to go source by source and actually create your citations.
You can follow along with the examples and input the information you need. 
Be sure to always check against the official style guide. **

A note about citation:
Charts, graphs, and images must also be cited appropriately.

This is the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, sometimes known as the APA Style Guide. Paul Meek Library keeps a copy on reserve that you can use while in the library. The Writing Center also has a copy on hand.

Plagiarism Help

Just like with anything else, citing and avoiding plagiarism takes practice. The more you do this, the better you'll get at it. 

Practice paraphrasing every chance you get. Paraphrase magazine articles, your class notes, or a speech you heard. Practice citing appropriately.

Tips for paraphrasing: 

  1. Read the material once through.
  2. Look away for ten seconds and think about something else (puppies! tacos! playing the banjo!)
  3. Rewrite the material, capturing the content of what was said, not the format.
  4. Go back and reread the original material to make sure you accurately captured the argument. 
  5. CITE the paraphrased section just as you would a direct quotation.

Ask for help! If you're unsure if something might be plagiarism, ask your professor, the Writing Center, or a librarian. It's also helpful to create several drafts and have someone read over it. Even if you think you've perfectly avoiding plagiarism, ask the Writing Center to help you be sure. 

Created by Ann Agee at San Jose State University, this guide walks you through some of basic questions students often have about plagiarism. 

You can skip to a specific section using the navigators on the left side, or you can go through the whole tutorial using the arrows at the bottom.

plagiarism guide San Jose State University

This PowerPoint presentation was created by the Director of the Writing Center, Dr. Kelle Alden. She discusses some tips for paraphrasing and quoting, as well as good and bad examples of each.