<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> A quick guide to essay writing
   
   

>> Watch out for plagiarism!

Plagiarism consists of unacknowledged quotation of the work of others (including other students) as if this were your own original work. The definition can also include using other people's ideas but rewriting them in your own words, without saying that the idea was not originally yours. For example, if you wish to refer to a critic's argument, you should either include a footnote or introduce it with a phrase such as ‘… as F.R.Leavis has argued …’.

If you include a sentence from a critic in the body of your own commentary and include that critic’s book in your bibliography, but do not explicitly state which idea was the critics, it is still counted as plagiarism. All quotations from critical sources within the body of your own writing must be placed in inverted commas and the book and page number given, as well the book appearing in any bibliography you are asked to provide. If the critical comment of others is being quoted at length to substantiate your argument or in order for you to state a counter-argument, it needs to be set out separately from your own commentary and indicated accordingly.

If you are in any doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism consult your teacher; plagiarism is regarded very seriously by examiners.

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