AVOIDING

PLAGIARISM IN ACADEMIC WRITING

Citing and Referencing Literature Appropriately

Prattama Santoso Utomo, Siti Rokhmah Projosasmito
Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada
2017

INTRODUCTION: ACADEMIC WRITING VS CASUAL WRITING

Writing is a literacy which may have been studied by students since in the early education. It
is one of the methods to express someone’s idea and communicate with others. Writing is
considered as an active component of language skills altogether with speaking. Moreover, it
is widely used in many types of communication (e.g., in informal forums, daily activities, in
the office, conferences, journals, etc.).

There are two main types of writing if it is examined from the point of view of its scientific
value, namely the casual and academic writing (Jego, 2012). Casual writing is utilised in daily
activities and often on informal occasions. In contrast, academic writing is commonly used in
academic and scientific events and occasions. The following Table 1 outlines the comparison
between the academic and casual writing patterns.

Table 1. Academic VS Casual Writing Pattern (Jego, 2012)
Patterns Academic Writing Casual Writing
Pronouns Third person First/second person (I, you,
(he/she/it/they) – except in we)
reflective writing
Clauses Declarative Imperative, interrogative
Power tilt to the author No Yes
Interpersonal interaction No Yes
Focus Cognitive, description Emotional, sense
Style Analytic Mostly descriptive
Where to find Journal articles, textbooks, Newspaper, letters,
scientific reports magazines, casual bulletins

ACADEMIC WRITING: STEPS TO ADHERE

It is essential for medical students, who are already university students, to practice on
academic writing. Academic writing is demanded in approaching assignments and essays,
which are common in undergraduate and postgraduate courses (Bailey, 2006). Moreover,
academic writing is the way to communicate and disseminate any research findings from one
practitioner to others in journals or conferences.

Academic writing has a distinct pattern with casual writing. Although both academic and
casual writing should be based on facts and evidence, academic writing has a more rigid
process to be undertaken. In order to produce a good piece of academic writing (i.e., essay
assignment), Bailey (2006) suggests the following steps to adhere:

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 • Understand the essay requirements
• Search and assess suitable reading materials/references
• Pinpoint important areas of the materials
• Write notes appropriately using paraphrasing and summarising skills
• Synthesise various references if it is necessary
• Plan the structure of the essay: introduction, body, conclusion
• Organise and write the main body
• Organise and write the introduction
• Organise and write the conclusion
• Re-read an re-write
• Perform proof-read

The problem in academic writing begins when authors start translating facts and evidence
from the references to the piece of writing. Plagiarism may emerge if authors are imprudent
in their writing approach.

PLAGIARISM ISSUES IN ACADEMIC WRITING

Plagiarism may be defined as ‘taking the work of another and presenting it as one’s own’
(Anderson, 2009, p. 35). Therefore, it is mandatory to cite others’ idea or work properly when
writing to mitigate plagiarism issue. Furthermore, authors are encouraged to not take all ideas
from the literature just as it. The ideas, although are cited, should be explained using the
authors’ wording without changing the meaning of the original idea. Thus, the authors’ idea
may be conveyed more precisely.

However, authors may unintentionally plagiarise other papers when they are not aware of
the types of plagiarism. Turnitin (2015) identifies that there are 10 types of plagiarism which
are commonly found in academic papers and assignments. These plagiarism patterns should
be recognised by students to avoid both intentional and accidental plagiarism. The following
list outlines the 10 types of plagiarism ordered from the most to least severe (Turnitin, 2015):
• CLONE - an act of submitting another’s work, just as it, as one’s own without
referencing/citing it.
• CTRL-C - a piece of writing which contains significant portions from a single source
without alterations, despite it is already cited.
• FIND-REPLACE – retaining the essential contents of the source in a paper by only
changing some of the words or phrases.
• REMIX – paraphrasing from several sources and fit it into the paper without any
appropriate explanations.
• RECYCLE – self-plagiarism: to borrow generously from one’s own previous work
without citation.
• HYBRID – combining cited sources with the copied passages without citation.
• MASHUP – mixing copied materials from different sources without proper citation.
• 404 ERROR – citing the non-existent or inaccurate information from the literature.
• AGGREGATOR – citing and paraphrasing sources accurately, but the paper only
contains sources without any original work.

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 • RE-TWEET – citing the sources appropriately, but do not change the sources’ original
wording/structure.

CITING OTHERS’ WORK APPROPRIATELY

It is common if someone supports his/her arguments using others’ idea found in the
literature, to ensure that their idea is robust and evidence-based. Authors may utilise various
resources, namely research findings, published arguments/opinions, consensus, guidelines
and many more. In order to avoid plagiarism, authors are obligated to acknowledge others’
work by performing appropriate citation. Citing others’ work is performed by adding in-text
citation which is then accompanied by putting a reference list. This section will outline some
basic principles of the Harvard and Vancouver referencing style which are used by the Faculty
of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FK UGM, 2016).

In-text citation
The Harvard referencing style utilised the author-year system for in-text citation. Authors are
required to acknowledge others’ idea by putting the cited work author’s last name and
followed by the year of publication. Subsequently, the Vancouver style uses superscripted-
numbers as its in-text citation. Furthermore, there are two kinds of in-text citation style, for
instance, the author-prominent and information-prominent style (Monash University, 2017).
The author-prominent style is preferably used if the author of the cited work is supposed to
provide a strong impression on the readers. On the other hand, the information-prominent
style is utilised when the information of the cited work. The following Table 2 shows an
example of in-text citation using Harvard and Vancouver referencing style.

Table 2. Examples of in-text citation using Harvard and Vancouver referencing style
Original reference Author-prominent Information-prominent
An article by Robert Fagard, (H) - Fagard (2009) suggests (H) - Cardiac enlargement
published in 2009 at the that cardiac enlargement might be found in athletes
Heart journal may be a normal finding in which is considered normal
(single author) athletes. (Fagard, 2009).
(V) – Fagard1 suggests that (V) - Cardiac enlargement
cardiac enlargement may be might be found in athletes
a normal finding in athletes. which is considered normal.1
An article by Lambert W.T. (H) - Schuwirth and van der (H) - It has been emphasised
Schuwirth and Cees P.M. Vleuten (2004) has that every written-
van der Vleuten, published emphasised that every assessment could have its
in 2004 at the Medical written-assessment method strength and weaknesses
Education journal might have its advantages (Schuwirth & Lambert,
(two authors) and disadvantages. 2004).
(V) - Schuwirth and van der (V) - It has been emphasised
Vleuten2 has emphasised that every written-
that every written- assessment could have its
assessment method might strength and weaknesses.2
have its advantages and
disadvantages.

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 An article by S. Dogra, J.L.
(H) - Dogra et al. (2011) (H) - Proper exercise has
Kuk, J. Baker and V. Jamnik in recommends proper proven to reduce asthma
2011 at the European exercise to reduce asthma symptoms in adult patients
Respiratory Journal symptoms in adult patients. (Dogra et al., 2011).
(three or more authors) (V) - Dogra et al3 (V) - Proper exercise has
recommends proper proven to reduce asthma
exercise to reduce asthma symptoms in adult patients.3
symptoms in adult patients.
(H) = Harvard referencing style; (V) = Vancouver referencing style

Reference list
All references and literature which are cited in every written work should be listed in the
reference list. The reference list will provide readers with a range of literature, in which they
can search and learn if they want to do so. It is an obligation as a scientist to expand the depth
of knowledge and research based on others’ work. Reference lists in Harvard referencing style
are arranged in the alphabetic order based on the first authors’ first name. On the other hand,
Vancouver referencing style lists the reference based on the order of appearance in the text.
The following is a reference list based on the references which are used in Table 2.

Harvard style:
Dogra, L., Kuk, J.L., Baker, J., & Jamnik, V. 2011. Exercise is associated with improved asthma
control in adults. European Respiratory Journal, 37:318-323.
Fagard, R. 2003. Athlete’s heart. Heart Journal, 89:1455-1461.
Schuwirth, L.W.T., & van der Vleuten, C.P.M. 2004. Different written assessment methods:
what can be said about their strengths and weaknesses? Medical Education, 38:974-979.

Vancouver style:
1. Fagard R. Athlete’s heart. Heart J, 2003;89:1455-61.
2. Schuwirth LWT, van der Vleuten CPM. Different written assessment methods: what can be
said about their strengths and weaknesses? Med Educ, 2004;38:974-9.
3. Dogra L, Kuk JL, Baker J, Jamnik V. Exercise is associated with improved asthma control in
adults. Eur Resp J, 2011;37:318-323.

Although manual citing and referencing are acceptable, it may become out-of-hands if the
number of reference are tremendous. Thus, it will be much more efficient to use referencing
programmes (i.e., Mendeley®, EndNote®) which now available and some of them are free.
Furthermore, for the detailed requirements of the FM UGM’s preferred referencing style,
students are advised to access the undergraduate thesis writing guide for FM UGM students
on page 66-68. The material is available online via the following link:
http://gamel.fk.ugm.ac.id/pluginfile.php/50913/mod_resource/content/0/Panduan%20Skri
psi%20Lengkap%20%2802Juni2016%29.pdf

QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, SUMMARISING AND SYNTHESISING TECHNIQUE

Citing and referencing others’ work properly is obligated. Nevertheless, citing alone is
insufficient to avoid plagiarism if authors are not prudent when managing the wording of their
writing. Although it is referenced, using the significant amount of others’ work without proper

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rewording is still considered as plagiarism (Turinitin, 2015). Therefore, this module will explain
some handy techniques which are useful for avoiding plagiarism when citing others’ works
(i.e., quoting, paraphrasing, summarising and synthesising).

Quoting
Quoting (or direct quotation) is one of the simplest ways to cite and use others’ work in a
written inquiry. It is literally used exactly the same form of the original document, word-by-
word, into other written inquiry (Bailey, 2006). Although it is allowed, scientific papers,
especially medical papers, restrict the use of direct quotation extensively. Many organisations
and universities limit the use of direct quotation to 10% of the paper or assignment length.
Direct quotations may be used for definitions, laws, constitutions or other documents, in
which rewording may alter the meaning or the strength of its originality. To include a direct
quotation in a written inquiry, the author should use the quotation mark (“…”) and the in-text
citation is followed by the page number where the quotes are retrieved from the original
document. The author should quote the document exactly the same word-by-word. The
following is an example of direct quotation:
• Short quotations
Ø Fagard (2003) claimed that, “cardiac enlargement in athletes was already
recognised by the end of the 19th century…” (p. 1455).
Ø Peer-assisted learning may be defined as, “people from similar social groupings
who are not professional teachers helping each other to learn and learning
themselves by teaching” (Burgess & Nestel, 2014, p. 403).

• Long quotations (i.e., more than three lines), the quotation should be indented and
separated from the main text:

Dogra et al. (2011) reported that there are some contradicting results in the research:

“The groups differed significantly at baseline for ACQ with spirometry (p=0.05).
Over the supervised treatment period, ACQ without spirometry significantly
improved in the exercise group compared with the control group (table 3).
However, ACQ score with spirometry did not improve significantly in the
exercise group compared with the control group. There was a trend for
significant improvements in perceived asthma control (p=0.051), submaximal
V’E/V’O2 (p=0.078) and submaximal DI (p=0.054) in the exercise group.” (p.320-
321)

Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is an important academic writing skill in which, “changing a text so that it is quite
different from the source, while retaining the meaning” (Bailey, 2006, p. 29). The primary aim
of paraphrasing is to restate a text, not to shorten its length, to create a different wording
without altering the meaning at all (Bailey, 2006). There are three techniques which may be
implemented for paraphrasing:
• Changing the vocabulary to its synonyms
Most words have their synonyms or other terms which have the similar meaning. For
example: wide à broad; stomach à gaster; forearm à brachium; etc.

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 However, some phrases may not be able to be changed/paraphrased, especially
technical terms (e.g., cardiac output, paracetamol, global warming, economics, etc.)
• Changing the word class
This effort involves changing a word into another word class. For instance: Indonesia
(noun) à Indonesian (adjective); steady condition (adjective + noun) à stable
(adjective); etc.
• Changing word order
This technique includes swapping of the word order without changing its meaning. For
example: the patient started to deteriorate two hours ago à the deterioration has
occurred since 08:00 am.

There is no best technique among the three paraphrasing techniques. Authors should use and
combine them wisely to produce a robust paraphrased text. The following is an example of
an attempt to paraphrase a text.

Original text:
Atherosclerosis is the ongoing process of plaque formation that involves primarily the intima
of large- and-medium-sized arteries; the condition progresses relentlessly throughout a
person’s lifetime, before finally manifesting itself as an acute ischemic event.
(From: Kumar, A., & Cannon, C.P. 2009. Acute coronary syndromes: diagnosis and
management, part 1. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 84(10):917-938.)

Paraphrased text:
Atherosclerosis is a condition which progresses through human’s lifetime which may conclude
to an acute ischemic condition. This process involves plaque formation in the certain-sized
arteries (Kumar & Cannon, 2009).

Summarising
Summarising is an academic writing skill to extract the important parts from a written piece
which significantly reduce the word length (Bailey, 2006). For instance, a paragraph, a book
chapter or a journal article may be summarised as one or two sentences. This is an important
skill to condense a lengthy piece of literature to become a concise and succinct explanation,
but conveys the information appropriately. The following is an example of an attempt to
summarise a text.

Original text:
Physical exercise is associated with haemodynamic changes and alters the loading conditions
of the heart. In dynamic exercise the emphasis is on movement with no or minimal
development of force. The main haemodynamic features are increases in heart rate and stroke
volume, the two components of cardiac output. Systemic vascular resistance drops but the net
result is a slight to moderate rise in blood pressure. The load on the heart is predominantly
that of volume. In static exercise force is developed with no or minimal movement. The
haemodynamic consequences involve a slight elevation of cardiac output, caused by the
increase of heart rate, and a more pronounced rise of blood pressure, resulting in a pressure
load on the heart. From a theoretical point of view the haemodynamic alterations and the
ventricular loading conditions during exercise could, in the long run, lead to left ventricular
hypertrophy (LVH). Volume load would lead to enlargement of the left ventricular internal

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diameter and a proportional increase of wall thickness; this type of adaptation is termed
eccentric LVH. The pressure load would induce thickening of the ventricular wall with
unchanged internal dimension, or concentric LVH. It was suggested that these cardiac
adaptations serve to normalise wall stress.
(From: Fagard, R. 2003. Athlete’s heart. Heart Journal, 89:1455-1461.)

Summarised text:
Fagard (2003) elaborated that physical exercise is related to heart condition alteration and
hemodynamic changes (i.e., cardiac output, the decrease of systemic vascular resistance and
concentric-normal LVH).

Synthesising
Synthesising is an advanced technique in academic writing in which an author combines some
pieces of literature to strengthen a single argument or statement (Bailey, 2006). It is literally
citing more than one resources in a statement. The following is an example of an attempt to
synthesise several resources.

Original text 1:
Atherosclerosis is the ongoing process of plaque formation that involves primarily the intima
of large- and-medium-sized arteries; the condition progresses relentlessly throughout a
person’s lifetime, before finally manifesting itself as an acute ischemic event. Several coronary
risk factors influence this process, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes,
and smoking. These risk factors damage the endothelium of the blood vessel and result in
endothelial dysfunction, which plays a pivotal role in initiating the atherosclerotic process. A
dysfunctional endothelium is characterized by reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide and by
excessive production of endothelin 1, which impairs vascular hemostasis; increased expression
of adhesion molecules (eg, selectins, vascular cell adhesion molecules, and intercellular
adhesion molecules); and increased thrombogenicity of blood through the secretion of several
locally active substances.
(From: Kumar, A., & Cannon, C.P. 2009. Acute coronary syndromes: diagnosis and
management, part 1. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 84(10):917-938.)

Original text 2:
Acute coronary syndromes are triggered by fissuring or rupture of an atheromatous plaque in
the coronary arterial wall (fig 1). This stimulates a thrombotic response causing variable
obstruction to flow in the coronary arterial lumen with downstream ischaemic myocardial
injury. In unstable angina and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction the obstruction to flow
is typically incomplete, whereas in ST elevation myocardial infarction it is complete.
……
The risk of acute coronary syndrome increases with age and is greater in men and in people
with a family history. However, other potentially modifiable risk factors—smoking, diabetes,
hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity, psychosocial factors, lack of exercise, and a diet low in
fruit and vegetables along with little or no alcohol consumption—accounted for more than
90% of the population attributable risk in the case-control INTERHEART study across 52
countries. This identifies acute myocardial infarction as a preventable disorder, and a recent
review of the declines in coronary mortality over the past 50 years concluded that the

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contribution of lifestyle modification was approximately equal to that of drug and
interventional cardiovascular treatments.
(From: Timmis, A. 2015. Acute coronary syndromes. BMJ, 351:h5153)

Synthesised text:
Acute coronary syndromes are caused by an unstable atheromatous plaque in the coronary
artery which highly possible in patients with risks factors such as hypercholesterolemia,
hypertension, diabetes, smoking, unhealthy diet and sedentary life (Kumar & Cannon, 2009;
Timmis, 2015).

CONCLUDING REMARKS: WHICH TECHNIQUE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO AVOID
PLAGIARISM?

Avoiding plagiarism is not as simple as citing appropriately. Authors are required to write what
they have read carefully and not just copying all the resources as it is. A capable author should
be able to recognise all of the ten-types of plagiarism and then mitigate them by utilising the
appropriate techniques. All of the techniques (i.e., citing, referencing, quoting, paraphrasing,
summarising and synthesising) should be regarded as important aspects to mitigate
plagiarism. There is no any of them which is superior or more important than others.
Therefore, authors should be proficient with all of the techniques since they will complement
each other with different contextual benefits. Finally, it is better to learn more techniques
rather than only focus on a single technique, to become more versatile in approaching
academic writing.

“’if your only tool is a hammer, then every problem will looks like a nail”
(Coleman & Kugler, 2014, p.946)

REFERENCES

Anderson, I. 2009. Avoiding plagiarism in academic writing. Nursing Standard, 23(18):35-37.
Bailey, S. 2006. Academic writing: a handbook for international students 2nd edition.
Abingdon: Routledge.
Coleman, P.T., Kugler, K.G. 2014. Tracking managerial conflict adaptivity: introducing a
dynamic measure of adaptive conflict management in organizations. Journal of
Organizational Behavior, 35:945-968.
FK UGM. 2016. Pedoman skripsi: untuk mahasiswa S1 program studi pendidikan dokter.
Yogyakarta: Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Gadjah Mada (FK UGM). [Accessed:
November 9, 2017]. Available from:
http://gamel.fk.ugm.ac.id/pluginfile.php/50913/mod_resource/content/0/Panduan%
20Skripsi%20Lengkap%20%2802Juni2016%29.pdf
Jego, E.H. 2012. Medical academic versus general writing: a systematic grammar
perspective. Birmingham: Centre for English Language Studies – University of
Birmingham.
Monash University. 2017. Citing and referencing: in-text referencing style: author prominent
vs information prominent. Melbourne: Monash University Library. [Accessed:
November 10, 2017]. Available from:
http://guides.lib.monash.edu/c.php?g=219786&p=1454304

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Turnitin. 2015. The plagiarism spectrum: instructor insights into the 10 types of plagiarism.
Oakland: Turnitin. [Accessed: November 5, 2017]. Available from:
http://go.turnitin.com/paper/10-types-of-plagiarism