Plagiarism: What it is and how to avoid it

Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting someone else's intellectual work as your own without giving credit to the original author. Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is viewed as an academic offense and can lead to serious consequences.

Here are some examples of plagiarism:

• Using a quote from a source without citing the original work.
• Paraphrasing a passage from a source without citing the original work.
• Cutting and pasting from an original source directly into your own work without citing.
• Passing another student's work off as your own.
• Purchasing papers from an online paper mill.

So, what can you do to avoid plagiarism? Here are some helpful tips:

• Take notes. List sources, page numbers, and any kind of identifying information.
• Keep a list of all the sources you cite in the required documentation style.
• Check to make sure your paraphrases are in your own words.
• Cite anything that is not original to you.
• Cite anything that doesn't fall into the realm of "common knowldege." For example, most people know that George Washington was the first President of the United States, so you don't need to cite that fact.

Need more help?
I would recommend checking out the Purdue Online Writing Lab. This resource not only provides information on how to avoid plagiarism, but also how to cite in MLA and APA format as well.
Rutgers and Acadia University provide some helpful tutorials on how to go about avoiding plagiarism.
Remember: The best rule of thumb, when in doubt, cite!
Good luck to you all and enjoy this humorous video on the perils of plagiarism.

Crunch time in the Library!

Research time is here! Are you ready?

Librarians are available to assist with those crucial research needs. Stop by the reference desk (at all campuses: Grayslake, Lakeshore and Southlake) for research assistance.


Doing research after hours? Don't despair - use our 24/7 HELP link, located right on our Library website.

CLC Libraries -
Grayslake: 847-543-2071
Lakeshore: 847-543-2139
Southlake:847-543-6534

Photo (from left): Terri Artemchick (librarian) and Samantha Witz (student)

Answers.USA.gov

The U. S. Government answers thousands of general questions through Answers.USA.gov

For example, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and October 22, 2010 is National Mammography Day.

Winter is pending and so are heating bills. Click on Assistance with Utility Bills to learn more.

The search term "financial aid for college" renders 251 results. State Financial Aid for College, the first hit and offers nine additional resources to follow.

You can also ask questions through "chat" and "email"

This site is a great tool to learn about the government resources most applicable to addressing your needs.

Interested in WWII?

Are you interested in World War II history? The history of the war is alive at the Pacific Wrecks website. Thirty-three year-old son of schoolteachers, Justic Taylan, visits the Pacific each year to search remote jungles for wartime relics "forgotten by everyone except fellow wreck hunters, U.S. military officials, and veterans."

Justin has captured digital images of vine-entangled wreckage of various aircraft. HIs website documents airplane crash sites in the Pacific - his mission: locate undiscovered U.S. airplane wreckage and determine the fates of thousands of American airmen will listing as missing in the Pacific Theater.

For more information, click here.

Illinois Holocaust Museum and Resource Center (Library)

First hand information enriches student research, and the recently opened Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, located in Skokie offers students at CLC researching topics of worldwide genocide today, World War II and the Holocaust access to an incredible collection of artifacts, artwork, videos.

The facility also houses the Brill Resource Center --a library with a collection of 13,000 items, all of which are searchable through the library’s online catalog, and soon available through the OCLC WorldCat (FirstSearch) database. Although the library does not allow materials to be circulated, there is a reading room and 16 computers with access to databases and of the library’s resources during open hours. Access to the library is free and open to the public (12 years or older unless supervised by an adult). This Pioneer Press article provides more information about the Resource Center.

For readers, these are some recommended titles about the Holocaust. Check CLC and your local public library.

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Boy in the Striped Pajamas (John Boyne)
Hana’s Suitcase (Karen Levine)
A Mad Desire to Dance (Elie Wiesel)
Nazi Officer’s Wife: How one Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust (Edith Beer)
Stones from the River
Those who Save Us

Zookeeper's Wife

Looking for video?

Try the new metasearch tool VideoSurf. This tool searches Hulu, CNN, ESPN, ComedyCentral, and MetaCafe. Retrieve news bits, full feature epidsodes, informational bits, trailers, etc. all through one search containing several video sources.

Try this search: Afghanistan (click here for results.)

Choosing a President

Are you looking for more information regarding the presidential candidates? PBS has an indepth piece entitled "The Choice - 2008" which focuses on each presidential candidate.

from PBS-

"It has been called one of the most historic presidential elections in our nation's history -- Barack Obama versus John McCain. It is a race that pits the iconoclast against the newcomer, the heroic prisoner of war against the first African American nominated by a major party. FRONTLINE's critically acclaimed series The Choice returns this election season to examine the rich personal and political biographies of these two men in The Choice 2008.

The Choice 2008 draws on in-depth interviews with the advisers, friends and those closest to these unlikely candidates, as well as with seasoned observers of American politics, who together tell the definitive story of these men and their ascent to their party's nominations."

Do it Yourself!

The CLC Library is all about making things easy for you. This semester, you can even check out your own materials. Look for the new piece of equipment, the Self-Check machine*, in the 2nd floor Reference area at the Grayslake Library, and give it a try. The Reference Librarians can show you how it works.

To save you steps going between floors in the Library, we have added a conveniently located book drop box next to the self-check machine.

On the first floor, the friendly Circulation staff are still available if you need to check out, renew, or return materials; get library borrowing privileges, or need help with your library account.

You will still need to visit the Circulation Desk if you are looking for course reserves as well as print copies of magazines, newspapers and journals.

*We were able provide this service through a generous grant fromt the CLC Foundation.

What's your Interest? Find it at the CLC Library

Hugh is one of several students who stopped by the Reference Desk this week to participate in our Picture Yourself at the Library raffle we are offering. He found many of his favorite graphic novels and this interesting nonfiction book on the sheves.

Today is the last day to enter the drawing for a gasoline gift card. In case you missed it, here is the information.

It has been busier than ever in the Library since the start of the semester. The word is out that it is the place to come to do research and work on school assignments.

The College of Lake County Library has much more, including feature films and books in different formats. While you are on campus, stop by and find out about our downloadable audiobooks, e-books--even books on IPods that all can be checked out. Or, if you are off campus, vist the Library website.

Visit the Southlake Campus and Library!

Southlake Campus Open House
Saturday, August 23 1:30-3:30 PM

CLC Reads Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice

Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice by Mark J. Plotkin

To launch the Fall 2008 semester, you are invited to join your colleagues in a discussion of Plotkin's readable account of his fifteen years researching the highly developed natural "cures" used by the shamans of the Amazon.

Share your thoughts about the book with others during Staff Development week.

Look for upcoming lectures, films, discussions, and other events on the theme of Environmentalism throughout the upcoming academic year.

Research is Free

I had a great conversation today with a student who attends a four year school She was telling me that, at her school, students are charged for Writing Center help and have to book appointments with librarians if they need research help.

After she shared this information with me, she told me how happy/delighted/astounded she was when she learned that CLC's Writing Center offers free help and that the librarians are always available for assistance during library hours.

Yes, its true!

We offer FREE writing help and FREE research help too!

Writing Center, click here.

Library Reference Desk, 847-543-2071 or click here.

Horticulture

Gearing up for your perennial class this summer? Thinking about expanding your garden plans? Or, are you preparing exam or projects for a horticulture class?

The Murphy Library has a growing collection of reviewed and best-selling horticulture books. If you're looking for information on roses ...


or seeking information on perennials...



we'll have the resource for you. Take a look at our catalog to search our collection. Don't forget that you can request materials (click on the request tab, top of screen) when viewing a specific title.

Works Cited Workshops!

I f your students need to complete a Works Cited page, they may benefit from our upcoming workshops (and help at Reference) on NoodleBib.

Librarians, Jo Beckwith and Kathleen Lovelace conduct workshops to help students with Works Cited using NoodleBib on April 23 and 24 in Room L144.

No registration required!

For students at Southlake, Kathleen Lovelace will be available to show students how to use NoodleBib on a drop in basis at the Southlake Library on Wednesday April 30, starting at 1 PM.

Students don't have to wait for workshops! Individual help can also be found at the reference desks both at the Grayslake and Southlake campuses.

Questions? Call the Grayslake reference desk at 847-543-2071.

YouTube and Poetry

YouTube is certainly visually entertaining. But, have you thought about how you could use it in a poetry class?

Try a search on Langston Hughes and his piece the Weary Blues. What you'll find are musicians performing music as well as readings of the piece. As most instructors and English students will tell you, poetry along with Shakespeare improve with the oral tradition. For this particular piece, set in hip-hop style, click here.

For fun, do a search on your favorite poet or author.

Research

At this time of the semester, the Library and its resources are getting a big workout as are our students with researching papers and speeches.

Half the battle of doing research is knowing where to begin. Librarian, Jean Suter, likes to suggest using the Three Steps.

1. Check for books on your topic

2. Use the Library's magazing and journal resources like EBSCO or Wilson for up-to-date articles

3. Search for reputable web sites

Still have questions? Librarians are just a phone call away - 847.543.2071

Get Research Help at the Southlake Campus Library

The new Soutlake Library provides comfortable areas for studying or just taking a break, before and after classes.
We are located near the main entrance
in Room V106


Eight computer workstations,
and wireless Internet access provide:
Access to all needed college sites
Access to all Library data bases

Our friendly and helpful staff are here to help you.
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 8:00am-8:00pm
Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Reference Librarians available
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 12-8 PM


Our growing collection includes:
Reference Materials
Interlibrary Loans
Books
Periodicals
Newspapers
Course Reserves

Materials may also be requested from the Grayslake Library.
Be sure to give us your suggestions if you don't find what you need.

Distance Librarians

Dr. Nicholas Schevera, pictured above, wanted to provide his online students with research assistance. The problem was, how could he get the Librarians to his students?


In stepped librarian, Terry Sebastian with colleague Michelle Carter (pictured above.) Terry had experimented with instructor, MaryAnn Bretzlauf and her online class in the fall. The two developed a system via Blackboard to help students with online research.

Terry and MaryAnn brought Nick and Michelle on board. The instructors, librarians, and students now collaborate together using Blackboard, online library resources, and email.

Librarians are happy to direct the students to online library resources which provide many full-text articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. Along with articles, the librarians are providing information on evaluating web sites and information on how to develop work cited pages too.


Interested? Contact Terry Sebastian, x2469 or Michelle Carter, x2891 for more information.

The Value of Librarians

Typically, instructors and staff tend to think of librarians as helping with traditional research which could loosely translate into how to use books.

In a recent article from the Houston Chronicle, found here, author Carolyn Feibel illustrates that librarians have entered the new Millennium by offering valuable tools to aide with evaluation and location of information on the Internet.

Many people can create a successful Google search but the amount of information retrieved can be overwhelming! In step the librarians - teachers of digital literacy.

Today's librarians can help you maneuver through the Internet, demonstrate how to navigate online resources, and show advanced users how to develop blogs along with much more.

Visit your library today and step into tomorrow!

New York Times, FREE

Yes, its true!

The New York Times has opened access to TimesSelect for students and teachers. The best part of this FREE offer is that it enables users to access the New York Times archives.

Limitations:

• 100 articles per person


• printing is a little problematic


• users do have to register


• the intitial registration process is bumpy

For the full press release, click here.