Avoiding Plagiarism - Paraphrasing

In writing papers, you will paraphrase more than you will quote. For a report or research paper, you may need to gather background information that is important to the paper but not worthy of direct quotation. Indeed, in technical writing direct quotation is rarely used.

Exactly what does "paraphrase" mean?

It means taking the words of another source and restating them, using your own vocabulary. In this way, you keep the meaning of the original text, but do not copy its exact wording.

Because of their unique perspective, Americans fear globalization less than anyone else, and as a consequence they think about it less than anyone else. When Americans do think about globalization, they think of the global economy as an enlarged version of the American economy.

According to Lester Thurow (1993) Americans fear globalization less than people from other countries and as a consequence spend less time thinking about it. Indeed, Americans see globalization as an enlarged version of their own economy.

The writer has used Thurow's exact words without enclosing them in quotation marks. S/he has only substituted synonyms here and there. Even though Thurow is credited with a citation, this would be considered plagiarism.

Lester Thurow (1993) maintains that because Americans see globalization simply as a bigger form of their own economy, they are less concerned about it than is the rest of the world.

The writer has kept the meaning of the original passage without copying words or structure. Words like globalization and Americans are generic terms (i.e., terms that are commonly used for the concept they illustrate - it is difficult to find synonyms for them). Thus you may use these words without placing them in quotation marks.

What strategies can I use to paraphrase?

Use synonyms for all words that are not generic. Words like world, food, or science are so basic to our vocabulary that is difficult to find a synonym.

Like drought, excess rainfall and flooding can also contribute to epidemics of waterborne infectious diseases, in this case due to poor sanitation resulting from runoff from overwhelmed sewage lines or the contamination of water by livestock.

(Source: Shuman, E., M.D. (2010, March 25). Global climate change and infectious diseases. New England Journal of Medicine; 362, 12, 1061-1063. Retrieved from nejm.org at MIT Libraries.)

An overabundance of rainfall can also be a factor in spreading infectious diseases carried by water, usually as a result of overflowing sewers and pollution from farm animals (Shuman, 2010).

When there is an overabundance of rainfall, two situations can occur: sewers can overflow and water can become polluted by the presence of livestock, both of which can lead to outbreaks of waterborne diseases (Shuman, 2010).

(Source: Venkat Narayan, K.M., Ali, M.K., and Koplan, J. (2010, September 23). Global noncomunicable diseases – where worlds meet. The New England Journal of Medicine, 363; 13. 1196-1198. Retrieved from nejm.org at MIT Libraries.)

Researchers point out that in attempting to implement economic growth, industry is often favored over health: government may subsidize certain forms of agriculture and food production, contribute to tobacco consumption in nations where it owns the industry and otherwise promote growth of industries that pollute. (Venkat Narayan et. al, 2011).

(Source: Venkat Narayan, K.M., , Ali, M.K., and Koplan, J. (2010, September 23). Global noncomunicable diseases – where worlds meet. The New England Journal of Medicine, 363; 13. 1196-1198. Retrieved from nejm.org at MIT Libraries.)

A good paraphrase combines a number of strategies: the goal is to rephrase the information so that it appears in your words, not those of the author.

(Source: Siegel, B. (1986).
Love, Medicine and Miracles (p. 69). New York: Harper and Row.)

(Source: Siegel, B. (1986).
Love, Medicine and Miracles (p. 69). New York: Harper and Row.)

The writer had only substituted synonyms in certain places; in others the wording is exactly the same as that of the original.

Even though the writer mentions the original source in the introductory phrase, the result is plagiarism.

Although the writer has changed the structure of the sentence, key phrases have been taken directly from the original.

Even though the writer mentions the original source in the introductory phrase, the result is plagiarism.

Avoiding Plagiarism - Paraphrasing

In writing papers, you will paraphrase more than you will quote. For a report or research paper, you may need to gather background information that is important to the paper but not worthy of direct quotation. Indeed, in technical writing direct quotation is rarely used.

It means taking the words of another source and restating them, using your own vocabulary. In this way, you keep the meaning of the original text, but do not copy its exact wording.

Because of their unique perspective, Americans fear globalization less than anyone else, and as a consequence they think about it less than anyone else. When Americans do think about globalization, they think of the global economy as an enlarged version of the American economy.

According to Lester Thurow (1993) Americans fear globalization less than people from other countries and as a consequence spend less time thinking about it. Indeed, Americans see globalization as an enlarged version of their own economy.

The writer has used Thurow's exact words without enclosing them in quotation marks. S/he has only substituted synonyms here and there. Even though Thurow is credited with a citation, this would be considered plagiarism.

Lester Thurow (1993) maintains that because Americans see globalization simply as a bigger form of their own economy, they are less concerned about it than is the rest of the world.

The writer has kept the meaning of the original passage without copying words or structure. Words like globalization and Americans are generic terms (i.e., terms that are commonly used for the concept they illustrate - it is difficult to find synonyms for them). Thus you may use these words without placing them in quotation marks.

📌 Is Rewording Plagiarism?

Readers may not feel motivated towards a piece if the writer uses incorrect phrases or failing to appreciate the varied shades of meaning in the English language. Lester Thurow 1993 maintains that because Americans see globalization simply as a bigger form of their own economy, they are less concerned about it than is the rest of the world.

This version has synonyms and adds an extra preposition. Unfortunately, the alternatives "problematic" and "explain" tamper with the original meaning. Let's see how to paraphrase this paragraph properly:

Resources:

https://integrity.mit.edu/handbook/academic-writing/avoiding-plagiarism-paraphrasing

How to Avoid Paraphrasing Plagiarism?

https://www.standoutessay.com/study-tools/free-paraphrasing-tool
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You must complete your thesis including the exam no later than June 30 the same year, if you started on February 1 or January 31 the following year, if you started on September 1.

Master's Thesis

The master’s thesis is meant to prove the student’s ability to work independently on an advanced problem from the bioinformatical field using scientific methods, as well as the student's ability to evaluate the findings appropriately and to depict them both orally and in written form in an adequate manner. (SPO 2019, § 9)

• Students can only be admitted to the master's thesis if they have successfully completed modules totaling 60 credits or more within the master's degree program.
• For the registration of the master thesis please use the form "Registration for the master thesis". You can find it on the pages of the examination office!
  Important: Be sure to register your master thesis right at the beginning of work! Otherwise you risk that the examiner combination or the topic will not be accepted!
• The master's thesis should be approximately 70 pages in length.
• The processing time is 23 weeks. Note: An extension is not possible. If your thesis is delayed for an important reason (for which you are not responsible), please contact the Examination Office with the relevant supporting documents.
• The written part must be written in English.
• The master's thesis must be evaluated by two authorized examiners. One of the two examiners should be the supervisor of the master's thesis. At least one of the two authorized examiners* must be involved in teaching the master's program and simultaneously be a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science or the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy of the Freie Universität Berlin or at Charité.
• If approved by the examining board, the work on the master's thesis can also be done externally at a suitable business or scientific or research institution, as long as scientific and scholarly supervision by an examiner in the program in bioinformatics is ensured.
• The master's thesis is accompanied by a colloquium, which usually takes place in the assigned working group during the processing time. Students are expected to give a one-time presentation lasting approximately 30 minutes on the progress of their master's thesis.
• The master's thesis must be submitted in electronic form (PDF), by e-mail to the examination office. When submitting the thesis, the student must certify in writing that he or she has written the thesis independently and has not used any sources or aids other than those specified. Use the Declaration of Authorship provided by the examination office for this purpose.

*These are usually all PhD scientists involved in teaching in the Master's program in Bioinformatics. However, persons who are not directly involved in teaching may also be authorized. In case of doubt, please contact the examination office, which can check if a certain examiner or combination of examiners is possible or not.
Note: The two examiners of a master thesis should come from different working groups.

The Informationen & Anleitungen of the examination office offer further information concerning the registration and submitting regulations of the master’s thesis (in german). The registration form is available in English.

It is advisable to make an appointment with the examination office towards the end of your studies, i.e. around the start of your Master's thesis. There it can be clarified whether your courses are complete or which courses you still need to complete. Your questions about the Master's thesis (registration, examiners, submission, defense) can be answered. In addition, the further steps towards graduation will be explained to you in detail. Then you have a good basis for planning and can concentrate on your master's thesis without fearing unpleasant surprises.

Please note: If you have completed all the coursework and only need to finish the master's thesis, you no longer need to be enrolled, (but you are allowed to, of course).

Every summer semester the Mentoring organizes the workshop “How to write a bachelor’s / master’s thesis in bioinformatics”. Here you receive helpful tips and are free to ask your questions.

Chromatin Determinants of the Eukaryotic DNA Replication Program 

Leukotrienes are arachidonic acid derivatives long known for their inflammatory properties and their involvement with a number of human diseases, most notably asthma. If approved by the examining board, the work on the master s thesis can also be done externally at a suitable business or scientific or research institution, as long as scientific and scholarly supervision by an examiner in the program in bioinformatics is ensured.

Transcriptional regulation has been studied intensively in recent decades. One important aspect of this regulation is the interaction between regulatory proteins, such as transcription factors (TF) and nucleosomes, .

Resources:

https://www.mi.fu-berlin.de/en/bioinf/stud/master/masterarbeit/index.html
https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/1/browse?type=department&value=Computational+Biology+and+Bioinformatics
https://birc.au.dk/studies/msc-thesis/
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Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research suggests

GSE scholar Denise Pope finds that students in high-achieving schools who spend too much time on homework experience more stress and health problems.

A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.

"Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education.

The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.

Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.

"The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.

Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.

• Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.

• Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.

• Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.

Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.

"This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..

Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.

"Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.

In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."

The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.

The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

The history of homework

The most spectacular success this movement had was in the state of California, where in 1901 the legislature passed a law abolishing homework in grades K-8. This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points, said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students educational experiences.

One homework fact that educators do agree upon is that the young child today is doing more homework than ever before.

Resources:

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/homework-is-too-much/
https://ed.stanford.edu/news/more-two-hours-homework-may-be-counterproductive-research-suggests
https://www.playgroundequipment.com/are-students-in-the-united-states-getting-too-much-homework/
]

Do our kids have too much homework

Your child does not know how to do the assignment. If your child or teen does not know how to do the work, they may take a very long time trying to complete it. Sit down with your child and watch them try to do their work. Do they understand the directions for the assignment? Are they missing skills they need to complete the work?

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Resources:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/whats-right-amount-homework/
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/homework-is-too-much/
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