View Spread
Other People's Words
Plagiarism is in the news: A student is denied admission to Harvard because she copied someone else's work, while famous authors are discredited for the same reason. The Internet has made copying and cheating easier than ever. Author Barbara Francis helps young readers understand what plagiarism is, why it is wrong, and how they can avoid it in their work and fight it in society.
* Reviews *
Timely and practical, this title offers students a clear explanation of plagiarism and its consequences as well as specific ways to avoid it. A historical perspective describes how borrowing ideas was an accepted practice until the first copyright laws followed the invention of the printing press. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Longfellow were known to have taken plots and stories from their predecessors. Captioned photographs and text excerpts are shown for more recent plagiarists such as Blair Hornstine, the student journalist whose admission to Harvard was revoked; Senator Joseph Biden, who borrowed words for a campaign speech; and Jayson Blair, whose New York Times articles were created from another reporters work. Other chapters address cheating, Internet downloading, fabrication, and how teachers curb plagiarism. Two valuable chapters focus on temptations to plagiarize and how to avoid them. Specifically, students are guided to develop organizational skills, to value their own work, and to practice paraphrasing techniques. The author creates a positive and constructive tone by empathizing with school pressures and time constraints, and helping readers understand the importance of developing an individual voice and honest value system. A must-have for middle and high school libraries., School Library Journal December 2005
RL
Grades
6-7 IL
Grades
6-12+ GRL
Z
