To avoid cheating, it is important to write and cite sources correctly. You must always state which source you have used in an assignment, regardless of whether you are using a direct quote or writing about ideas or information from a source that you have rephrased in your own words.

Direct quote

Direct quotation means that you copy wording directly from the source, without rewriting it in your own words. You must then reproduce the text exactly as it is written, provide the citation and page number for where the quote is taken from. You must also show that the text is a direct quote using quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quote:

Example in APA: ' It is acceptable to use direct quotations in academic texts, but students should limit their use and write much of the text in their own words to demonstrate their own understanding of the content' (Johansen et al. 2010, p. 153).

Example in IEEE: " It is acceptable to use direct quotations in academic texts, but students should limit their use and write much of the text in their own words to demonstrate their own understanding of the content" [15, p. 153].

Example of longer citation with citation in IEEE:

For long direct quotations, you can place the quote as a separate paragraph with indentations from the rest of the text, but without the use of quotation marks. You must still provide the citation and page numbers. Different referencing styles have different rules for how long the text should be before it is presented in this way. For example, the APA style states that the quote must be longer than 40 words to be placed as a separate paragraph with indentation. [15, p. 154]

Indirect quotation (paraphrasing)

The alternative to direct quotation is paraphrasing, where you take ideas or information from a source and rewrite the content in your own words. Even if you do not reproduce the text from the source verbatim, you must still provide a source reference in the text as well as in the bibliography. This will show that the content is not your original ideas and that you have not collected this information yourself. When rewriting, it is not sufficient to copy the text from the original source, just replace a word or two, and cite the citation. If the sentence structure is still very similar to the original text, it can still be picked up as plagiarism.

Tip:

1. Read the text carefully and preferably several times so that you understand the content.
2. Take notes on important information and details you want to include in your text.
3. Put the source away, so you detach yourself from the original wording.
4. Write down your understanding of the content and look back at the source, is what you have written consistent with the information from the source?
5. Insert citation in the text and reference list according to the chosen reference style.

Example of insufficient paraphrasing (original text in the example above)

It is acceptable to use direct quotations in academic texts, but one should limit their use and write most of the text in one's own words to demonstrate one's own understanding of the content (Johansen et al. 2010).

Bibliography

There are many standards for how citations should be written, but the principle is always the same regardless of whether you use direct quotes or rewrite. The source reference should be placed in the text where you provide information from that source, and a correctly prepared bibliography at the end of the thesis should contain all information about the source in a consistent format according to a given referencing style. This means that all references in the bibliography must be given in the same way with the same information.

There are 2 main traditions in the way of setting up bibliography:

Tutorials

A number of Norwegian and foreign universities have created good digital resources on academic writing and source references that are transferable to other disciplines and universities. Here are links to resources and websites that may have useful information about academic writing and different referencing styles.

Citation compass (Kildekompasset)
Source Compass has been developed by three Norwegian universities, including USN, and is a resource for the use of sources and the reference styles APA and IEEE. Here you will find examples of how to refer to different types of sources. We also recommend using Tips and Help, with frequently asked questions for writing with the two referencing styles.
Academic Writing Portal
The Academic Writing Center at USN has its own resource portal in Canvas about academic writing. You will find videos, texts and links to useful resources on academic writing, and with lots of useful information on how to avoid plagiarism.
Search & write (Søk & skriv)
Website about thesis writing developed by three Norwegian universities and university colleges and the National Library of Norway. The page provides thorough introductions to citation and use of sources, academic writing and study techniques.
Startpakka (Login with your USN username and password with Feide)Startpakka is a useful resource page / course on thesis writing developed by the study lab at OsloMet. This course contains useful information in the form of texts and videos on how to read academic texts, assignment writing, literature search, use of sources, study techniques and tips for exams. In addition, it has a very useful module for students with Norwegian as a second language. Here you will find useful information about the Norwegian university system and typical grammatical errors that are easy to make in Norwegian.

Teaching and supervision

In addition to these training resources, the University Library offers courses, both for classes commissioned by teachers, and open enrollment courses.

The Academic Writing Center offers individual consultations with USN students where you can get feedback on academic texts. The writing tutors are students themselves and offer digital consultations via Zoom. You can also visit the Writing Center to discuss what academic writing is, or how to go about avoiding plagiarism.

Test yourself

On the next page you will find a quiz on source use and plagiarism, developed by OsloMet. The quiz is based on the e-learning resource "Startpakka i assignment writing" from OsloMet, but some of the questions are adapted to USN's subjects, training and resources. The quiz shows examples in the reference style APA, which is the most used in USN. However, the principles for using sources and plagiarism are the same, regardless of the referencing style used.

In order to answer these questions, please review the training resources discussed above.