Hello,
I just submitted a research/argumentative paper, and have realized that I may have made a BIG mistake that could have serious consequences, even though it was unintentional, and would appreciate some opinions. Here is what happened:
I was working on my essay - the first research/argumentative paper I’ve worked on in quite some time (this is my first college semester and I did not attend college directly out of high school), - and needed to come up with one final source, as I was one short of the minimum number that was required. My essay was due the next day and I had already been given an extension without penalty. Not turning the paper in on time again would have meant a score of zero (per the class’s syllabus, anyway). I finally found exactly what I was looking for, in an online article, but I soon realized the quote I needed was actually from a book that was, in turn, being quoted in the article. In this assignment, all sources used needed to be from articles, but sources within articles were not forbidden as long as they were found in an article and the sources were cited correctly.
The problem is that now I’m not sure I did cite the source correctly. I’ve written essays in MLA format plenty of times in the past, and my understanding of MLA rules at the time was that, if you found a quote within a source you want to use, you need only give an in-text citation (and insert “qtd. in” in front of the in-text citation for the article) for the origin of the quote, and just cite the article in the “Works Cited” page as you normally would without worrying about including the original quote in “Works Cited”. I even looked it up in the MLA handbook and found my understanding to be correct, or so I thought. However, after turning my paper in I became paranoid about possibly messing up on the citations. I looked over everything that morning and everything seemed fine, and my professor had no way of telling me on the spot if everything was, in fact, ok. He’d have to read it later and see. I went back and looked, and found that what I thought about citing “secondary sources” was true, but its purpose is really for quotes from other individuals/works where a citation of the original quote is impossible due to its unavailability, which was not the case in this instance. And so, I gave an in-text citation of the book from where my quote came, gave the in-text citation in parenthesis of the article I found it from and listed that article in my “Works Cited” page. But I didn’t put the book itself in the “Works Cited” page and am now wondering if I just royally screwed myself over.
Not only that, but there were a few facts in my article that, while most people should know it, may not be considered by some to be “common knowledge”, and thus, should have included a citation, which I did not provide. Another careless (and stupid!) mistake!
What I need answered is,
-
Are my fears that I just unintentionally plagiarized true? Answers from those familiar with MLA (particularly English majors and professors who post here) would especially be welcome.
-
If so, what chance would I have to have potential discipline lessened (i.e. make-up work or a “zero” on the paper instead of outright failure of the class)?
I know that the rule is “When in doubt, ask your professor”, but by the time I even came across this source it was too late to ask him, as it was, again, late at night and the paper was due first thing in the morning (and when I turned it in, I was confident that I had followed MLA citation rules correctly, but further research leads me to believe I was just being an idiot and would have been better off having points deducted for one less source than for being flunked for plagiarism). My school takes plagiarism seriously, and according to the handbook, it does not take intent into account when disciplining those found guilty of academic dishonesty (that doesn’t necessarily mean they might not be willing to lessen punishments for first-time or ignorant offenders, I suppose).
Even if I “get away with it”, I have to say that I have learned a valuable lesson about being extra cautious with citations. I feel like a complete moron for even putting myself in a position where I now have to worry about being failed for plagiarism, especially considering I’m on track for an ‘A’ in the class. Being close to an A and then failing because of one honest mistake would be devastating (my class’s syllabus does state explicitly that those guilty of plagiarism will receive a failing grade for not only the assignment but also the entire class, along with being reported to the dean’s office).
I plan on going to my professor tomorrow and being honest with him about my mistakes, as I think that would be better than him finding them himself and possibly assuming maliciousness/intent on my part. But first, advice would be appreciated!