Tips for Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• Select a single sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica. Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman or Palatino because these fonts are sometimes more difficult to read.
• Use no font size smaller than 24 point.
• Use the same font for all your headlines.
• Select a font for body copy and another for headlines.
• Use bold and different sizes of those fonts for captions and subheadings.
• Add a fourth font for page numbers or as a secondary body font for sidebars.
• Don’t use more than four fonts in any one publication.
• Clearly label each screen. Use a larger font (35-45 points) or different color for the title.
• Use larger fonts to indicate importance.
• Use different colors, sizes and styles (e.g., bold) for impact.
• Avoid italicized fonts as these are difficult to read quickly.
• Avoid long sentences.
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.
• Limit punctuation marks.
• No more than 6-8 words per line
• For bullet points, use the 6 x 6 Rule. One thought per line with no more than 6 words per line and no more than 6 lines per slide
• Use dark text on light background or light text on dark background. However, dark backgrounds sometimes make it difficult for some people to read the text.
• Do not use all caps except for titles.
• Put repeating elements (like page numbers) in the same location on each page of a multi-page document.
•  To test the font, stand six feet from the monitor and see if you can read the slide

Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

            According to Webster's dictionary – Plagiarism means “to steal & pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own, use (another’s production) without crediting the source”.

or

            Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work.

            Every school/college/university has its own policies with respect to the plagiarism.

Types of plagiarism: -

ü  Clone ü  CTRL-C ü  Find – Replace ü  Remix ü  Recycle

ü  Hybrid ü  Mashup ü  404 Error ü  Aggregator ü  Re-tweet

1. Clone: -	Submitting another’s work, word-for-word, as one’s own
2. CTRL-C:-	Contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations.
3. Find - Replace: -	Changing key words & phrases but retaining the essential content of the source.
4. Remix: -	Paraphrases from multiple sources, made to fit together.
5. Recycle: -	Borrows generously from the writer’s previous work without citation.
6. Hybrid:	Combines perfectly cited sources with copied passages without citation.
7. Mashup: -	Mixes copied material from multiple sources.
8. 404 Error: -	Includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources.
9. Aggregator: -	Includes proper citation to sources but the paper contains almost no original work.
10. Re-tweet: -	Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text’s original wording and/or structure.

Common forms of student plagiarism: -

            According to “The Reality and Solution of College Plagiarism” created by the Health Informatics department of the University of Illinois at Chicago there are 10 main forms of plagiarism that students commit:

1. Submitting someone’s work as their own.
2. Taking passages from their own previous work without adding citations.
3. Re-writing someone’s work without properly citing sources.
4. Using quotations, but not citing the source.
5. Interweaving various sources together in the work without citing.
6. Citing some, but not all passages that should be cited.
7. Melding together cited and uncited sections of the piece.
8. Providing proper citations, but fails to change the structure and wording of the borrowed ideas enough.
9. Inaccurately citing the source.
10. Relying too heavily on other people’s work. Fails to bring original thought into the text.

6 Ways to Avoid Plagiarism: -

1. Paraphrase - So you have found information that is perfect for your research paper. Read it and put it into your own words. Make sure that you do not copy verbatim more than two words in a row from the text you have found. If you do use more than two words together, you will have to use quotation marks. We will get into quoting properly soon

2. Cite - Citing is one of the effective ways to avoid plagiarism. Follow the document formatting guidelines (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) used by your educational institution or the institution that issued the research request. This usually entails the addition of the author(s) and the date of the publication or similar information. Citing is really that simple. Not citing properly can constitute plagiarism.

3. Quoting - When quoting a source, use the quote exactly the way it appears. No one wants to be misquoted. Most institutions of higher learning frown on “block quotes” or quotes of 40 words or more. A scholar should be able to effectively paraphrase most material. This process takes time, but the effort pays off! Quoting must be done correctly to avoid plagiarism allegations.

4. Citing Quotes - Citing a quote can be different than citing paraphrased material. This practice usually involves the addition of a page number, or a paragraph number in the case of web content.

5. Citing Your Own Material - If some of the material you are using for your research paper was used by you in your current class, a previous one, or anywhere else you must cite yourself. Treat the text the same as you would if someone else wrote it. It may sound odd, but using material you have used before is called self-plagiarism, and it is not acceptable.

6. Referencing - One of the most important ways to avoid plagiarism is including a reference page or page of works cited at the end of your research paper. Again, this page must meet the document formatting guidelines used by your educational institution. This information is very specific and includes the author(s), date of publication, title, and source. Follow the directions for this page carefully. You will want to get the references right.

Thank you!