A voiding Plagiarism

Read the original text and then decide which of the versions is NOT plagiarised.

Original Text

Playing outside can prevent children becoming short-sighted

Playing outdoors dramatically cuts a child's risk of becoming short-sighted, research shows. Spending two or three hours outside each day halves the chance of developing the condition. It challenges the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, TV watching or reading in dim light.

Macrae, F. 2009 ‘Playing Outside can prevent children becoming short-sighted’ Mail Online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1107748/Playing-outside-prevent-children-short-sighted.html# Retrieved 8^th January 2009

Version 1

Recent research suggests that the chance of short-sightedness is reduced significantly by spending more time outside during childhood, which contradicts the commonly held belief that myopia is a result of high exposure to televisions and computer screens or reading in low light conditions. (Macrae, 2009)

Version 2

According to recent research, “Playing outdoors dramatically cuts a child's risk of becoming short-sighted. Spending two or three hours outside each day halves the chance of developing the condition. It challenges the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, TV watching or reading in dim light.” (Macrae, 2009)

Version 3

Playing outside cuts a child’s risk of becoming short-sighted dramatically, according to research. The chance of developing myopia is halved by spending two or three hours each day. This contradicts the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, TV watching or reading in low light.

ANSWERS

• Version 1 paraphrases and summarises the main points and is not plagiarism

• Version 2 cites the author and uses speech marks to show that it is a quote. This is not plagiarism

• Version 3 uses the same words in a different order, and does not cite sources. This is plagiarism

Original Text in full

Playing outside can prevent children becoming short-sighted

By Fiona Macrae 07th January 2009

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Playing outdoors dramatically cuts a child's risk of becoming short-sighted, research shows.

Spending two or three hours outside each day halves the chance of developing the condition.

It challenges the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, TV watching or reading in dim light.

Myopia usually develops during childhood but many adults' eyesight worsens after they start jobs in an office.

The Australian government researchers believe that sunlight triggers the release of chemicals that prevent the distortion of the eyeball - which causes the condition.

They compared the vision and habits of six and seven-year-olds in Singapore and Australia. Thirty per cent of the Singaporean children were short-sighted - ten times the Australian rate.

A similar pattern emerged when the analysis was limited to children of Chinese descent, meaning the difference could not be explained by genetics.

Both groups spent a similar amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games. But the Australian children spent an average of two hours a day outdoors - 90 minutes more than their Asian counterparts.

Professor Ian Morgan, of the Australian Research Council's Vision Centre, said: 'We're seeing large increases in myopia among children in urban societies all around the world - and the outstanding common factor may be less and less time spent outdoors.

'The idea that reading makes you short-sighted has been popular for a couple of hundred years. But recent data shows that the time spent indoors is a more important factor.'

Macrae, F. 2009 ‘Playing Oustide can prevent children becoming short-sighted’ Mail Online

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1107748/Playing-outside-prevent-children-short-sighted.html# Retrieved 8^th January 2009