Plagiarism

Introduction

Your research paper presents your thinking about a topic, supported and developed by other people’s ideas and information. It is crucial to always distinguish between the two as you conduct research, as you plan your paper, and as you write. Failure to do so can lead to plagiarism.

If you incorporate the words or ideas of a source into your own writing without giving full credit, then you are plagiarizing that source. In both professional and academic settings the penalties for plagiarism are severe.

In the professional world, plagiarism may result in loss of credibility, diminishment in compensation, and even loss of employment, including future opportunities. That is, employees may be fired for plagiarism and do irreparable damage to their professional reputation. In a class, a student’s plagiarism may result in a range of sanctions, from the loss of points on an assignment to a failing grade in the course to expulsion from college.

The concepts and strategies discussed in this section connect to a larger issue: academic integrity. You maintain your integrity as a member of an academic community by representing your work and others’ work honestly and by using other people’s work only in legitimately accepted ways. It is a point of honor taken seriously in every academic discipline and career field. Even when cheating and plagiarism go undetected, they still result in a student’s failure to learn necessary research and writing skills. In short, it is never worth the risk to plagiarize. For more information about Academic Integrity, consult your college’s Student Handbook.

Plagiarism is Serious!

In the United States, any form of plagiarism is considered to be a dishonest and serious offense. In some cultures, to use the words of others is a sign of honor and respect. In your country, the ownership of words may not be as important as it is in the U.S., where high value is given to using your own words. As a result, some actions that are considered “plagiarism” in the U.S. may be acceptable in your country.

Even though your instructors here may understand and respect your culture, they will judge your work by American standards. They will not tolerate plagiarism. Serious actions may be taken if you plagiarize.

Don’t American students plagiarize?

Yes, sometimes they do! In fact, plagiarism is a serious problem in American colleges and universities. When plagiarism is discovered, they get into serious trouble.

Why do students plagiarize?

• Sometimes, they are just dishonest.
• Sometimes, they don’t plan for enough time to do their own writing.
• Sometimes, they don’t know how to cite their sources correctly.
• Sometimes, they don’t know how to paraphrase or summarize.

Types of Plagiarism

The following presentation walks through the various types of plagiarism:

Intentional and Accidental Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own. Sometimes a writer plagiarizes work on purpose: for instance, by purchasing an essay from a website and submitting it as original course work. In other cases, a writer may commit accidental plagiarism due to carelessness, haste, or misunderstanding. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, follow these guidelines:

• Understand what types of information must be cited.
• Understand what constitutes fair use of a source.
• Keep source materials and notes carefully organized.
• Follow guidelines for summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting sources.

When to Cite

Whether it is quoted or paraphrased, any idea or fact taken from an outside source must be cited, in both the body of your paper and your list of references. The only exceptions are facts or general statements that are common knowledge. Common-knowledge facts or general statements are commonly supported by and found in multiple sources. For example, a writer would not need to cite the statement that most breads, pastas, and cereals are high in carbohydrates; this is well known and well documented. However, if a writer explained in detail the differences among the chemical structures of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, a citation would be necessary. When in doubt, cite (and ask your professors).

Fair Use

In recent years, issues related to the fair use of sources have been prevalent in popular culture. Recording artists, for example, may disagree about the extent to which one has the right to sample another’s music.

For academic purposes, however, the guidelines for fair use are reasonably straightforward.

Writers may quote from or paraphrase material from previously published works without formally obtaining the copyright holder’s permission.

Fair use means that the writer legitimately uses brief excerpts from source material to support and develop his or her own ideas. For instance, a columnist may excerpt a few sentences from a novel when writing a book review. However, quoting or paraphrasing another’s work at excessive length, to the extent that large sections of the writing are unoriginal, is not fair use

Summary

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own. Sometimes a writer plagiarizes work on purpose: for instance, by purchasing an essay from a website and submitting it as original course work. In other cases, a writer may commit accidental plagiarism due to carelessness, haste, or misunderstanding. To avoid unintentional plagiarism, follow these guidelines:

• Understand what types of information must be cited.
• Understand what constitutes fair use of a source.
• Keep source materials and notes carefully organized.
• Follow guidelines for summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting sources.

Sources:

“Avoiding Plagiarism.” By GSU Perimeter. Retrieved from: http://gsuideas.org/SCC/Documenting/Avoiding%20Plagiarism.html Licensed under: CC-BY

“Types of Plagiarism.” By Excelsior OWL. Retrieved from: https://owl.excelsior.edu/plagiarism/plagiarism-what-is-it/plagiarism-types-of-plagiarism/ Licensed under: CC-BY.

“Avoiding Plagiarism.” By GSU Perimeter. Retrieved from: http://gsuideas.org/SCC/Documenting/Avoiding%20Plagiarism.html Licensed under: CC-BY

“Plagiarism is serious!.” By Excelsior OWL. Retrieved from: https://owl.excelsior.edu/plagiarism/plagiarism-what-is-it/plagiarism-is-serious/ under: CC-BY.