Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

Retrieved from elearningindustry

Plagiarism is defined as using another person's ideas, words, or knowledge in any format (print, online, media, etc.) and passing them off as your own.  Whether you do this intentionally or inadvertently, it is still considered plagiarism.

Plagiarism infringes on a person's right to intellectual property.  It is a form of stealing: You are engaging in academic dishonesty and infringing on copyright law.

Examples of Plagiarism

Retrieved from ClipArtKid

• Turning in another's work as your own (including papers from free websites).
• Copying without proper acknowledgment an entire text, an excerpt, a paragraph, or a line from books, periodicals, monographs, maps, charts, pamphlets, and other sources, such as the Internet or article databases.
• Using a quotation without proper documentation (omitting quotation marks).
• Paraphrasing materials without citing the source.
• Purchasing a paper from a research service or a commercial term-paper mill.  Sharing or swapping from a local source (other students' papers).

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Retrieved from AtomicLearning

• First, use your own ideas.  Your paper and your ideas should be the focus.
• Use other people's ideas primarily to support or reinforce your argument.
• When taking notes, include complete citation information for each item you use.
• Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words.
• A good strategy is to take 30 minutes to write a short draft of your paper without using any notes.  This strategy will help you think through what you want to say and prevent you from being too dependent upon your sources.

Additional Information on Plagiarism

Click on the links below for additional information on what plagiarism is and how you can avoid it.