Plagiarism—Up Close and Personal
Introduction
Just what is plagiarism anyway?
What's so wrong with plagiarism?How can I avoid plagiarizing?
Where can I get more information?Works cited
Introduction
All members of the university community are expected to be honorable and observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. Students are expected to behave in an ethical manner. Individuals who disregard the core values of truth and honesty bring disrespect to themselves and the University. A university community which allows academic dishonesty will suffer harm to the reputation of students, faculty, and graduates. Because all may suffer, it is in the best interest of the entire university community to sanction any individual who chooses not to accept the principles of academic honesty. Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not restricted to, the following:
Cheating: using or attempting to use unauthorized materials or information; giving or receiving unauthorized assistance during an examination or other academic exercise. [. . .]
Plagiarism: using another’s words or ideas without acknowledgment.
Examples include:
· failing to use quotation marks when quoting from a source; and
· failing to reference distinctive ideas from a source.
Misrepresentation: falsifying, altering, or misstating the contents of
academically related documents, sources, or assignments. [. . .] (“Academic Honesty Policy” 5)
Members of the university community may initiate disciplinary procedures if they feel there has been a violation of university policy or the Code of Conduct. (“Student Rights & Responsibilities: The Disciplinary Process” 7)
Code of Conduct infractions include “academic dishonesty such as cheating, theft of examinations and/or other class-related materials, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University.” (“Student Rights & Responsibilities: Code of Conduct Infractions” 7)
The excerpts above from the University of North Alabama’s Academic Honesty Policy and Code of Conduct Infractions should give you a clue about the meaning of plagiarism and how seriously the academic community views it. To gain a better understanding of the issue, let’s take a closer look.
The concept of plagiarism is defined as:
pla gia rism /pláyjerīz m/ n. 1 the act or an instance of plagiarizing. 2 something plagiarized. pla gia rist n. pla gia ris tic adj.
pla gia rize /playjerīz/ v. tr. (also absol.) 1 take and use (the thoughts, writings, inventions, etc., of another person) as one’s own. 2 pass off the thoughts, etc., of (another person) as one’s own. pla gia riz er n. [L. plagiarius kidnapper f. plagium a kidnapping f. Gk plagion] (The Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide 758)
In essence, plagiarism means to use someone else’s work without giving proper credit to the originator. The “work” could be published or unpublished materials, including such things as art, computer programs, graphs, music, websites, or any other form of creative or original expression. The act of plagiarism can be committed deliberately, as in purchasing a research paper from a commercial source (term paper mill), “borrowing” a completed paper from a student who had previously taken the same class, having someone else write a paper for you, or by downloading material from the Internet and submitting it as your own work. It can even be submitting a paper that you prepared for one class as fulfillment for an assignment in another class without receiving permission from your instructor. The latter is a form of “self plagiarism.”
Plagiarism can also occur unintentionally. This happens when you have been careless in taking notes—neglecting to record quotations word-for-word, or omitting quotations marks and the appropriate citation for the source of the quotation. It can also happen when you have not paraphrased another’s words properly, when you have neglected to cite or give credit to authors as you have summarized their work, or when you have incorrectly assumed that a fact is common knowledge and thus have failed to indicate the source of your information. Ignorance or a lack of understanding is no excuse for plagiarism—it is still wrong!
Well, in the first place, it is dishonest. For instance, by allowing the reader of your paper to assume that any undocumented ideas or phrases are your own, you deny the rightful authors or originators credit for their work. This is a form of cheating. Not only are you cheating the author and the University, but you are also cheating yourself. Successful completion of courses and/or of a degree program indicates that you have had specific experiences and have acquired certain knowledge and capabilities. If you have not had the full experience, for example, of going through all of the steps involved in researching and writing a term paper, you have shortchanged yourself and perhaps received credit for what you did not do. Penalties for plagiarism at UNA may range from a failing grade for a specific assignment to a failing grade in the course to suspension from the University (in repeat cases). Plagiarism may ultimately damage not only your own reputation, but that of the University as well—a reputation that is based in part upon the abilities and performance of its graduates.
The variety of sources available via the Internet and other electronic sources and the ease of “cut and paste” make it especially important that you be diligent in documenting your sources. First of all, learn which sources need to be cited and which ones do not. You do not need to document information that is widely known by the general public (for example, that in the U.S. the Fourth of July is also known as “Independence Day”). Facts that are readily available in a variety of sources such as encyclopedias or textbooks need not be cited. Additionally, data that you have collected yourself through such means as questionnaires or observations and your opinions about the data need no citations.
However, according to The New St. Martin’s Handbook, you must credit sources for the following:
- Direct quotations
- Facts that are not widely known or assertions that are arguable
- Judgments, opinions, and claims of others
- Statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any source
- Help provided by friends, instructors, or others (Lunsford and Connors 496)
Citation Style
An important step in avoiding plagiarism is to learn the proper citation format for your particular discipline or field of study. Some of the commonly used citation formats or style manuals include MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and CBE (Council of Biology Editors). Your instructor will tell you which to use for your course. A librarian can assist you in locating and using one of these guides.
Paraphrasing
One area in which students frequently run into trouble is in trying to paraphrase an author’s words. According to The New St. Martin’s Handbook:
A paraphrase accurately states all the relevant information from a passage in your own words and phrasing, without any additional comments or elaborations. [. . .] Unlike a summary, a paraphrase always restates all the main points of a passage in the same order, and often in about the same number of words.[. . .]
In order to paraphrase without plagiarizing inadvertently, use your own words and sentence structures; do not simply substitute synonyms, and do not imitate an author’s style. [. . .] A good way of assuring your originality is to paraphrase without looking at the source; then check to see that the paraphrase accurately presents the author’s meaning and that you have used your own words and phrasing. (Lunsford and Connors 488)
Summarizing
A summary is a significantly shortened version of a passage, a section, or even a whole chapter or work that captures main ideas in your own words. Unlike a paraphrase, a summary uses just enough information to record the main points or the points you wish to emphasize. (Lunsford and Connors 491)
The New St. Martin’s Handbook offers the following tips for properly acknowledging your sources:
- Maintain an accurate and thorough working bibliography.
- Establish a consistent note-taking system, listing sources and page numbers and clearly identifying all quotations, paraphrases, summaries, statistics, and graphics.
- Identify all quotations with quotation marks—both in your notes and (except for block quotations) in your essay.
- Be sure that you summarize and paraphrase using your own words and sentence structures.
- In your essay, give a citation for each quotation, paraphrase, summary, arguable assertion or opinion, statistic, and graph that is from a source.
- Prepare an accurate and complete list of sources cited according to the required documentation style. (Lunsford and Connors 497)
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“By understanding what material you must document, taking systematic, accurate notes, and giving full credit to sources in both parenthetical citations and your list of sources cited, you can avoid unintended plagiarism.” (Lunsford and Connors 495)
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Try the following websites for additional help in understanding and avoiding plagiarism:
Avoiding Plagiarism: Using Sources Properly.
[A Tennessee State University professor's guide for students describing plagiarism and explaining proper citation methods.]
Backes, Mary. The Puzzling Paraphrase.
[Gives helpful hints for successful paraphrasing and a list of sources for more information.]
Learning Skills Centre. Plagiarism. University of Northern British Columbia.
[Provides students with eleven helpful hints for avoiding plagiarism.]
Procter, Margaret. How Not to Plagiarize. University of Toronto.
[In question and answer format, provides students with help in understanding and avoiding plagiarism.]
Rodgers, John. How to Cite Skillfully and Avoid Plagiarizing. Baylor College of Medicine.
[Aimed at students in the sciences, gives tips on things to avoid and how to properly
cite sources.]
Student Conduct & Mediation Programs. Avoiding Plagiarism @ Oregon State
University. Oregon State University.
[Gives students examples of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable borrowing
of material.]
UC Davis Student Judicial Affairs. Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of
Scholarship. University of California, Davis.
[In question and answer format, provides students with a definition of plagiarism, how
to cite sources, and ways to avoid plagiarism.]
Van Bramer, S.E. What is Plagiarism. Widener University.
[Defines plagiarism and gives students tips on how to avoid it; strongly advises
against paraphrasing.]
Werrell, Emily. Avoiding Plagiarism: Practical Strategies. Duke University Libraries.
[Offers students useful tips concerning gathering research material, taking notes,
documenting sources, and the relation of copyright laws to the Internet.]
Writing Tutorial Services. Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It.
Indiana University.
[Includes helpful hints on how to recognize acceptable and unacceptable paraphrases and how to determine what qualifies as “common knowledge.”]
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Links to style manuals for appropriate citation format are located on Collier Library’s web page: <http://www2.una.edu/agordon/handouts.htm#CitingSources>.
For additional assistance, either ask your instructor for guidance or come to the Information Desk in Collier Library where the librarians can help you locate more information.
“Academic Honesty Policy.” Student Directory and Handbook, 2002-2003. Florence:
University of North Alabama, 2002. 5.
Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The New St. Martin’s Handbook. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999. 484-97.
The Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1999. 758.
“Student Rights & Responsibilities: Code of Conduct Infractions.” Student Directory
and Handbook, 2002-2003. Florence: University of North Alabama, 2002. 7.
08/06/2003
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