Plagiarism
Plagiarism is taking another person’s words or ideas, either intentional or unintentional, and passing it off as your own. In short, plagiarism is stealing; it is stealing another’s work. This work can be text, images, music – anything that is made by another person based on that person’s ideas. Not citing your sources or giving credit to the original author or artist destroys your credibility and may lead to disciplinary actions. To avoid plagiarism charges, it is necessary to understand what it is, why it is serious, and learn how to properly credit sources.
What is Plagiarism?
As state above, plagiarism is trying to claim another person’s words, works, or ideas as your own. It can be intentional (on purpose) or unintentional (by accident). Whether or not the act of stealing is willful, it is still wrong, and therefore punishable if detected. Claiming another’s work (of any form) as your own, not citing paraphrased or summarized information from an original source, and not putting direct quotes in quotation marks with proper citations are all examples of plagiarism. A citation is a direct credit to an original source of information or work.
Why Should You Avoid Plagiarism?
Plagiarism destroys your credibility. Most schools have a strict discipline policy regarding plagiarism. Instances of plagiarism can result in poor grades or disciplinary actions, or can be put into your school record. Plagiarism at a collegiate level can result in expulsion, while plagiarism on a professional level can result in termination of employment.
There are several different tips to help you avoid plagiarism. In this interactivity, click on each of the items in the checklist to learn more. Click the player button to begin.
Download a printable version of the interactivity above.
For more information about plagiarism, visit the plagiarism.org website. This organization is devoted to educating students about plagiarism and how to prevent it. Make sure to look at the Plagiarism 101, Citing Sources, and Ask the Experts sections of the website. You may want to refer back to this website throughout this course.
Plagiarism Review
Check to make sure you know how to avoid plagiarism by correctly quoting and paraphrasing information from an original source. In the non-graded activity below, read the excerpt shown. Then, on the following slides, identify the statements that are correctly cited from the original source (the excerpt). When you have selected your answer on each slide, click SUBMIT. Click the player button to begin.