Plagiarism
Plagiarism definition
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to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an
existing source
plagiarism.org
Can words and ideas really be stolen?
• According to U.S. law, the answer is yes.
• The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property
and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions.
• Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as
long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a
computer file).
plagiarism.org
Examples
turning in someone else's work as your own
copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source
without giving credit
• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the
majority of your work, whether you give credit or not
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plagiarism.org
Plagiarism can be intentional or inadvertent
• Intentional plagiarism:
• deliberate use of another author’s research, ideas, or language without
acknowledging the source through footnotes, quotations, or reference
• Inadvertent plagiarism:
• the improper, but accidental, use of another’s ideas, words, or data without
identifying the source
Purdue University Calumet
Six Types of Plagiarism
Complete plagiarism
• Submitting an essay or report that has been written by someone
else.
• This includes using the services of a commercial term paper
company.
• (Also known as global plagiarism)
Purdue University Calumet
Patchwork plagiarism
• Lifting ideas, phrases, and paragraphs from a variety of sources
and joining them together without careful identification of their
sources.
• (Also known as mosaic plagiarism)
Purdue University Calumet
Direct plagiarism
• Word-for-word
• Copying of another’s writing without the use of quotation marks
and without identifying it in a citation, both of which are
necessary.
Purdue University Calumet
Paraphrased plagiarism
• An abbreviated restatement of another person’s analysis or
conclusion, without acknowledging the source.
Purdue University Calumet
Lazy plagiarism
• Forgetting to use quotations marks and include in-text citations
every time you use material from another source.
Purdue University Calumet
Self-plagiarism
• The use of an essay or report for one course to satisfy the
requirements of another course.
• A student must receive the instructor’s approval to use a
previously completed assignment. If you want to use similar
assignments to satisfy the requirements of two related courses,
you must receive approval from all of the instructors concerned.
Purdue University Calumet
Avoiding Plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism
• Always cite you sources!
• Use in-text citations and submit a works cited page.
Paraphrasing
• Use a statement that credits the source somewhere in the
paraphrase or summary: (According to Johnathan Kozol...).
• Put quotation marks around any unique words or phrases that you
cannot or do not want to change: "savage inequalities" exist
throughout our educational system (Kozol).
Purdue OWL
Direct quotations
• Keep the source author's name in the same sentence as the quote.
• Mark the quote with quotation marks, or set it off from your text
in its own block, per the style guide your paper follows.
• MLA: If the quote takes up more than four lines in your essay, use block
quotation.
• Quote no more material than is necessary; if a short phrase from a
source will suffice, don't quote an entire paragraph.
• To shorten quotes by removing extra information, use ellipsis
points (...) to indicate omitted text.
Purdue OWL
Direct quotations
• Use quotes that will have the most rhetorical, argumentative impact in
your paper; too many direct quotes from sources may weaken your
credibility, as though you have nothing to say yourself, and will certainly
interfere with your style.
• To give context to a quote or otherwise add wording to it, place added
words in brackets; be careful not to editorialize or make any additions
that skew the original meaning of the quote—do that in your main text.
• OK: Kozol claims there are "savage inequalities" in our educational system,
which is obvious.
• WRONG: Kozol claims there are "[obvious] savage inequalities" in our
educational system.
Purdue OWL