Plagiarism
Objective 5--Students will be able to
identify plagiarized information and
understand that plagiarism is
dishonest.
What is Plagiarism?
Copying
Stealing
Cheating
You must do your own work AND you
must give credit when you use the work of
others.
Types of Plagiarism
Direct plagiarism: copying something
word for word
Self-plagiarism: re-using a paper that
you wrote for another class
Types of Plagiarism
Accidental or unintentional plagiarism:
not citing your sources properly
Collusion: claiming credit for work
someone else did for you
What happens if you plagiarize?
You are GUILTY of academic dishonesty.
Consequences for plagiarizing may include:
– Losing all points on an assignment
– Failing the class
– Expulsion from school
Your punishment will depend on the severity of
the offense and your school’s policy.
So why do people plagiarize?
• They don't know what they're doing is
wrong.
• They're tired.
• They're behind.
• They're stressed out.
To avoid plagiarism:
• Keep track of your research.
• Use quotations, summaries or
paraphrases.
• Don't copy and paste!
• Don’t procrastinate.
Do I have to give credit for
everything I write?
• No. You do not have to give credit for
information that is considered common
knowledge, for example:
– George Bush is a Republican from Texas.
– Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah.
– The Nile is a river in Egypt.
• But, if you use someone's idea or their
interpretation of an idea or event, then you must
give credit.
Plagiarism Example #1
• Original text: “Minor league baseball historically is as
American as drive-in movies and Fourth of July parades.
It is still small-town U.S.A., in feel if not in fact” (Rielly
206).
• Plagiarized version: Baseball’s minor leagues are
historically as American as drive-in movies and Fourth of
July parades seen in small-town USA.
• Avoiding plagiarism by summarizing or paraphrasing
means more than switching/adding/deleting a few words.
Source: Rielly, Edward J. Baseball: An Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Santa Barbara,
CA: ABC-CLIO, 2000. Print.
Plagiarism Example #2
• Original text: “Cloning may soon enable us to realize the
dream of xenotransplantation, by making possible the
production of herds of genetically modified pigs that
could provide hearts, livers, and kidneys to human
patients who would otherwise die waiting for human
organ transplants” (Klotzko, 130).
• Plagiarized version: Soon scientists will be able to use
cloning techniques to create herds of genetically
modified pigs in order to give hearts, livers, and kidneys
to human patients waiting on the transplant list.
Source: Klotzko, Arlene Judith, ed. The Cloning Sourcebook. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2001. Print.
• For further information on how to avoid
plagiarizing, please see the lesson on
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing.
Summing Up
• Plagiarism means copying, stealing, or
cheating.
• If you plagiarize you are being
academically dishonest and can be
punished.
• To avoid plagiarizing, take notes on what
you found and where you found it. You
will need these notes later to cite the
information correctly.