STUDY ADVICE SERVICE
TEST: LEARNING ABOUT PLAGIARISM
ANSWERS
Correct answers are given in bold with some feedback for each question.
Question 1
WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
Before you can learn more about plagiarism, you need to know what it is! Listed below
are some possible definitions. Tick the ones which you think define "plagiarism" most
accurately. There are several correct answers.
Answer
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Not using the correct referencing system in your essays.
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Taking the work of others and passing it off as if it were your own.
Integrating another person's ideas into your own work.
Using quotations in your work.
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Intentionally or unintentionally using the words or ideas of others,
without also telling your reader whom those ideas and words
belong to.
Taking information from the Internet without also saying where that
information came from.
Buying essays over the Internet and submitting them for marking as
your own work.
Getting previous years’ work from a friend and submitting that
work as though it were your own.
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Feedback
The correct definitions of plagiarism all refer to using the ideas of others without due
acknowledgement. You are expected to use the ideas of others in your work, but you
MUST reference them, using your department’s guidelines. Buying essays over the
Internet is closer to cheating (using unfair means) than plagiarism.
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Question 2
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT PLAGIARISM, AND WHY?
Do you know how important learning about plagiarism is, and why? To check your
understanding of these issues, consider the statements below and tick the ones you think
are true. There are several correct answers.
Answer
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Plagiarism can give you an unfair advantage over other students.
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Nobody checks for plagiarism in your work.
You can incur penalties for proven plagiarism, which ultimately
could result in your expulsion from the University.
To gain better marks, you need to demonstrate independent
learning, rather than just repeating the ideas of others.
Plagiarism is impossible for others to detect in your work.
Plagiarism is a more serious offence at higher levels in your
studies.
Before you submit any work, you will have to sign a declaration
whereby you state that the work is your own.
It's OK to plagiarise if you're in a rush to finish your work and you don't
have time to detail all the references you have used.
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Feedback
The correct answers indicate the importance of learning about and understanding
plagiarism, which is taken very seriously by the University. Plagiarism is unacceptable in
any circumstances, and lecturers have several ways of checking for it in your work – see
the next question.
Question 3
HOW CAN MY LECTURERS RECOGNISE PLAGIARISM IN MY WORK?
Listed below are some ways in which your lecturers might be alerted to possible
plagiarism in your work. Tick the ones you think are genuine. There are several correct
answers.
Answer
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By using computer programs that have been specially developed to
detect plagiarism in a piece of writing.
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By spotting one or more changes in your writing style or the
vocabulary you use, which could indicate that you are copying
information from another source.
By reading everything relevant to the essay topic; being able to
remember it all whenever they see it again; and knowing exactly
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where everything they read came from.
By your work getting a much higher or lower mark than work you
have previously submitted.
By noticing web addresses in the middle of your work, which are
not part of any references.
By spotting out of date statements, such as those implying that a
deceased author is still alive.
By identifying a lack of quotations and/or quotation marks in your
work.
By noticing changes in the font you use in your work, which can
indicate that you have copied and pasted information from
somewhere else.
Feedback
The correct answers show the many ways which lecturers use to check for plagiarism in
your work. If they detect instances of plagiarism, they can deduct marks from your overall
mark for the assignment.
Question 4
HOW CAN I RECOGNISE PLAGIARISM IN MY WORK?
You must not rely on your lecturers to recognise possible plagiarism in your work when
they are marking it, because by then it is too late as you have already submitted and
signed a plagiarism declaration relating to it. To help you learn to recognise plagiarism,
look at the following ways of using the work of others in your own work. Tick the ones
which are plagiarism. There are several correct answers.
[Adapted from Swales, John and Feak, Chris, (1993), Academic writing for graduate
students, Michigan, University of Michigan.]
Answer
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Copying a paragraph from someone else's work into your own
work, without any acknowledgment. Using no quotation marks.
Copying a paragraph from someone else's work into your own
work, making small changes such as replacing verbs and adjectives
with similar words. Using no quotation marks. Listing the original
source in the list of references at the end of your work.
Cutting and pasting a paragraph into your own work by using
sentences from someone else's work, but in a different order and
omitting some of them. Using no quotation marks. Listing the
original source in the list of references at the end of your work.
Composing a paragraph in your own work by taking short phrases
directly from a number of other people's work and linking them with
words of your own. Using no quotation marks. Putting a reference
in the text of your work and in the list of references at the end of
your work.
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Putting a paragraph from someone else's work into your own words
(paraphrasing it) and then into your own work, making substantial
changes in language and organisation and in the amount of detail and
examples used. Putting a reference in the text of your work and in the list
of references at the end of your work.
Quoting a paragraph from someone else's work in your own work, by
putting it in either quotation marks or block format. Putting a reference in
the text of your work and in the list of references at the end of your work.
Feedback
The first correct answer is plagiarism because there is no acknowledgement at all that
you have used the work of someone else. The second and third correct answers are
plagiarism because although you have altered someone else’s work in some way, you
have still used it, and this requires a reference not only at the end of your work but also in
the text of your work. In addition, the third correct answer indicates the use of quotations,
which requires quotation marks as well as a reference in the text of your work. The fourth
correct answer is plagiarism because you have used quotations but without quotation
marks. This is still plagiarism even though you have referenced the quotations in the text
and at the end of your work. The remaining two ways of using the work of others in your
own work are not plagiarism, because you have fully referenced either the paraphrasing
or the quotation, and enclosed the quotation in quotation marks
Question 5
HOW CAN I RECOGNISE PLAGIARISM IN THE WORK OF OTHERS? [PRACTICE
QUESTION 1]
Being able to recognise plagiarism in the work of others will help you to recognise it in
your own work.
Have a look at the following pieces of writing, and tick the ones which ARE plagiarism.
There are several correct answers.
[Adapted from Carroll, Jude, (2000), 'Academic Dishonesty and the Internet', in SEDA,
Reaching Out: SEDA Spring Conference 2000, London, SEDA, cited in Drew, Sue and
Bingham, Rosie, (2001, 2nd edn), The Student Skills Guide, Aldershot, Gower.]
Answer
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"There is a view that the world and its economy is changing rapidly, and
that a nation's success is dependent on individuals who are flexible, able
to continue to learn and have skills which are transferable between
situations." (Drew, 1998, p15)
There is the view that the world and its economy is changing
rapidly, and that a nation's success is dependent on individuals
who are flexible, able to continue to learn and have skills which are
transferable between situations.
There are various reasons why Key Skills have been seen as
important by governments. There is a view that the world and its
economy is changing rapidly, and that a nation's success depends
on flexible people with skills which transfer between situations. HE
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is expensive and should justify that expense by developing
individuals' skills (Drew, 1998)
Drew (1998) suggests that an assumption behind the Key Skills
movement is that, in a rapidly changing world, a nation's economy
depends on the skills of individuals.
An assumption behind the Key Skills movement is that, in a rapidly
changing world, a nation's economy depends on the skills of
individuals.
Feedback
The first correct answer is plagiarism because although it is a quotation of the passage
above it, it has no quotation marks around it and no reference. The passage above it is
not plagiarism because it has quotation marks and a reference. The second correct
answer draws on Drew’s work, and is plagiarism because it has a quotation in the middle
of it which is not enclosed in quotation marks and not referenced. The reference that is
there is in the wrong place, because it should come immediately after the part of the
passage that draws on Drew. Instead, it comes at end of the whole paragraph. The third
correct answer is plagiarism because Drew’s work has been paraphrased and should
therefore be referenced. The passage above it is a correct example of this.
Question 6
HOW CAN I RECOGNISE PLAGIARISM IN THE WORK OF OTHERS? [PRACTICE
QUESTION 2]
Being able to recognise plagiarism in the work of others will help you to recognise it in
your own work.
Here is a piece of original text, taken from page 1 of Williams, J., (2001), Lizzie Borden: a
Casebook of Family and Crime in the 1890s, New York, Star Books.
The rise of industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the
three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger,
steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they
transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of
immigrants. With industry came urbanization: the growth of large cities (like Fall River,
Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) which became the centers of production as well
as of commerce and trade.
Listed below are three examples of pieces of writing based on this text. Tick the ones
which are NOT plagiarism. There are two correct answers.
[Adapted from Indiana University Writing Tutorial Services, (2004), Plagiarism: What it is
and How to Recognize and Avoid it, Bloomington, Indiana University, <
www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml>, accessed 08/08/2005]
Answer
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Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. Steam-powered
production had shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, and
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as immigrants arrived in the US, they found work in these new
factories. As a result, populations grew, and large urban areas
arose. Fall River was one of these manufacturing and commercial
centers (Williams, 2001, p1).
Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. As steampowered production shifted labor from agriculture to
manufacturing, the demand for workers "transformed farm hands
into industrial laborers" and created jobs for immigrants. In turn,
growing populations increased the size of urban areas. Fall River
was one of these hubs "which became the centers of production as
well as of commerce and trade" (Williams, 2001, p1).
The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the
population were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As
steam-driven companies became more visible in the eastern part of the
country, they changed farm hands into factory workers and provided jobs
for the large wave of immigrants. With industry came the growth of large
cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived, which turned into centers of
commerce and trade as well as production.
Feedback
The first correct answer, which paraphrases Williams’ work, is not plagiarism because it is
correctly referenced. The same applies to the second correct answer, which includes
direct quotations enclosed in quotation marks and a page number in the reference. The
remaining answer is plagiarism because it paraphrases Williams’ work but is not
referenced.
Question 7
HOW CAN I RECOGNISE PLAGIARISM IN THE WORK OF OTHERS? [PRACTICE
QUESTION 3]
Being able to recognise plagiarism in the work of others will help you to recognise it in
your own work.
Here is a piece of original text, taken from page 77 of Greenfield, S., (2000), The Private
Life of the Brain, Harmondsworth, Penguin.
Recreational drugs are self administered to change consciousness in a dramatic way, to
create a sustained and different sensation. Despite their very different modes of action,
these drugs presumably all have one final effect in common - the subjective emotion,
presumably of some sort of pleasure.
Listed below are four pieces of writing relating to the topic covered in the above text. Tick
the ONE example of plagiarism.
[Adapted from Nottingham Trent University Student Support Services, (n.d), Plagiarism
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Badger, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University,
<www2.ntu.ac.uk/sss/studysupport/tests/>, accessed 08/08/05]
Answer
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The range of drugs used in the UK is widespread; some are legal such
as alcohol and tobacco, whilst others are illegal such as cannabis and
heroin. They share a common effect, namely "to change consciousness
in a dramatic way, to create a sustained and different sensation"
(Greenfield, 2000, p77)
Drug users in the UK administer recreational drugs to change their
consciousness in a dramatic way and to create a long-term,
different sensation. These drugs, despite their very different modes
of action, presumably all have one final effect in common - the
subjective emotion, presumably of some sort of pleasure.
The purpose of a recreational drug is to alter how the user feels. This
may be brought about by the use of legal drugs such as alcohol and
tobacco; illegal drugs such as cannabis, heroin or cocaine; or the misuse
of prescription drugs or solvents. The impact on the brain will vary: some
drugs will bring about feelings of ecstasy and bliss, others cause
hallucinations, and others bring about the sensation of
detachment. Addiction to these sensations can be a serious problem,
and whether the addict craves alcohol or heroin, the social impact can be
the same.
Despite their different methods of use, Greenfield (2000, p77) suggests
that recreational drugs all share the same key characteristics: they create
a pleasurable change that alters the brain physically and emotionally.
Feedback
The correct answer is plagiarism because it paraphrases Greenfield’s work and also
includes a quotation (at the end of the passage), but there are no references. The
remaining answers all either paraphrase or quote Greenfield’s work (or both), but are not
plagiarism because they are correctly referenced.
Question 8
HOW CAN I RECOGNISE PLAGIARISM IN THE WORK OF OTHERS? [PRACTICE
QUESTION 4]
Being able to recognise plagiarism in the work of others will help you to recognise it in
your own work.
Here is a piece of original text, taken from page 107 of Lodge, D., (1988), Modern
Criticism and Theory: a Reader, London, Longman.
"Structure, Sign and Play" marks the moment at which post-structuralism as a movement
begins, opposing itself to classical structuralism as well as to traditional humanism and
empiricism: the moment as Derrida himself puts it "when the structurality of structure had
to begin to be thought".
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Here is a piece of writing based on this text.
It has been argued that post-structuralism begins with Derrida's essay "Structure, Sign
and Play"; the movement set itself in opposition to the preceding dominant traditions of
literary criticism, namely traditional humanism and empiricism. (Lodge, 1977, p107)
Listed below are four statements about this piece of writing. Tick the ONE
statement which is correct.
[Adapted from Nottingham Trent University Student Support Services, (n.d.), Plagiarism
Badger, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University,
<www2.ntu.ac.uk/sss/studysupport/tests/>, accessed 08/08/05]
Answer
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It IS plagiarism, because the writer has used a direct quotation from the
original source.
It IS plagiarism, because the rewritten passage is over 25 words long.
It is NOT plagiarism, because although the writer has paraphrased
the original text, they have also shown where their ideas came
from.
It is NOT plagiarism, because the writer has rewritten the information in
their own words, and there is no need for a reference if the original text
has been greatly altered.
Feedback
The correct answer illustrates the need to reference not only direct quotations, but also
any passage of the original text which you have rewritten in your own words. The length
of such passages is irrelevant. Using a quotation does not in itself constitute plagiarism,
but would be plagiarism if the quotation was not correctly referenced.
Question 9
HOW DO I AVOID PLAGIARISM IN MY WORK?
So far, you have been asked to consider what plagiarism is; why it is important to know
about it; how your lecturers can recognise it ; and how to recognise it in your own work
and in that of others. This question asks you about how you can avoid plagiarism in your
work.
Tick those ways which you think may help you to avoid plagiarism in your work. There
are several correct answers.
Answer
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Learn to write in your own style, trying not to copy someone else's.
When you are reading and making notes, write down exactly where
the information comes from as you go along.
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Avoid using anyone else's work or ideas in your writing.
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If you use someone else's ideas in your writing, make sure you
reference them.
Check your paraphrasing against the original text, to make sure
that you haven't accidentally used the same words or phrases that
the original writer uses.
Avoid using quotations in your writing.
Make notes in your own words, except when you want to use a
quotation.
Feedback
You are expected to use the work of others in your own work, including quotations and
the correct answers show that there are several methods you can use to ensure that you
do not plagiarise. You should get into the habit of using these methods.
Materials developed by Chris Pinder, Study Advice Service, University of Hull, August 2005.
www.hull.ac.uk/studyadvice.
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