PLAGIARISM

Ideas and words

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

*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.

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In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

Brenda Lemon

District Librarian

Chapman School District

Chapman, Kansas

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True or False

Plagiarism is cutting and pasting a sentence from a website and then changing a few of the words.

True or False

Plagiarism is cutting and pasting a sentence from a website and then changing a few of the words.

TRUE

This is the most common way people believe plagiarism occurs. - http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101

True or False

If you recycle or reuse your older sister’s project with her permission, that’s okay.

True or False

If you recycle or reuse your older sister’s project with her permission, that’s okay.

False

Plagiarize is defined as: to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own words or ideas. (even if they give you permission) - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

True or False

You can copy and paste a sentence written by someone else as long as you put quotation marks around it.

True or False

You can copy and paste a sentence written by someone else as long as you put quotation marks around it.

False

This is called an incomplete citation. You need to give it proper citation by including the attribution of the source…i.e., acknowledgement of the source.- http://en.writecheck.com/plagiarism-quiz

True or False

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It is considered plagiarism if you use an image or song found online without providing the citation.

True or False

It is considered plagiarism if you use an image or song found online without providing the citation.

Plagiarism is using ANY words, objects or ideas to pass off as your own.

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This includes using images, video, or music found online without permission and appropriate citations. (cont.)

True

True or False

If you use an image found online without proper citation, that’s plagiarism.

There are exceptions. Images, video, and music that are considered to be in the public domain or considered copyright free do not require permission to use. However, you still need to provide proper citation. http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101

True

True or False

It’s okay to take a photograph found online and use it for an art project.

True or False

It’s okay to take a photograph found online and use it for an art project.

False

You are still plagiarizing from the person who originally took the picture, even though it is popular to do so. You can look at other images and use them as reference points but you can not copy or reproduce it as your own.

http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101

True or False

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You don’t have to worry about citations when including “common knowledge” facts in your reports such as President Washington was the first U.S. President.

True or False

You don’t have to worry about citations when including common knowledge facts in your reports such as President Washington was the first U.S. President.

True

Common knowledge or general reference sources do not have to be cited. - http://en.writecheck.com/plagiarism-quiz

True or False

Paraphrasing means to summarize someone else’s ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing, with proper citations, is a good practice to use to avoid plagiarism.

True or False

Paraphrasing means you summarize someone else’s ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing, with proper citations, is a good practice to use to avoid plagiarism.

True

Paraphrasing is a legitimate way, with proper documentation, to include other people’s thoughts and ideas into your own work. - https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/1/

True or False

It’s okay to use another person’s interpretation of a piece or artistic style as one’s own.

True or False

It’s okay to use another person’s interpretation of a piece or artistic style as one’s own.

False

It doesn’t matter if you are “borrowing” from someone’s video, play, performance, webpage, email, tweet, post, song, conversation, etc…..if it is not your own idea, it’s plagiarism.

http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101

In short…...

http://libguides.rockhurst.edu/collegereadiness/plagiarism

What can happen

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/81/f2/7c/81f27c20bf1e1fd8d75e856e3d8970e0.jpg

• Reputation could be ruined.
• Public shaming in newspaper articles and social media postings
• Assignment can be rejected
• Failure in the course
• Expulsion from the university or college
• Banned from competition
• Loss of awards

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Some people have experienced:

• Loss of work and reputation
• Loss of degree
• Fines, sometimes in the thousand dollar range.
• Loss of prestigious awards
• Broken contracts

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Examples

• Damaged the reputation of University of North Carolina star football player.
• http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/unc-erik-highsmith-caught-plagiarizing-11-olds-011818599--ncaaf.html

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• CNN reporter Fareed Zakaria and Fox News pundit Juan Williams both were caught and had to publically apologize for plagiarism.

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• Kaavya Viswanathan’s first novel and book deal was subsequently withdrawn after it was discovered she had plagiarized at least five other books.

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• Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay millions to the Marvin Gaye estate after being sued for Blurred Lines plagiarism.

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More examples

• Two of German Chancellor Merkle’s cabinet members have had to step down after reports of plagiarism scandals involving published articles.

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• 9 students at Emporia State University were discovered to have plagiarized assignments and punished with 4 failing the assignment, 3 failing the course and 2 being expelled.

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• A Florida high school principal found himself in hot water for plagiarizing a speech for graduation he had found on Youtube.

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• The winner of “Ellen’s Design Challenge” on HGTV, Tim McClellan was caught plagiarizing his final project. The television show disqualified him live on National TV and awarded the prize instead to the runner-up.

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What’s So Wrong with Plagiarism?

• What if:
• Your architect cheated his way through math class. Will your new home be safe?
• Your lawyer paid for a copy of the bar exam to study. Will the contract she wrote for you stand up in court?
• The accountant who does your taxes hired someone to write his papers and paid a stand-in to take his major tests? Does he know enough to complete your tax forms properly?
• You’ve had someone else write all of your papers but you now need to take the ACT to get into college.
• (Lathrop and Foss 87)

Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism

Use your own words and ideas.� Give credit for copied, adapted, or �paraphrased material.�

Avoid using others' work with minor �"cosmetic" changes. �

There are no "freebies." �

“Common knowledge” is okay.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. When you paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Like quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on your Works-Cited page.

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Paraphrase when:

• You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing;
• You want to avoid overusing quotations;
• You want to use your own voice to present information.

Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza

Quoting

Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from a source, word for word. Quotations must be cited!

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Use quotations when:

• You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument;
• You want to disagree with an author’s argument;
• You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages;
• You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view;
• You want to note the important research that precedes your own.

Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza

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Summarizing

• Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words, including only the main point(s). Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material. Again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to their original sources.

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Summarize when:

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• You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic;
• You want to describe knowledge (from several sources) about a topic;
• You want to determine the main ideas of a single source.

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Carol Rohrbach and Joyce Valenza

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As you take notes:

• Include any direct quotes or unique phrases in quotation marks or mark with a big Q and make sure the speaker’s /writer’s name is identified.
• Make sure you note a paraphrase with the writer’s name and mark it with a big P
• Include page numbers and source references so you can go back and check for accuracy as you write.

Bibliography

• Steve Garwood Presentation
• www.sdst.org/shs/library/powerpoint/plagiarism.ppt
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plagiarism_incidents
• http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/prevention/

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