In order to be a good writer, a person must have a repertoire of original words. It is more imperative now than ever, for writers to be able to have originality in their writings. They also must be able to use citations appropriately or they could be accused of plagiarism. This paper will discuss several different issues regarding plagiarism. These issues include:
1. The definition of plagiarism and why students plagiarize.
2. Intentional vs. unintentional plagiarism
3. The importance of citing with specific examples of improper citation and why it is considered plagiarism.
4. Discussion on citing, direct quoting, paraphrasing and expressing another’s ideas.
5. Definition of common knowledge and whether it is better to over-cite or under-cite.
According to Plagiarism.org, (as cited in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) plagiarism meaning is, “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; and to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source (“What is plagiarism?”, n.d. ).
Part of the definition gives an answer to some of the reasons why students plagiarize. The portion that states, “Without crediting the source,” is what gets a lot of students in trouble. They don’t start off using another’s words, but improper citing leaves the impression that they are committing plagiarism.
Using another person’s words is one reason that students plagiarize. Other reasons students plagiarize according to Plagarism.org, is because of deadlines, overwhelming assignments, and sometimes the boundaries between plagiarism and research are unclear (“What is plagiarism?”, n.d.).
All students ...
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...ls, words, or thoughts, it is better to over-cite than under-cite. This will ensure that you do not plagiarize someone else’s work.
Works Cited
Baylor School. org. (n.d.). Intentional and unintentional plagiarism . In undefined. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://mail.baylorschool.org/~jstover/plagiarism/intent.htm.
Olivas, T. & Thompson, S. (2008, October 28). How to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism Prevention for Students. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http://library.csusm.edu/ plagiarism/howtoavoid/how_avoid_direct.htm
Thompson, S. (2008, October 28). How to avoid plagiarism. “Plagiarism Prevention for Students”. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from from http://library.csusm.edu/ plagiarism/howtoavoid/how_avoid_direct.htm
What is Plagiarism? (n.d.) Retrieved January 28, 2011, from http://www.plagiarism.org/ learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html
In the case where one needs to use the exact definition as stated in an existing material, it should be quoted and credited to the first person to define it in that manner. Giving a summary of detailed facts also helps to avoid similarities with other works (Shafer, 2014). Paraphrasing and summarizing other people’s ideas are not enough to make work free of plagiarism. If the style is similar with another author’s work, it is not considered not original. Everyone has a unique style of writing, and to make a work original, it is necessary for one to employ their unique style (Watkins, 2008). When writing, one should avoid too many direct quotations because they will make the work look similar to the original version (Suseela, 2016). To paraphrase effectively, a writer should read existing material and understand it fully. In the event they want to borrow ideas, they should keep the material out of sight and write as own composition. However, when making direct quotations one is allowed to copy and paste so as to maintain the originality of the
Etymologically, the word plagiarism comes from Latin “plagiare” meaning to “kidnap” (Das, and Panjabi, 2011). The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines plagiarize as: “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's production) without crediting the source” (“Plagiarize,” n.d.). Essentially it is a dishonest act consisting in wrongly appropriate what is not yours (“What Is Plagiarism?,” n.d.). Those nuances in its definition may explain the different types of plagiarism. The number of kinds of plagiarism varies from textbook or site. For this paper, we will be limited to the study of four common types of plagiarism as suggested by Bowdoin College. We will start with direct
"can shift attention away from teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the first place. In “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices,” the Council of Writing Program Administrators urges teachers to “use plagiarism detection services cautiously,” for they should “never be used to justify the avoidance of responsible teaching methods.”
Estow, Sarah, Eva K. Lawrence, and Kathrynn A. Adams. "Practice Makes Perfect: Improving Students' Skills in Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism with a Themed Methods Course." ERIK, 2012: 4.
The book, Other People’s Words: What Plagiarism Is and How to Avoid it, has taught me many things about plagiarism. Some of the things this book taught me are the definition and some ways to avoid plagiarism.
Procedure of research conducted in early semesters whereas 35 students followed a pretest to identify their knowledge about plagiarism. The participants completed paraphrasing assignment continuously in over the next 6 weeks with 100 to 125 words in each assignment and they were provided a citation in APA style right after the post test. This ended by the post test which was done immediately after they finished with their six-week practice.
In order to properly learn more about plagiarism, it is important to appreciate the process of distribution and creation of ideas in the university. All knowledge is developed from preceding knowledge. As we read, revise, execute, research, and collect perspectives, we are building on other people’s thoughts. While drawing on other peoples thoughts and ideas, we manage to develop our own. In this base therefore, students should not shy away from using the work of others. Instead, they should learn how to avoid plagiarism.
Plagiarism, or the unaccredited use of another's work or ideas, has become more and more of a problem in recent times than it was in the past. According to statistics found in a survey conducted by the Free Press, 58% of high school students let someone copy their work in 1969, but by 1989 this number had risen to 97%. The expansion of the World Wide Web and the number of people accessing the Web on a regular basis has caused an epidemic of plagiarism in this country, especially among students. This is a serious problem that must be addressed because many students feel that if they are not getting in trouble for cheating, than it is okay.
Plagiarism is a very serious issue because it can affect the learning of many students. For example teachers and principals in an academic institute are very strict towards this matter so, it can lead to many consequences such as suspension, failure or even the risk of being expelled from a school and possibly even a school board. To avoid these consequences it is important to avoid plagiarizing, which can be a very hard thing to do for people who consistently rely on someone else’s work. There are many different ways to avoid plagiarism such as, making sure what the source is trying to say in order to fulfill the task assigned.
As students of high school and college, and even in the professional world, we are asked to research and write on subjects that are seen to be important. The research that we are asked to do, has been done many times in the past, which means people are bound to use others’ ideas and words with no recognition, sometimes without even knowing it. This leads to plagiarism, which is something many people have heard of, but never learned the true definition and the harm it can create. Schools and society need to be more proactive in explaining what plagiarism is, how to write correctly in order to prevent it, and teach the consequences plagiarism has.
Plagiarism is defined by UMUC (2006) as “the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person’s idea or product as one’s own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all of part of another’s written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustration, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas conclusions or research without citing the source in the text and in reference lists; or using all or part of a literary ...
Have you ever had a really good joke that makes the whole room erupt with laughter? Now, has anyone ever stolen your joke? Maybe the crowd as a whole didn’t hear it, but one individual did. That individual repeats the joke, and the crowd hears it and erupts with laughter. It always sucks when that happens because it was your joke, but no one knew that. You should be the one getting credit for their moment of laughter. Imagine the same situation but with a career in writing. A professional author does not want one of their published ideas stolen by another author. Credit should be given where credit is due. Plagiarism is not something that should be taken lightly. The definition of plagiarism, reasons for documentation,
The true definition of plagiarism is “Using someone else’s ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness.”[2] There are many different ways of remedying this problem.
Plagiarism is a serious offense and a growing trend in our society today. Some may associate plagiarism with the idea of taking someone else’s writing and making it their own. In fact plagiarism involves anything that is copied or taken and said to be of your own work. Dictionary.com defines plagiarism as “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, as by not crediting the author”. In fact this definition covers all types of cheating and misrepresentation of ones own work. There are many numbers and statistics that can be found on the amount of individuals that have admitted to cheating. Perhaps the most astounding number is one that was reported by Moeck in 2002 aloft of 40% of higher education students commit academic dishonesty. This number I’m sure has grown since this report and will continue to grow with the development of the Internet. There are a number of ideas and strategies that can be employed in order to stop this ever-growing phenomenon. As teachers and adults, we are responsible for stopping this trend and educating students about the consequences and dangers of plagiarism. I believe there are a variety of reasons individuals plagiarize. First, students are insecure with their own ability; they don’t believe they can do the work therefore they take others. Second, students believe they can get away with the act because they know others who have plagiarized, and there were not any consequences. Lastly, students are uneducated on what plagiarism is and do not know the consequences of their actions if they commit an act. These ideas will be the focus of the position taken on plagiarism in today’s academic society.
Today we face a serious problem which is Plagiarism and modern pirates. Plagiarism is the perform of occupying other’s ideas or work and showing the work off as one's own. The critical consequences of plagiarism of ideas and words are known by anyone with an academic background. Plagiarism is deemed academic misconduct and a violation of journalist ethics.