Misconceptions and Different Forms of Plagiarism

Misconceptions about Plagiarism

Cheating and stealing are two of the many words describing plagiarism. Plagiarism is a common misconception because people do not understand all the meanings of it, do not know the techniques to avoid it, and have not come to realize that it undermines academic integrity.

This misconception involves the widespread variety of definitions on the topic plagiarism. Plagiarism is a word with many meanings. One definition means to use another’s production without crediting the source. Another definition is to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. Plagiarism ranges from failing to put a quotation in quotation marks to stealing a passing off work. “Minimal amount of plagiarism is very common in the educational sector where person do plagiarism by substituting the synonyms and editing the original text” (Kumar 1). Terms like “copying” and borrowing” can disguise the seriousness of plagiarism. People often get confused about plagiarizing because the meanings can also get them mixed up and frustrated. “In sum, plagiarism can be a very serious form of ethical misconduct” (ORI 1). That is how plagiarism’s definitions can change one’s perspective about it.

This misconception often occurs because people do not understand the styles of writing to avoid it. Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided though. “Plagiarism can vary in its extent based on the amount of plagiarism” (Kumar 1). The different styles of

writing are very helpful to avoiding plagiarism. The certain style of writing techniques a person uses to avoid plagiarism reveals the writer’s own voice. It also pertains to the type of audience it would relate to. Some styles of writing include how the person uses their sentence formation. Some examples are the loose sentence, the periodic sentence, or the balanced sentence. Other styles of writing include diction. Diction pertains to the writer’s style and mode of their writing. The styles of writing can be humorous, general, metaphorical, philosophical, abstract, or concrete. Punctuation is a big part of a writer’s style because it expresses the writer’s mood or action. “Although plagiarism can take many forms there are two major types in scholarly writing: plagiarism of ideas and plagiarism of text” (ORI 1). That is how using different styles of writing can influence you to avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism occurs when people do not understand the emphasis on the originality of the work.