What is it and what does it look like?

Definition of Plagiarism  Plagiarism is:  To steal the words or ideas of another person  To pass off the words or ideas of another person as one’s own  Further:  It doesn’t matter whether the theft is intentional or accidental. Either way, it is plagiarism.

Examples of Plagiarism in the Classroom:  Copying/Allowing others to copy  Passing off someone else’s work as your own  Using another’s written ideas or words  Not acknowledging sources WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL

Is this Plagiarism?  Original Source:  At the start of the Great Depression, many Americans wanted to believe that the hard times would be only temporary.  Student Version:  At the beginning of the Great Depression, a lot of Americans wanted to think that the hard times would be only temporary.

Is this Plagiarism?  Original Source:  Devices in the iPod range are primarily digital audio players, designed around a central click wheel — although the iPod shuffle has buttons also.  Student Version:  An iPod is an MP3 player that lets you choose and play songs to listen to using a click wheel (or on older versions, buttons).

Is this Plagiarism?  Original Source:  Integrity must be sincere. That’s one reason Lincoln was so admired in his lifetime. Through an individual’s words, deeds, and actions, integrity can be judged to be genuine.  Student Wording:  One reason that Lincoln was well-liked during his lifetime was that his integrity was sincere. A person’s statements and dealings with the world allows that person to be judged as honest.

To Avoid Plagiarism  Cite the source of any idea or words you take from anyone else.  Carefully mark the beginning and end of the source’s words or idea.  Provide a bibliography to show where the borrowed material originated.

Cite any information that you did not think of on your own. The only exception is “common knowledge” – for example, Barack Obama is the President, Michael Jordan played basketball Did you think of it? No. Yes. Is it common knowledge? No. Yes. Cite it. Do not cite it. Always cite direct quotes.

Should you Cite? Jack isn’t sure if he needs to cite the source of the information below. He found the fact online. “Abraham Lincoln was our 16 th president.”

Should you Cite? In her paper on Affirmative Action, Jill found one source that explained that Affirmative Action “evens the field of play by forcing equality among all players.” In her paper, Jill uses the phrase “forcing equality” but she puts all the other parts of the source into her own words.

Consequences of Plagiarism  At Westwood:  Zero on the assignment  home  May lose eligibility in academic clubs/organizations

Real Life Incidents  As a reporter for the New York Times, Jayson Blair plagiarized or fabricated in more than 40 stories between 2002 and He was fired from his job. The top two editors of the newspaper resigned as a result of the scandal.  After being accused of rampant plagiarism in her work, tenured professor Madonna G. Constantine was fired from her position at Columbia University.  Blair Hornstein was the valedictorian of her high school class and had earned admission to Harvard University. After articles Hornstein wrote for a local newspaper were discovered to have been plagiarized, Harvard University rescinded their acceptance.