PlagiarismPlagiarism Christine G. Balmes Cristian S. Mendoza Maika E. Laguartilla

Plagiarism is the act of stealing someone else's work and attempting to "pass it off" as your own. This can apply to anything, from term papers to photographs to songs, even ideas!

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary ( to plagiarize meanshttp:// “transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source”

Why is plagiarism important? Who really cares?  Plagiarism is theft of intellectual property.  Plagiarism is cheating.  Plagiarism may result in receiving a failing grade or zero for the assignment. Plagiarism could result in a disciplinary referral. Students caught plagiarizing may be denied admittance to or removal from the National Honor Society.

Some of the things that you think you know about plagiarism may be wrong. It does not matter if the person whose work you have cited is alive or dead. If it is not your own idea, you must cite your source! If you translate or paraphrase something, you must still give a citation. If you use a picture from the Internet, you must cite the source.

Two types of plagiarism: Intentional – Copying a friend’s work – Buying or borrowing papers – Cutting and pasting blocks of text from electronic sources without documenting – Media “borrowing”without documentation – Web publishing without permissions of creators

Unintentional – Careless paraphrasing – Poor documentation – Quoting excessively – Failure to use your own “voice”

WHY TALK ABOUT PLAGIARISM? First reason: Plagiarism is theft Second reason: Plagiarism prevents learning

Third reason: Plagiarism violates university policies and the law Fourth reason: Plagiarism violates academic integrity principles

FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM: turning in someone else's work as your own copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

Reasons that Students Cheat Immense Pressure – Parental – Social – Peer – Personal Grades are heavily stressed Less emphasis on learning than on performance They can get away with it

What can’t you do? And How to Avoid Plagiarism…. Copy any direct quotations from your source material without providing quotation marks or crediting your source. Acknowledge borrowed material with an introduction and citing the source page number: “According to Smith, “Smith point out, …”, etc.

Copy another paper, either from someone else or your own paper from a previous assignment. Use your own thoughts, words, and ideas.

Copyright Infringement Using the intellectual property of others without seeking permission. Even by citing your source and giving attribution to the creator, copyright infringement can be claimed if the owner chooses to file a complaint.

Fair Use Fair use offers a set of guidelines with which the courts can refer when judging a copyright infringement claim.

What are Citations? Citations are a method for telling the reader where you found your information Citations are also a way for the reader to locate more information on the paper topic

Paraphrasing a Source Paraphrasing is putting the author’s words into your own words. Paraphrasing is not changing or deleting a couple of words in an author’s statement.

Paraphrases must mention the person’s name and be cited using the format specified by your instructor.

Paraphrasing Tips Read the author’s paragraph and then look away while writing the concept in your own words and your own style Do not use a thesaurus to change the author’s words If you still recognize the author’s work, then you haven’t paraphrased

Consequences of plagiarism Academic – Penalties Imposed by Instructors Lower grade for assignment, or failing in course

Professional – Discrediting of work – Loss of license/ability to practice – Censure by profession/field You lose, by losing out on the chance to learn as a student, and by loss of professional status/abilities as a professional

How to Prevent Plagiarism? Do not cut & paste information into your document Inform the reader by using citations each time you write something you didn’t know before you started the paper

Use a note taking system that will allow you to organize your sources Check the citations when you are finished writing Don’t wait until the night before the paper is due to research or to write it

Note Taking & Citations Make a copy of the document so you can accurately quote or paraphrase the information later. Color code, label, or highlight notes so it is clear which are your ideas or thoughts and which are the author’s.

Clearly note source information for each source: author, title of work, title of publication, publisher, date, issue, and page number (if applicable).

THANK YOU !!!