Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

• Note that the need to attribute sources of information correctly applies to published and unpublished works. 

• Anything on the World Wide Web is considered to be published.

• You wouldn’t think of literally “cutting” and “pasting” an assignment for a class.  Avoid the temptation to do so electronically.

Example: Ideas, opinions, theories

• NO ATTRIBUTION - I discovered that the circle's circumference is approximately 3.14 times the diameter after conducting independent measurements.

• ATTRIBUTION - Using the concept of pi, I found the circumcircle's circumference is approximately 3.14 times the diameter.

Example: Paraphrases

• NO ATTRIBUTION - Knowledge is either knowing something or knowing where to find it.

• ATTRIBUTION - To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, knowledge is either knowing something or knowing where to find it.

How Does Plagiarism Detection Work?

• Assignments are compared automatically with a massive database of journal articles, web articles, and previously submitted papers.  

• The instructor receives a report showing how a student’s paper was plagiarized. 

Other Ethical Dilemmas

I am writing a paper for my classics class and wanted to impress the professor by citing passages from The Aeneid in the original Latin, although I read the English translation.

• Since most editions of classical works have line numbering, it would be easy for you to find the corresponding Latin text.  

• However, if it is not the work you used for your research, you should not cite it as your source of information.

Example: Factual Information

• NO ATTRIBUTION - The mean travel time to work in the United States is 26.9 minutes.

• ATTRIBUTION - According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the mean travel time to work in the United States is 26.9 minutes. (Check it out here).

Example: Direct Quotations 

• NO ATTRIBUTION - And let me conclude by saying, “Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.”

• ATTRIBUTION - And let me concur with Chaucer in saying, “Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.”

Avoiding Plagiarism

• If you cite a source directly, indicate it is a quotation by using quotation marks or setting off a longer quote in an indented paragraph.

• Include an in-text reference to the work cited and a full bibliographic entry in the list of works cited at the end of your paper.

• If you paraphrase information or allude to facts that are not common knowledge that you obtained from another source, provide an in-text reference and a full bibliographic entry in the works cited list.