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What is Plagiarism?
What is plagiarism?
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, plagiarism,
or to “plagiarize”means:
1. to steal and pass off the ideas or words of
another as one's own
2. use another's production without crediting the
source
3. to commit literary theft
4. present as new and original an idea or product
derived from an existing source1
1. "Plagiarism." Merriam-Webster. 2006. Merriam-Webster, Inc.. 1 Aug 2006
<http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/plagiarism>.
Further Explanation
• Plagiarism comes from the Latin word
“kidnapping”. Instead of stealing an actual
person, you steal a person’s ideas and/or
writing!2
• Anytime you use another person’s ideas or
words without giving proper credit to that
person, you are committing PLAGIARISM!
2. "What is Plagiarism?." Kidshealth. 2006. 31 Jul 2006
<http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html>.
Have YOU ever plagiarized? Ask
yourself these questions…
• Have I ever cut and
pasted information
from a web page into
my own document?
• Have I ever gotten
information out of an
article and put it into
my own paper by
rewording the
sentence?
• Have I ever added
audio clips from the
web into a
PowerPoint
presentation?
• Have I ever used an
image from the web
on a cover page or in
a presentation?
If you answered YES to any of those
questions and did NOT cite your source,
then you have committed
PLAGIARISM!
AND those are just some of the ways
students plagiarize.
If proper credit is not given, the following
actions are examples of plagiarism:
• using a direct quotation word-for-word
• submitting rephrased ideas of another
person
• submitting, as your own, papers or sections
of texts accessed from the Internet
• copying material from an encyclopedia,
dictionary, or other source
• using data that you did not derive by yourself
• using non-textual material such as musical
or artistic copyrighted works, compositions,
or choreography
If you use any of the following
resources, you must give credit to the
creator in order to avoid plagiarism:
•
•
•
•
•
photographs
software
letters
emails
sound
recordings
• web pages
• books
• poems
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
articles
plays
movies
choreography
paintings
graphics
video games
songs
… and more
What is wrong with plagiarism?
If you plagiarize, then you are also doing the
following:
1. You are STEALING someone else’s
words and ideas
2. You are LYING because you are implying
that the words and ideas are your own
3. You are CHEATING by using someone
else’s work as your own3
3. Harris, Robert. "Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers." Virtual Salt 17 November
2004:
Plagiarism has consequences…
If you plagiarize, you may be
punished in the following ways:
•
•
•
•
Failure of assignment
Failure of class
Expulsion
Legal action may take place
resulting in heavy fines
How do I avoid plagiarism?
CITE YOUR SOURCE
“Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided,
however, by citing sources. Simply
acknowledging that certain material has
been borrowed, and providing your
audience with the information to find that
source, is usually enough to prevent
plagiarism.”4
4. "What is Plagiarism?." Turnitin.com. 31 Jul 2006
<http://www.turnitin.com/researc_site/e_what_is_plagiarism.html>.
So remember…
Plagiarism is when you use ideas,
language, or work of another without
giving proper credit, a citation, or
reference to the original author, text, or
source.
Always give proper credit when using
the words, work, or ideas of others!
PLAGIARISM
Works Cited
Harris, Robert. "Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research
Papers." Virtual Salt 17 November 2004.
"Plagiarism." Merriam-Webster. 2006. Merriam-Webster,
Inc.. 1 Aug 2006
<http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/plagiarism>.
"What is Plagiarism?." Kidshealth. 2006. 31 Jul 2006
<http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/plagiarism.html>.
"What is Plagiarism?." Turnitin.com. 31 Jul 2006
<http://www.turnitin.com/researc_site/e_what_is_plagiari
sm.html>.