Plagiarism in academic settings is a subject that is getting widespread attention, and for good reason. Being accused of plagiarism is a serious offense for a student, and where it occurs due to students not receiving insufficient information about what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it, it reflects badly on the student’s academic past. Learning to conduct independent research, analyze information critically and present one’s findings coherently are an essential aspect of higher education, and failing to learn this can reflect poorly on the education that a student has received.
Defining Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious offense that can be mistaken for simply “borrowing” of another’s ideas (‘What is Plagiarism’); however, it fundamentally constitutes a theft of another’s thoughts, words and ideas. The GCU Tutorial on Plagiarism defines it as “the use of another person’s thoughts, ideas, words, quotations or phrases without showing proper acknowledgement of where the information came from” (GCU Tutorial). Plagiarism is thus the unlawful use of someone else’s work, without attributing or in any way acknowledging the original author. The definition of plagiarism does not have inherently a threshold of quantity, i.e. there is no difference in the level of offense whether the work copied is a phrase or an entire paper. The offense of plagiarism thus operates under a zero tolerance policy. This makes it even more important that students are vigilant whilst writing papers, and ensure that even inadvertently they do not use words or ideas of another without attributing them first.
Examples of Plagiarism
An example of plagiarism can be quoting a distinctive phrase from a book or article that provides a telling and pertinent description of the topic, without putting the phrase in quotation marks or attributing it. It may be assumed that the use of a phrase should not give rise to an offense of plagiarism, but it does.
Similarly, another example of plagiarism can be attributing an idea to a source, but to the wrong source. This can take place if the student, whilst taking notes, forgets to note which ideas or quotes can from which sources, and whilst writing up the paper, mistakenly assigns an idea to the incorrect source. It has also been suggested that if someone reads a text and then assimilates the information, and later produces it from memory, this could result in inadvertent plagiarism (Tenpenny et al, 1998). This can be avoided by taking meticulous notes to ensure that the correct author is attributed.
Another common reason for plagiarizing is that globally different norms exist regarding what constitutes plagiarism, what to cite and when, which can be confusing for international students studying in American universities. Gerry White addresses this issue in his article, where he cites the work by Cavaleri who describes how citing articles is considered disrespectful in Chinese society, as it presupposes that the work cannot be recognized by the reader and must thus be referenced (White, 2009). In certain other societies it is a common practice to not cite at all, or cite broadly, which might confuse students when presented with a diametrically opposite approach.
How to Avoid Plagiarism
GCU’s tutorial illustrates three methods for avoiding plagiarism. The first is to summarize an author’s words, and cite the work from which the ideas are referenced (GCU Tutorial). This requires the reader to understand the central message of the work, and to reproduce it in their own words, whilst at the same time presenting only the salient information or the gist of the argument. The second method is to paraphrase the author’s words, by reproducing the content of the work in one’s own words. This is often used when arguments must be explained in great detail. The final method is to quote the words of the author directly, reproducing the exact text within quotation marks. Care must be taken whilst quoting another’s work to ensure that each syllable is reproduced accurately. Direct quotations are very useful when the “wording itself is memorable and succinct”, but should be used sparingly (GCU Tutorial).
Why Is Plagiarism Unethical?
Researching and writing a paper is arduous and takes effort; simply copying the hard work of another not only makes a mockery of their effort, but also constitutes a theft, even if that theft may appear invisible or victimless. Whilst it may be effortless to open up Internet Explorer and copy and paste paragraphs of someone else’s work into one’s own, the simplicity of the act belies the gravity of the offense. Not only is plagiarizing someone’s work reprehensible, it is also unethical to knowingly allow students to plagiarize or to provide inadequate punishments for those who have been caught committing plagiarizing, argues Matthew Woessner (Woessner, 2004).
Consequences of Plagiarism
The consequences of a student being caught plagiarizing can be severe – ranging from receiving no credit in that assignment to being suspended and even expelled from school. This can have a serious effect on the academic future of the student concerned. Plagiarizing also prevents students from learning their subject matter thoroughly, thus depriving them of the education that they expect from an institution of higher learning. Whilst a student may on a few occasions escape being detected, once caught, the consequences of not producing their own work can lead to heavy repercussions. It is thus advisable to always cite the ideas and words of other authors and ensure that the work submitted by a student is their own.
Defining Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious offense that can be mistaken for simply “borrowing” of another’s ideas (‘What is Plagiarism’); however, it fundamentally constitutes a theft of another’s thoughts, words and ideas. The GCU Tutorial on Plagiarism defines it as “the use of another person’s thoughts, ideas, words, quotations or phrases without showing proper acknowledgement of where the information came from” (GCU Tutorial). Plagiarism is thus the unlawful use of someone else’s work, without attributing or in any way acknowledging the original author. The definition of plagiarism does not have inherently a threshold of quantity, i.e. there is no difference in the level of offense whether the work copied is a phrase or an entire paper. The offense of plagiarism thus operates under a zero tolerance policy. This makes it even more important that students are vigilant whilst writing papers, and ensure that even inadvertently they do not use words or ideas of another without attributing them first.
Examples of Plagiarism
An example of plagiarism can be quoting a distinctive phrase from a book or article that provides a telling and pertinent description of the topic, without putting the phrase in quotation marks or attributing it. It may be assumed that the use of a phrase should not give rise to an offense of plagiarism, but it does.
Similarly, another example of plagiarism can be attributing an idea to a source, but to the wrong source. This can take place if the student, whilst taking notes, forgets to note which ideas or quotes can from which sources, and whilst writing up the paper, mistakenly assigns an idea to the incorrect source. It has also been suggested that if someone reads a text and then assimilates the information, and later produces it from memory, this could result in inadvertent plagiarism (Tenpenny et al, 1998). This can be avoided by taking meticulous notes to ensure that the correct author is attributed.
Another common reason for plagiarizing is that globally different norms exist regarding what constitutes plagiarism, what to cite and when, which can be confusing for international students studying in American universities. Gerry White addresses this issue in his article, where he cites the work by Cavaleri who describes how citing articles is considered disrespectful in Chinese society, as it presupposes that the work cannot be recognized by the reader and must thus be referenced (White, 2009). In certain other societies it is a common practice to not cite at all, or cite broadly, which might confuse students when presented with a diametrically opposite approach.
How to Avoid Plagiarism
GCU’s tutorial illustrates three methods for avoiding plagiarism. The first is to summarize an author’s words, and cite the work from which the ideas are referenced (GCU Tutorial). This requires the reader to understand the central message of the work, and to reproduce it in their own words, whilst at the same time presenting only the salient information or the gist of the argument. The second method is to paraphrase the author’s words, by reproducing the content of the work in one’s own words. This is often used when arguments must be explained in great detail. The final method is to quote the words of the author directly, reproducing the exact text within quotation marks. Care must be taken whilst quoting another’s work to ensure that each syllable is reproduced accurately. Direct quotations are very useful when the “wording itself is memorable and succinct”, but should be used sparingly (GCU Tutorial).
Why Is Plagiarism Unethical?
Researching and writing a paper is arduous and takes effort; simply copying the hard work of another not only makes a mockery of their effort, but also constitutes a theft, even if that theft may appear invisible or victimless. Whilst it may be effortless to open up Internet Explorer and copy and paste paragraphs of someone else’s work into one’s own, the simplicity of the act belies the gravity of the offense. Not only is plagiarizing someone’s work reprehensible, it is also unethical to knowingly allow students to plagiarize or to provide inadequate punishments for those who have been caught committing plagiarizing, argues Matthew Woessner (Woessner, 2004).
Consequences of Plagiarism
The consequences of a student being caught plagiarizing can be severe – ranging from receiving no credit in that assignment to being suspended and even expelled from school. This can have a serious effect on the academic future of the student concerned. Plagiarizing also prevents students from learning their subject matter thoroughly, thus depriving them of the education that they expect from an institution of higher learning. Whilst a student may on a few occasions escape being detected, once caught, the consequences of not producing their own work can lead to heavy repercussions. It is thus advisable to always cite the ideas and words of other authors and ensure that the work submitted by a student is their own.
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