Plagiarism
About Plagiarism
According to a recent review of research on plagiarism, at least 90 per cent of college students believe plagiarism is wrong, but “do it anyway because they don’t think they’ll be caught, or because in today’s ethical climate they consider plagiarism trivial compared to well-publicized instances of political and corporate dishonesty” (Hansen, 2003, p.773). But plagiarism can be a high-profile scandal, as evident in the cases of Jayson Blair of the New York Times, and historians Doris Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose. What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is generally defined as the use of someone else’s language, ideas, or other specialized material without acknowledging the source of that material. It generally occurs under one of two circumstances.
Intentional plagiarism occurs when someone willfully and knowingly presents another’s words, ideas, or material as though they were her or his own. In North American culture in particular, intellectual property is highly commercialized, and plagiarism can lead to serious consequences for the person accused of plagiarizing.
According to the Springfield College undergraduate catalog, “Springfield College students are expected to be academically honest. Misrepresentations of facts, omissions or falsifications in any connection with the academic process…are violations of the Academic Honesty and Integrity Policy” (Office of Admissions, p. 12). The penalties for violating this policy are determined by the course instructor and/or dean of students, and can include a range of options, including “failing an exercise, failing a course, a reprimand, suspension or dismissal, expulsion from the college, forfeiture of a diploma and/or legal action” (p. 13).
Examples of willful misrepresentation of one’s academic work would include, but are not limited to, buying papers from an internet provider or other source, cutting and pasting material from another source into a document without acknowledging the source of that information, or even using the phrases or wording of another source as though this language were your own.
Unintentional plagiarism, more accurately called the misuse of sources, occurs when a student unknowingly misuses a source of information by incorrectly citing a source or otherwise not distinguishing clearly between the writer’s words and those of the source being cited.
When and how do writers successfully cite sources?
Anyone’s words or ideas from any medium, print or non-print, or from an interview or other oral or written conversation, must be cited. All illustrations and media sources must also be cited. Even the borrowing of a sentence or phrase must be cited.
Your own ideas, thoughts, or observations need not be cited, nor does “common knowledge” (for example, George Washington was the first president of the United States does not need to be cited).
Sources can be cited using one of several different accepted formats, such as A.P.A format, M.L.A. format, or C.B.E. format. These conventions typically use some combination of in-text citations, footnotes, a bibliography, and quotation marks. Please visit Springfield College Writing Support Services for more specific format guidelines.
Summarizing means summing up the main point of the entire source. Summarizing is always in your own words.
Paraphrasing means summing up a short passage in your own words, usually when the words or phrases from the author are not as important as the idea or meaning.
Quotations are the exact words of the author, usually with quotation marks around those words. Quotations are used sparingly, not in place of your own words and ideas.
Most academic writing makes use of all three of these forms of citing sources.
What are the most common errors writers make when they misuse sources?
Writers can misuse sources for many reasons. Some common errors include the following:
- Careless note-taking that results in confusion about whose words the writer is using
- Inappropriate location of the name of the source, leading to confusion about which material is from the source and which is the writer’s own words
- Inaccurate or inappropriate paraphrasing of the source, which would include misrepresenting the intended meaning of the source or “borrowing” words or phrases from the source as though they were your own.
- Not citing material gained through conversations with others or from illustrations or non-print material.
What are the risks associated with intentional plagiarism?
Writers who intentionally plagiarize may face severe consequences. In the professional world, careers are destroyed and reputations damaged. At Springfield College, the consequences are determined by individual faculty members, department chairs, and in some cases, the Office of Academic Affairs. Actions taken may range from failure on that particular assignment to failure in the course to expulsion from school.
What can students, faculty, and administrators do to prevent plagiarism?
According to the National Council of Writing Program Administrators (p.3), the following exemplify the responsibilities of all those who would work to minimize plagiarism:
Students should approach research projects as an opportunity to learn how to gather and evaluate sources and learn the appropriate conventions for citing these sources in consultation with their instructors.
Faculty should support students through conferences that help students understand when they have misused sources, presentation and analysis of appropriate models, clear statement of criteria for evaluation of writing, and encouragement of documentation of the process of students’ writing.
Administrators should create programs that encourage academic honesty through clear statements of policies and expectations for research, providing support services, improving working conditions of faculty to increase the opportunities for individual attention, and providing faculty development opportunities related to writing.
References
Avoiding Plagiarism. (2003).On-Line Writing Lab at Purdue University. Available at http://owl.purdue.edu.Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices. Council of Writing Program Administrators. Available at www.wpacouncil.org.
Hansen, C. (2003, Sept. 19). Combating Plagiarism. CQ Researcher, 13. 32, 773-796.
Office of Admissions.(2003-2004). Springfield College Undergraduate Catalog. Available at www.springfieldcollege.edu.