By Unknown
According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary,
plagiarizing is the process of “using the words or ideas of another person as
if they were your own words or ideas”.1
Commonly known as a form of cheating, plagiarism can lead to serious
disciplinary action, such as suspension and expulsion. Plagiarism is something
that you should avoid in your NCVPS classes, in-school classes, and at any
other point when you are gathering information from sources.
What constitutes plagiarism?
Plagiarism can be less obvious than you imagine.
While it is obvious that copying an essay from a website is plagiarism,
there are more subtle forms of plagiarism, each of which can be equally as
severe. Changing a few words from a source rather than paraphrasing and
contributing your own analysis is not an acceptable practice, and you need to
make sure to provide credit where it is due. Providing direct quotes from
individuals is acceptable when providing information in your work, but only
when the individual who coined the quote is properly credited and cited in your
work.2 Even summarizing a
passage and failing to cite it is plagiarism. If you are taking content or
knowledge from a source and not explaining in your own words and properly
citing sources, it is likely that you are committing plagiarism.3
Why Plagiarism is Wrong:
Suppose you wrote a book about jellybeans. You
spent hundreds of hours performing research on the various types of jellybeans,
visiting many manufacturers of jellybeans, and gathering input from thousands
of people to determine the most favorite jellybean. After you released your
book to the public, several news outlets reported on the data and conclusions
that you found, but failed to credit you with the research. As a result,
other people were unrightfully accredited with your research, and your book
faded into oblivion, forcing you to give up your lifelong dream of becoming a
jellybean connoisseur.
While this example may be a bit unlikely and
extreme, it does portray one of the reasons why plagiarism is wrong.
People deserve to be credited for their original research and work, and
failing to cite sources can be the same as claiming the idea or information as
your own. Whether or not the author of a topic is affected by plagiarism, you
should not commit plagiarism. Plagiarism cheats not only others, but also
yourself if you commit it, as you are robbed of the knowledge and experience
that you could have had.4 When you plagiarize,
you do not give proper credit to whoever wrote the source from which you
obtained the information. Whoever reads your work may be unable to
determine if your information is accurate without knowing the sources from
which you obtained the information. As plagiarism is considered ethically wrong
and frowned upon in academic settings, you should strive to avoid committing
it.
Tips on how to avoid Plagiarism:
- Whenever gathering information that is not commonly known, always ensure that you cite information. Cite in the text as well as on a works cited page at the end.
- Take notes!!! Taking notes on the information that you have gathered can allow you to remember where you found the information. When you are forming citations, you will be able to properly attribute information to the correct sources.
- Use an appropriate manual for the citation format that you plan on using in your paper. Websites such as citationmachine.net can help you in creating your citations, but you should still verify the citations using the official rules of a citation format. Purdue University has a helpful chart that compares several citation formats at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/949/01/
- Know the difference between direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Direct quotations take the exact words from a portion of a work, and are surrounded by quotation marks. These are often helpful when looking at works such as speeches. Paraphrasing involves changing the subject matter of the work into your own words. An example would be explaining an old English work in a manner that is more modern. Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing, but involves only the main points of a work. You should still put the work into your own words, but you only need to provide an overview of the work. Remember, each of these should still contain citations so you do not plagiarize.
Examples:
-George Washington was our nation’s first
president. (This does not require citation, as it is a commonly known fact)
-George Washington’s teeth were not made of
wood, even though this is commonly thought. Several of Washington’s
dentures consisted of human and animal teeth, lead, and ivory.5
(This does require a citation from the source you found it from, as it has
specific facts that are not common knowledge.)
Conclusion:
Plagiarism can prevent students from practicing
skills that can be very beneficial, not only at school, but also in many
careers. There are several different methods of citing sources, including MLA
and APA. These are two of the most common citation styles that you will
likely use in school and beyond. Make sure to check with your teachers to
ensure that you are using the correct format for the work that you do.
Whenever performing research, make sure to always give proper credit and
not plagiarize. Someday, others may be citing information from you!
Works Cited:
1 "plagiarize."
Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013.
Web. 25 October 2013.
2 "Avoiding
Plagiarism." Purdue University. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Web. 25
Oct 2013. <https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/930/01/>.
3 "Plagiarism."
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Writing Center, n.d.
Web. 25 Oct 2013. <http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/plagiarism/>.
4 "Why Plagiarism
is Wrong." Penn State University. Teaching and Learning With
Technology. Web. 25 Oct 2013.
<http://tlt.psu.edu/plagiarism/student-tutorial/why-plagiarism-is-wrong/>.
5 Etter, William.
"False Teeth." George Washington's Mount Vernon. Alexandria, Virginia: 2013.
As one of the top students in many of my classes, I am constantly a victim of plagiarism among my peers. Whether it be as simple as putting an uninfluential team member's name on one of my papers or simply giving someone an answer somehow the work I have done is credited to another. Because of this I can sympathize with this article in that I also strongly disapprove of plagiarism, or "intellectual theft" as you refer to it as. I guess that myself being a victim is more of my fault for giving the answers.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article! Plagiarism is a topic difficult for some to understand. Your article makes the topic clear! Plagiarism is definitely frowned upon in academic settings and can carry tough consequences in college!
ReplyDeletePlagiarism is an especially difficult concept for some students from other cultures. In China, for example,students are taught that it is presumptuous of them to reword what has already been written by an expert or authoritative source, because it's a way of showing that the student believes he can say it better than the master. Students from other cultures may need more specific and very clear instructions about avoiding plagiarism in our schools.
ReplyDeleteCitation Machine is an awesome resource!
ReplyDeleteAlso, did you know that you can self-plagiarize? I was unfamiliar with that form of plagiarism until today. It is a sort of 'double-dipping' and reusing your work without sharing the information that you created it before for another purpose (especially if it was copyrighted). Wikipedia used the term 'recycling-fraud' to partially define self-plagiarism. Interesting! ~Nicole Emmert
Excellent article about Plagiarism. This is a topic that high school students don't learning enough about! The article does a great job of not only explaining the what plagiarism is but the examples are excellent! Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI love how you mention why plagiarism is wrong. Many students don't understand that aspect. You also have examples and clearly outline different forms of avoiding plagiarism. Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt is so important to illustrate the problem of plagiarism for students. Plagiarism is an issue that has always existed in schools, but with the internet, it has become even more widespread. Understanding what is plagiarism is the key!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this entry. It was a great idea to show examples, as some students struggle with what is and isn't plagiarism. It is very important that you pointed out why plagiarism should be avoided. This helps students understand the big issue that exists with this!
ReplyDeletePlagiarism is a difficult concept for some students to understand. The article clearly explains what it is, why it is wrong, and provides four tips to avoid it. I think every student should read this article and have a discussion with their teacher.
ReplyDeletePlagiarism is such a difficult topic for so many people. A lot of students feel if they change a word or two then it is not plagiarism. I appreciate this article as it clearly explains and provides examples for all types of assignments students willb e involved in. Plagiarism is a topic many face to face schools tend not to focus on; you might get a brief presentation in an English course. I love that NCVPS is being proactive and trying to make sure students are informed, less they be famous one day and end up getting attacked for plagiarism (which seems to be happening more especially in the political areana and newspaper--Example: guy that published crossword puzzles that was found to be copying the NY TIMES crossword puzzles.
ReplyDeleteNice job on explaining WHY plagiarism is wrong in that it not only robs the original author of their work, but also the person who engages in plagiarism. I liked your practical examples of plagiarism and believe every high school student would benefit from reading your essay!
ReplyDeleteI've gotta say, I love the works cited! Way to model correct behavior. This is a big problem with any kind of writing assignment. One of the teacher's in my department has her students complete a book report and every year she has students submit a copy&paste from spark notes or cliff notes.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very helpful article. To many students it is difficult figuring out what is and what isn't plagiarism, and then there is the whole lack of understanding as to why it is wrong. You've done a great job of making it very clear.
ReplyDeletePlagiarism is such a common practice these days for students and they don't understand that what they are doing is wrong. This article was very helpful in explaining what it is and why it is wrong. There is a lot that can be learned here. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThe example of why plagiarism is a problem was perfect. Students and writers in general don't understand that attribution is so important. This example makes it perfectly clear and at a level that anyone can understand it.
ReplyDeleteNice content. But I will share a helpful tips. We all want to get Google top ranking with our content/posts. But many time we are unable to get this. Do you know why? Google want Fresh and Unqiue content. But how you can understand my content is free and Unqiue. For this use Plagiarism Detector tools. But many of them don’t use Google. This is the first tool I am going to share which will use Google to get give that your content Unique or not. The big part is that this tools is free. So try this free Plagiarism Software and get first page rank easily.
ReplyDeleteI like your take on plagiarism. Even though people know that plagiarism is wrong people still do it.
ReplyDeletePlagiarism is so common nowadays and it makes me sad too. Some people don't even realize that they copy someone's work without quotations. I think that the best way to avoid plagiarism is to paraphrase texts for 100% and check it in plagiarism tools. But sometimes I'm pressed for time and have to order online paraphrasing service. It's affordable and really helpful because I'm always sure that the final text will be free of plagiarism.
ReplyDeleteVery well-written article! When I was studying to become a teacher, my college professors used to use a website that checked for plagiarism such as Turnitin.com. Some website would even show the percentage of my paper that was "taken" from other sources. Citations are very important!
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article,Plagiarism is very important to not to do, it is sad to even start with, it shares very helpful tips and why it is wrong.
ReplyDelete