Running head: PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism
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Abstract

This paper is a submission on Plagiarism and its implications. The information is based on

research done on various websites on the internet and includes using the APA format.
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Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

Based on information from the article Plagiarism on

www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism.html, plagiarism occurs when a person uses

another person’s work without acknowledging, identifying, citing or stating use of such work in

making a presentation, whether written or oral. Another person’s work can include anything

written or oral/spoken such as ideas, theories, quotations, words, etc. When one presents such

work, it results in a situation of that person presenting information as his or her own if reference

is not made that such information is taken from a source

From the article, plagiarism occurs mostly in researching information and copying or

using such data without acknowledging the sources from which the information comes from.

Research is important for learning and finding out information, which includes presenting such

information, whether it is in an academic setting or otherwise. The key to proper presentation of

such research information takes into consideration citing the sources whether it be a website,

book, journal, word of mouth or other source (www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism).

Aside from plagiarism, citing the sources from which one gets information also helps

others to further research information if necessary. Citations also show ones understanding of the
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information in comparison to the source from which one gets the information. It also shows the

amount of research done by the researcher or student

(www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism)

In an academic setting, it is important for students to understand plagiarism and its

implications. In the article on Plagiarism, www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism, it

states that in presenting a paper, there is an expectation that the student understands and analyses

what he or she researches and in so doing is able to present such information in a way that

demonstrates that he or she understands what he or she has researched

(www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism). The expectation is that the student should cite

the source (s) from which he or she gets the information. This is because the information the

student presents is based on readings from other sources and would not be considered “common

knowledge” or is not of the student’s original thinking. In addition, the student would not have

known this information if he or she had not read it from somewhere, so the sources should be

quoted/cited (www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism).

Based on readings and information from the article Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism:

The WPA Statement on Best Practices by Council of Writing Program Administrators, January

2003 from the website www.wpacouncil/node/9, the article states plagiarism is a complex,

multifaceted problem in an instructional setting and that there is failure to distinguish between

“attempting to blur the line between one’s own presentation and submitting someone else’s text

as one’s own” and “carelessly or inadequately citing ideas and words borrowed from another

source” (www.wpacouncil/node/9).
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The article Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices

from www.wpacouncil/node/9 went further to distinguish between plagiarism and misuse of

sources and states that a student is considered to have not plagiarized if the student “misuses a

specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks or other forms of identifying material

taken from other sources” (www.wpacouncil/node/9).

In the article Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices

written from the website www.wpacouncil/node/9, it stated that lack of knowledge or learning

often times contribute to the inaccuracy of students in citing sources properly. It further states

that “students may not know how to properly integrate and document other people’s ideas in

their documents; that students will make mistakes as they learn which is a natural part of learning

and that they may not know how to take proper notes during research”. Additional reasons stated

in the article are that there may be differences in defining plagiarism by academician’s and

instructors throughout the student’s academic life and that there is the assumption that students

already know how to properly research and document. Instructors may assign writing

assignment but fail to appreciate the difficulty of novice writers to execute this skill accurately

and may not support students as they attempt to learn how to research and document correctly. In

addition that difference in culture and unfamiliarity of the American system may be a challenge.

The article further states that in some settings using other people’s words and ideas is acceptable

practice, which makes the concept of plagiarism less clear cut than academics often

acknowledge, which can be confusing to students (www.wpacouncil/node/9).

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Various parties share the responsibilities of learning and avoiding plagiarism in the

academic setting and based on the said article Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA

Statement on Best Practices from www.wpacouncil/node/9. This includes the students,

instructors, administrators.

Based on the article, students should acknowledge when they are phrasing are using other

people ideas, assemble and analyze the sources from which they are researching, learn how to

properly cite and acknowledge sources and consult their instructors when they are unsure about

how to properly sources.

Based on the article, Faculty can assist by the support they build for researched writing;

by stating their policies and expectations in the submission of papers and the proper

documentation of sources; teach students about proper citation of sources, discuss evidence of

plagiarism with students and administrators can assist the process by providing supporting

services to aid in recognizing and avoiding plagiarism (www.wpacouncil/node/9).

Plagiarism is taken seriously in many universities and has its implications if a student is

found guilty. Such implications could include the student be given a failed grade for the course,

be suspended or expelled from the university.

Paraphrasing
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www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism on plagiarism states that an appropriate

way to use another person’s ideas when presenting one’s own work is through paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing is when someone takes another person’s ideas and puts them in their own words. In

paraphrasing, the author and source in the text should be quoted at the end of the sentence. This

does not include changing the structure or words or sentences or making synonyms of a some

words. Doing otherwise or re arranging words or sentences is considered plagiarizing and is not

paraphrasing.

Ways to avoid Plagiarism

It is important to try and avoid plagiarism by stating where the information comes from.

This can be done in a number of ways including based on www.kidshealth org, writing a

bibliography which lists the sources from which the information comes from. A bibliography

includes the author, name, title and date the information source was published. Other ways

include listing the source at the end of the paper or immediately after the information is quoted,

(www.kidshealth.com, 2002).

Citing Sources Correctly

In-text citations
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There are a number of citation styles that can be used when identifying the sources from

which information is taken. Such formats include the APA, CSE, MLA among others. In the

academic setting the format is often times indicated by the instructor.

The APA format is applied to this document and in this format, according to information

from

Citing Sources Correctly

In-text citations
 9

There are a number of citation styles that can be used when identifying the sources from

which information is taken. Such formats include the APA, CSE, MLA among others. In the

academic setting the format is often times indicated by the instructor.

The APA format is applied to this document and in this format, according to information

from

Citing Sources Correctly

In-text citations
 10

There are a number of citation styles that can be used when identifying the sources from

which information is taken. Such formats include the APA, CSE, MLA among others. In the

academic setting the format is often times indicated by the instructor.

The APA format is applied to this document and in this format, according to information

from
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Bibliography

Council of Writing Program Administrators, January 2003

(www.kidshealth.com, 2002).