Băideanu Andreea-Talida

Grupa 1300, Seria A.

PLAGIARISM
What is it? Why
is it important to
me? How can I
avoid it?
Plagiarism
To plagiarize means: “ transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of
another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or
product derived from an existing source”1 Many students are accused of plagiarism
because they simply don't understand it and, therefore, don't know how to avoid it.

But can words and ideas really be stolen?

According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered
intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions.
Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are
recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
 turning in someone else's work as your own
 copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
 failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
 giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
 changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving
credit
 copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of
your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)
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 necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent
plagiarism. See our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources
properly.
What about images, videos, and music?
Using an image, video or piece of music in a work you have produced without receiving
proper permission or providing appropriate citation is plagiarism. The following
activities are very common in today’s society. Despite their popularity, they still count as
plagiarism.
 Copying media (especially images) from other websites to paste them into your
own papers or websites.
 Making a video using footage from others’ videos or using copyrighted music
as part of the soundtrack.
 Performing another person’s copyrighted music (i.e., playing a cover).
 Composing a piece of music that borrows heavily from another composition.
Certainly, these media pose situations in which it can be challenging to determine
whether or not the copyrights of a work are being violated. For example:
 A photograph or scan of a copyrighted image (for example: using a

1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/
 photograph of a book cover to represent that book on one’s website)
 Recording audio or video in which copyrighted music or video is playing in the
background.
 Re-creating a visual work in the same medium. (for example: shooting a
photograph that uses the same composition and subject matter as someone else’s
photograph)
 Re-creating a visual work in a different medium (for example: making a
painting that closely resembles another person’s photograph).
 Re-mixing or altering copyrighted images, video or audio, even if done so in an
original way.
The legality of these situations, and others, would be dependent upon the intent and
context within which they are produced. The two safest approaches to take in regards to
these situations is:
1) Avoid them altogether or 2) Confirm the work’s usage permissions and cite them
properly.2

6 Ways to Avoid Plagiarism

1. Paraphrase - So you have found information that is perfect for your research
paper. Read it and put it into your own words. Make sure that you do not copy
verbatim more than two words in a row from the text you have found. If you do
use more than two words together, you will have to use quotation marks. We
will get into quoting properly soon.
2. Cite - Citing is one of the effective ways to avoid plagiarism. Follow the
document formatting guidelines used by your educational institution or the
institution that issued the research request. This usually entails the addition of the
author(s) and the date of the publication or similar information. Citing is really
that simple. Not citing properly can constitute plagiarism.
3. Quoting - When quoting a source, use the quote exactly the way it appears. No
one wants to be misquoted. Most institutions of higher learning frown on “block
quotes” or quotes of 40 words or more. A scholar should be able to effectively
paraphrase most material. This process takes time, but the effort pays off!
Quoting must be done correctly to avoid plagiarism allegations.
4. Citing Quotes - Citing a quote can be different than citing paraphrased
material. This practice usually involves the addition of a page number, or a
paragraph number in the case of web content.
5. Citing Your Own Material - If some of the material you are using for your
research paper was used by you in your current class, a previous one, or
anywhere else you must cite yourself. Treat the text the same as you would if
someone else wrote it. It may sound odd, but using material you have used
before is called self-plagiarism, and it is not acceptable.
6. Referencing - One of the most important ways to avoid plagiarism is including a
reference page or page of works cited at the end of your research paper.
Again, this page must meet the document formatting guidelines used by your
educational institution. This information is very specific and includes the
author(s), date of publication, title, and source. Follow the directions for this
page carefully. You will want to get the references right.
Checking Research Papers
Be sure to edit your research paper carefully and check for plagiarism before turning it
in to the class.3

2 http://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-plagiarism
3 http://en.writecheck.com/ways-to-avoid-plagiarism/

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‘’If you steal from one author it's plagiarism; if you steal from many it's research’’. (Mizner, Wilson)

‘’In a way, fraud in business is no different from infidelity in marriage or plagiarism in scholarly work. Even people committed to high
moral standards ‘’ (Miroslav Volf)

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://www.merriam-webster.com/
http://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-
plagiarism
http://en.writecheck.com/ways-to-avoid-
plagiarism/

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