1. Academic
Honesty
PLAGIARISM vs
A Student Guide

2. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
What is Plagiarism?
steal and pass off someone else’s ideas or words as your own
use a created production without crediting the source
commit literary theft
present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
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3. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
Plagiarism IS:
morally & ethically wrong
cheating
lying
insulting to others
intellectual theft
punishable with severe penalties
possible source of legal action in business
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4. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
“Legitimate borrowing takes place when a writer makes sparing use of some source material by fitting it in carefully in the body of his or her essay, without altering it or distorting it in a way that would upset the author.” (Fit To Print)
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5. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
IT IS NOT PLAGIARISM
to use other people’s ideas or arguments
to adopt character types, general plots, or other ideas from existing works
to use information that is considered common knowledge ( can be easily found in at least 5 places)
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6. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
IT IS PLAGIARISM
to present other people’s ideas as your own
to paraphrase the source’s language closely without using quotes to indicate borrowed words and phrases
to use direct quotes without acknowledging the source
to use someone else’s argument as the basis for your essay
to copy from reference books (e.g. encyclopedias)
to paraphrase so closely that it resembles the source
to copy and paste from a web site (including images)
to use another student’s work, even with permission
to submit work acquired from commercial sources
to use work written for another assignment without seeking permission from the teacher of the current class and the class from which the original work was used
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7. Guidelines for Students Don’t Be a Victim!
Become familiar with your school’s policy on plagiarism
Learn how to cite sources (MLA or APA)
Take careful notes & summarize
Follow all steps as assigned
Always prepare and submit outlines and drafts
Keep all rough notes (including online sources)
Give credit for all quotes, ideas, and arguments
Use current sources (within the last year, if possible)
When in doubt, document the source
Plagiarism Avoided: Taking Responsibility For Your Work *(An online booklet for students on plagiarism, including techniques for avoiding it.)
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8. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
If you steal from one author it's plagiarism; if you steal from many it's research.
Wilson Mizner
If it’s on the Internet, then it’s public knowledge and it doesn’t need to be cited
Some Misconceptions
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9. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
Ask yourself
“If you had any help that you don’t want your teacher or parents to know about, you probably cheated.”
“If you didn’t think of it and write it all on your own, and you didn’t cite (or write down) the sources where you found the ideas or words, it’s probably plagiarism.”
From Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era
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10. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
Intentional Plagiarism
Work copied with no citation
Work written by another, submitted as original
Words written by another, used within work and no credit
Unintentional Plagiarism
Recognition of even apt phrases or clever wording, through parenthetical documentation, must be given.
Collaborative work on a paper must be clearly acknowledged .
Self-plagiarism
Paper written for another course must have permission of current and original instructor
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11. St. Joan of Arc Library Information Centre
Resources
APA Style
Archer, Lynn, Cathy Costello, and Debbie Harvey. Reading and Writing for Success (Teacher’s Guide).
Buckley, Joanne. Fit to Print.The Canadian Student’s Guide to Essay Writing.5th ed. Scarborough, Ont. Nelson Thomson Learning, 2001.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1999.
MLA Style
Lathrop, Ann and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era. Englewood, Colorado. Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 2000.
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12. Plagiarists are always suspicious of being stolen from.
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~
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H. Smeathers