What is plagiarism? Using another person’s ideas in your writing without giving them credit. To plagiarize is to give the impression that you have written or thought of something that you have, in fact, borrowed from someone else.

The web… …makes it more tempting to plagiarize ideas because copying and pasting is so simple. HOWEVER, the web makes it easier for teachers to check particularly eloquent writing by doing a Google search on your writing in quotes and locating sources that clearly match your wording.

In order to avoid plagiarism, you must give credit when… …you use another person's ideas, opinions, or theories. You use facts, statistics, graphics, drawings, music, etc., or any other type of information that does not comprise common knowledge. You use quotations from another person's spoken or written word. You paraphrase another person's spoken or written word

Recommendations… Begin the writing process by stating your ideas; then go back to the author's original work. Use quotation marks and credit the source (author) when you copy exact wording Use your own words (paraphrase) in stead of copying directly Even when you paraphrase another author’s writings, you must give credit to that author

The figure below may help to guide your decisions…

Introducing…

What is it and what does it do? A website… Compares your paper against billions of internet documents, the internet, database of submitted papers, Any matching text is written up in an “Originality Report” and sent to your class portfolio.

Originality Report Provides a summary of matching text found in your submitted paper. Matching Percentage blue – 0%green – 24% yellow – 25–49% orange – 50-74% red – %

Student Quotes “Why would you want to? It is immoral, and wrong for one, but can cost you not only a class, but can get you kicked out of college. Plagiarism isn't taken lightly where I attend college, and I am sure that your teachers frown upon it as well. Fair warning, there are a million sites on the Internet that a teacher can type in key words or phrases and find out if you plagiarized.”

“Depends. In my school, you either get an F for the term, an F for the year, or suspended. If you plagerize a movie, you can be fined up to $250,000! In other words, don't do it. “

“If someone plagiarizes and ends up making money from it, she/he could be sued. If you're talking about in school, it depends on the school's policies. Some colleges have an honor code and getting caught cheating can end up with you automatically failing the course, getting put on probation, etc. In high school, the penalty will probably be a zero and possibly some detention time. Also, the teacher will be suspicious of you in the future. If your name comes up for National Honor Society or Student of the Month the plagiarism will go against you. The teacher might refuse to write a recommendation for you in the future, too. A discipline referral could be put in your file. “

Work Cited How to recognize plagiarism. Indiana University. November 3, 2006 < Plagiarism.org. November 3, 2006 < Turnitin. November 3, 2006 < Yahoo.com