2. Definitions
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines plagiarism as:
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as
one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the
source
to present as new and original an idea or product
derived from an existing source.
3. Definitions
We will cover these applications of plagiarism
today.
Most colleges and universities define what is
considered plagiarism for their own institutions.
You can often find this in the college catalog.
Our own college catalog has a section on
plagiarism and the consequences
**http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html
4. RHC Catalog
Cheating/Plagiarism Cheating is defined as obtaining or
attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of any dishonest,
deceptive, fraudulent, or unauthorized means. Helping
someone commit an act of academic dishonesty is also
considered cheating. Examples include, but are not limited to:
1. Unacceptable exam behavior – communicating with fellow
students, copying material from another student’s exam or
allowing or using unauthorized materials, or any behavior that
defeats the intent of an exam.
2. Plagiarism – taking the work of anothere and offering it as
one’s own without giving credit to that source, whether that
material is paraphrased or copied in verbatim or near verbatim.
**RHC Catalogue, 2016-2017
5. RHC Catalog
3. Unauthorized collaboration on a project,
homework, or other assignment where an instructor
expressly forbids such collaboration.
4. Documentary falsification including forgery,
altering of campus documents or records, tampering
with grading procedures, fabricating lab assignments,
or altering medical excuses.
6. RHC Catalog
Consequences of cheating/plagiarism may include:
1. Receive an “F” in the course.
2. Receive a 0 on that assignment.
3. Be referred to the Dean of Student Life for further
disciplinary action.
7. Intentional Plagiarism
Copy a friend's work [such as papers, tests]
Buying or borrowing papers
Cutting and pasting blocks of text without citing the
source
Publishing the work on the web without permission of
the creator
9. Unintentional
Incomplete or careless quoting or paraphrasing
None/incomplete documentation
Quoting too much from source
No use of your own ideas
11. Common Knowledge
An idea is common knowledge if:
The same idea can be found in the same form in several different
sources (and all these sources aren’t getting the idea from one
common, published source).
It is information that your readers most likely already possess
(whether the information is accurate or a popular misconception).
It is factual information that is in the public domain, for example,
widely known dates of historical events, facts that are cited in
standard reference works, etc.
From “Teaching Guide for GSIs: preventing academic misconduct.
http://gsi.berkeley.edu/teachingguide/misconduct/paraphrasing.html
12. Examples
Common Knowledge:
John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United
States in 1960. [public fact, contained in many sources]
Not Common Knowledge:
According the American Family Leave Coalition’s new
book, Family Issues and Congress, President Bush’s
relationship with Congress has hindered family leave
legislation (6). [information/opinion stated by an
author]
13. Paraphrasing
A work must be cited if:
The paraphrase retains all or most of the original author’s
ideas or uses an idea from the original author that is not
common knowledge.
The paraphrase retains the sequence of the original author’s
ideas or arrangement of the material or it modifies the
sequence of the ideas but retains central ideas and key
phrases from the original.
The purpose of discussing the author’s ideas is to use them as
an example of a particular point of view.
From “Teaching Guide for GSIs: preventing academic misconduct.
http://gsi.berkeley.edu/teachingguide/misconduct/paraphrasing.html
14. Exercise on Paraphrasing
See below for short exercise on paraphrasing [UC
Berkeley]
http://gsi.berkeley.edu/teachingguide/misconduct/ex
ercise.html
15. Consequences of plagiarism
Academic
Penalties Imposed by Instructors
Lower grade for assignment, or failing in course
RHC Official Policies:
1. Receive an “F” in the course.
2. Receive a 0 on that assignment.
3. Be referred to the Dean of Student Life for further
disciplinary action.
From RHC College Catalogue, 2010-2011, p. 38.
16. Consequences of plagiarism
Professional
Discrediting of work
Loss of license/ability to practice
Censure by profession/field
You lose, by losing out on the chance to learn as
a student, and by loss of professional
status/abilities as a professional
17. Research Tips to Avoid Plagiarism
Know the code of the institution you attend
Be familiar with our RHC code [p. 38, RHC College Catalogue]
Give credit where credit is due
Exact words: use quotes for exact words of author
Summaries: indicate sources of summarys of other’s ideas
Paraphrases: indicate sources of paraphrase
Common Knowledge must be distinguished from ideas of others:
The Internet is common knowledge [not!]
Avoid minor changes in wording from a source. Changing one or two words is not sufficient, you must rewrite in your
own words
Try to aim for creative work in your own words
Use the documentation style required for the assignment
Use MLA, APA or other required styles [see our guides here]
Begin assignments early enough to avoid sloppy citing or referencing of sources
18. Plagiarism in the News
Lemoyne University – Cases of Plagiarism
http://resources.library.lemoyne.edu/content.php?pid=357119&sid=307080
3
5 Famous Plagiarists: Where Are They Now?
https://www.plaiarismtoday.com/2012/08/21/5-famous-plagiarists-where-
are-they-now/
Avoiding Plagiarism: Plagiarism Cases
http://libraryguides.neomed.edu/c.php?g=324191&p=2172318
Student’s Novel Faces Plagiarism Controversy
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/4/23/students-novel-faces-
plagiarism-controversy-beditors/
