PLAGIARISM
What it is, and How to Avoid It
(C H Gordon, P Simmons and G Wynn, University of British Columbia, Canada)
1. INTRODUCTION
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. Each year a number of cases of plagiarism are brought to the attention of the University. Depending on the severity of the offence, students found guilty of plagiarism may lose credit for the assignment in question, be awarded a mark of zero in the module, or face suspension/expulsion from the University.
This paper is an attempt to provide students with clear descriptions of those situations which cross the line”into plagiarism~ and some tips for avoiding plagiarism.
2. WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
Most simply, plagiarism is intellectual theft. Any use of another author’s research, ideas, or language without proper attribution may be considered plagiarism. Because such definitions include many shades of accidental or intentional plagiarism, these need to be described more fully.
Complete Plagiarism
This is the most obvious case: a student submits, as his or her own work, an essay or dissertation which has been written by someone else. Usually the original source is a published journal article or book chapter,
online article or dissertation. The use of unpublished work, including the work of another student, is just as serious.
In such cases, plagiarism cannot be “avoided” by paraphrasing the original or acknowledging its use in footnotes. The work is the pr英语论文网 【http://www.51lunwen.org】operty of another author and should not be used. See Example #1
Near-complete Plagiarism
A student may also lift portions of another text and use them in his or her own work. For example, a student
might add her or his own conclusion or introduction to an essay. Or a student might scatter his or her own
comments through a text taken substantially from another source.
These practices are unacceptable. Even with some attribution, the bulk of the work has been done by
another. See Example #1
Patchwork Plagiarism
In many cases, a student will lift ideas, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs from a variety of sources and
“stitch” them together into an essay. These situations often seem difficult to assess. Most essays, after all,
are attempts to bring together a range of sources and arguments. But the line between plagiarism and
original work is not difficult to draw.
See Example #2
Lazy Plagiarism
Lazy plagiarism crops up in many student essays, and is usually the result of sloppy note-taking or research
shortcuts. Examples include:
? inadvertent use of another’s language, usually when the student fails to distinguish between
direct quotes and general observations when taking notes. In such cases, the presence of a
footnote does not excuse the use of another’s language without quotation marks.
? use of footnotes or material quoted In other sources as if they were the results of your research.
? sloppy or inadequate footnot 本文来自：英语论文网 【http://www.51lunwen.org】