From the history of the word itself, “plagiarism” came from the Latin word plagiarus, which means

“kidnapper” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). Connecting its history to its modern use, plagiarism is a
form of theft of someone else’s concept or idea. It encourages intellectual dishonesty and destroys the
academic integrity not only of the scholar but also of the institution to which he or she is a part.

Imagine having a remarkable idea — be it an artistic output, an insightful essay, or simply an interesting
thought — only for other people to steal it and claim the idea as their own. As the creator of the content,
how would you feel about it? Not only is the source or the owner of the idea deprived of the rightful credit
or recognition, the one who committed plagiarism also performs academic misconduct and disrespects the
discipline involved in scholarship.

PSHS RULE ON PLAGIARISM

According to the PSHS System Student Code of Conduct (n.d.), plagiarism, which falls under academic
dishonesty, is a ground for disciplinary action. Any PSHS student who is proven to have plagiarized may
face sanctions depending on the gravity of the offense. It can range from getting a reprimand from the
teacher, a zero mark for the plagiarized output, a meeting with the disciplinary officer, and even a
suspension if committed more than once.

COMMON FORMS OF PLAGIARISM

There are many forms of plagiarism, some of which may have been committed by students willingly or
unintentionally. Be wary of the following acts that may be considered plagiarism:

If you can notice, the different forms of plagiarism often fall short on two components: (1) the genuine
intention of the student to give proper acknowledgment of the existing source or different author of the
idea and (2) the adherence to the correct way of citing or acknowledging sources. You will learn more
about the second point in another module. The important thing to remember is to be honest with the work
you are presenting. If the idea is not yours, remember to indicate your source.

To assess whether an act can be considered an academic dishonesty or not, try asking these questions:

1. Is there a clear intention in our work to acknowledge the source or the author of the material we
borrowed idea/s from?

2. Is the acknowledgment done correctly and properly?

If you answered YES to both of these questions, then the act is likely honest and is done with the
sincerest intention of giving credit to the rightful owner of the idea.