What is plagiarism?

(And why you should care!)

Official Definition
To plagiarize (verb)
- to use the words or ideas of another person as if they were your
own words or ideas.
- to steal and pass off ( the ideas or words of another ) as one's own:
use (another's production) without crediting the source.
- to commit literary theft: present as new and original idea or
product derived from an existing source.
 Definition:
Plagiarism is the presenting of
words, ideas, images, sounds, or
the creative expression of others
as your own.
 Did You Know?

The word plagiarism comes from the Latin

plagiarius meaning "kidnapper"
 How serious is the problem?
“A study of 4,500 students at 25 schools:

72% admitted to serious cheating on written assignments using the

Internet.”

Based on the research of Donald L. McCabe, Rutgers University

Source: “CIA Research.” Center for Academic Integrity, Duke University, 2003 <http://academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp
>.
Students, If:
• you have included
the words and ideas
of others in your
work that you
neglected to cite,
 Excuses

Everyone does it!

It’s okay if
I don’t get caught!

This assignment
I was too busy to
was BORING!
write that paper!
(Job, big game, too much homework!)
I’ve got to get
into a
certain college.!
My teachers
expect My parents
too much! expect “A”s!
 Plagiarism is a
serious form of
academic dishonesty
Plagiarism is a serious offense and can lead to failing grades or suspension from school.

• The consequences are not

worth the risks! Is your academic
• It is only right to give credit to reputation valuable
to you?
authors whose ideas you use
• Citing makes it possible for
your readers to locate your
source
• Cheating is unethical behavior
Possible school consequences:
• “0” on the assignment
• Failing a class?
• Receiving a lower grade?
• Parent notification
• Referral to administrators
• Suspension or dismissal
from school activities--
sports and
extracurricular
How to avoid
plagiarism?
Use Note-taking strategies
and techniques for
rephrasing materials for
your work
Two types of plagiarism
Plagiarism of Ideas
• Credit for a work is ascribed to
oneself untruthfully.
Plagiarism of Language
• When an author uses the
language of other writer and
claims it as his or her own.
Types:
Copied word-for-word from a
source
Patchwork Plagiarism
Citation
Ways:
Author-oriented citation
Text-oriented citation
Another way of citation
Author-oriented citation
• Starts with the surname of the author, followed by the year of
publication in parenthesis. Verbs of statement such as argues, posits
and emphasizes as the start of paragraph or sentence may be used.
Example:
Pulido (2012) believes that language in an online source
environment can be understood if other modes of online
communication are further analyzed to provide a full account of
interaction in virtual worlds.
Text-oriented citation
• A paragraph or sentence from a source is followed with the surname
of the author of the work and the year of publication.
Example:
Unless educators realize the importance of reading and writing
across subject areas, problems in comprehension of subject matter will
be a prominent issue in the teaching learning process (Estacio, 2010)
Another way of citation
• Start the sentence or paragraph by using the phrase “According to ...”
followef by the surname of the author and the year of publication
enclosed in parenthesis.
Example:
According to Mendoza (1990), by the end of the century, our fuel
reserves will be reduced to half, and scarcity of energy supplies will be
a big problem.
•Movies, images and
music should be
cited if used on your
paper.
The general rule:
• Author, title of work (may it be image, movie or music) and year it
was produced (if applicable) be included in the citation.

(You may refer to

http://www.nait.ca/libresources/Citations/APA_Examples.pdf for other
methods of citing different sources.)
Consider the following examples:
Images:

1. Luna's Spolarium (1884) inspired several artists in

music and creative writng to produce works related to
this powerful painting.
2. In 1884, Luna's Spolarium presented the different
aspects of Philippine life.
Video:
1. Spencer's (2009) “The Matchmaker” shows the different experiences
of artist when they struggle with stardom and deal with the
consequences of fame and fortune.

2. “The Matchmaker” (Spencer, 2009) accurately captures the trials and

tibulations of fame and fortune of artists making it big in show
business.
Music
1. John Lennon and Paul Mc Cartney wrote the song “A Hard Day's
Night” (1964) which is considered as one of the Beatles' greatest hits in
their illustrious career.

2. The Beatles' song “A Hard Day's Night” (1964) features John Lennon
and Paul McCartney's genius that will influence generations of
musicians to create songs that challenge the norm.
 Question:

Do I have
to cite
everything?
 Answer: YES!!
Except –

• When you use your own words

• When the fact used is common knowledge.

What makes it “common knowledge”?

If you can find the same information in at least 3
different sources, you don’t have to cite it.

Ex. George Washington

wore wooden dentures.
You can “borrow” from
the works of others in
your own work! Be very
careful.
Activity
•Search for online articles or print
newspapers, and copy two to three
sentences from your chosen article.
Apply differnt citation techniques
mentioned above.