Plagiarism is the action of using the thoughts, writing, or inventions of another without due acknowledgment. It is often the result of carelessness or ignorance: a person does not fully understand the seriousness of the issue or a person in full awareness submits as his own the work of someone else; this is simple cheating and/or theft. The University considers plagiarism a serious moral issue. It is up to you to know how to avoid it.
Here is the general rule: when you use the ideas or text of another writer, acknowledge the source. Acknowledge borrowed paragraphs, sentences, phrases. When paraphrasing, acknowledge the original. Acknowledge when the background or data you use is collected by someone else; acknowledge another person’s organization of ideas.
Guidelines for applying the general rule:
l. Word-for-word: When you incorporate text from an outside source into your own work, you must use quotation marks around the borrowed words and you must identify the source in a citation. (Even if you change a few of the words or shift the order of the sentences, you still need to acknowledge the source.)
2. The Apt Phrase: If another writer uses a striking term or image you should not use it without acknowledging the source.
3. Paraphrase: If you have borrowed another's train of thought, you must acknowledge the source, even if you express the ideas in your own words.
4. Depending on the context, your acknowledgement may be an informal side reference ("According to Blank. . ." or "In Blank's appropriate phrase. . .") or it may be a formal citation.
5. You do not need to cite information that is common knowledge ("Columbus discovered America in l492" or "Hamlet is a great play") or dictionary definitions.
6. Err on the side over-acknowledgement. Be generous and open in giving credit for any source of help.
The discussion of plagiarism in Stone and Bell, Prose Style (New York, 1972), pp. 260-265, will be helpful, as it has been in the preparation of this handout.
-- Adapted from handout by Instructor McFarland, Chabot College