PlagiarismPlagiarism

Plagiarism Latin plagiarius, “kidnapper”

Definition: “The false assumption of

authorship: the wrongful act of taking

the product of another person’s mind,

and presenting it as one’s own”

(Alexander Lindey, Plagiarism and Originality, p. 2)

Understanding Plagiarism

“Some of Dickinson’s most

powerful poems express her

firmly held conviction that life

cannot be fully comprehended

without an understanding of

death.”

The following quotation was taken from page 625 of an essay by Wendy Martin in the book Columbia Literary History of the United States:

Example of PlagiarismIf you write the following sentence without any documentation, you have committed plagiarism:

Why is this considered plagiarism?

“Emily Dickinson strongly believed

that we cannot understand life fully

unless we also comprehend death.”

To Avoid Plagiarism…The same thought can be expressed in your paper without committing plagiarism as follows:

“As Wendy Martin has suggested,

Emily Dickinson strongly believed that

we cannot understand life fully unless

we also comprehend death .” 1

___________________

1 Wendy Martin, Columbia Literary History of the United

States, Billy Bob Jumpback, ed. (New york: Sundown

Publishing House, 1985), 625.

Helps and Hints for Avoiding Plagiarism

When in doubt, footnote!

If you are unsure of the source of a particular idea of thought, but you are relatively certain that you gleaned it from a published source, say so in a footnote.

When writing your rough draft, every time you use a quote or cite a source, put something in the footnote immediately. You can always go back and format it later.

Remember, you must document everything

you borrow, not just direct quotes.

Keep accurate notes when researching so

that you can determine which ideas are

yours and which ones you obtained from

outside sources.

Remember, whether intentional or not,

plagiarism is WRONG.