Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. Each year several cases of plagiarism are brought to the attention of the Dean of Arts and the President’s Office. Depending on the severity of the offense, students found guilty of plagiarism may lose credit for the assignment in question, be awarded a mark of zero in the course, or face suspension from the University. Most cases that pass through the Dean’s office result in at least a temporary suspension from the University (permanently noted on the student’s transcript) and a mark of zero. 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 work, an essay that has been written by someone else. Usually, the source is a published journal article or book chapter. The use of unpublished work, including the work of another student, is just as serious.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 property of another author and should not be used.

Type of plagiarism:.

Example #1 Near-complete Plagiarism checker A student may also lift portions of another text and use them in his or her work. For example, a student might add her or his conclusions or introduction to an essay. Or a student might scatter his or her 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 PlagiarismIn 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.

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM:

It is not hard to distinguish original and thoroughly plagiarized work. But the "grey areas" between these extremes are more vexing. Students should avoid any hint of dishonesty by maintaining good research habits and paying attention to a few basic rules of writing and documentation.ResearchMost written assignments begin with the collection of research notes -- a combination of ideas or quotes from other sources and the student’s ideas. Whether you keep notes on index cards, in a loose-leaf binder, or on old envelopes in a desk drawer, it is important to record and organize them in such a way that vital information is not lost. Keep careful and complete track of sources. Accurately copy the author, title, and other information about the source publication, including the number(s) of the page(s) from which notes or quotes were taken. Distinguish carefully between your ideas and the ideas of others. This is a simple question of intellectual honesty. If you use another’s conclusions, acknowledge them. If you come to the same conclusions as another on your own, you should still acknowledge the agreement. Distinguish carefully between your own words and those of others. If necessary, highlight or use colored index cards for directly quoted material. WritingAs you begin to tie your ideas together in written form, consider the following: Begin by originally organizing your essay. Avoid mimicking the pattern or order of argument used by others. In order to avoid plagiarism you can use plagiarism checker. Remember: this is your humble contribution to a debate or a body of research; it is not (in most cases) an attempt to summarize or paraphrase the work of others. As you weave the ideas and language of others into your work, make clear choices about the use of quoted material. In other words, either quote directly or state the idea(s) in your language. Do not mess around with close paraphrases or purely cosmetic changes.

Example # Read the first draft carefully. Is the distinction between your work and the work of others clear and unambiguous? You might even take an early draft and highlight all those passages that summarize, paraphrase, or quote other sources. Is there enough of your work left in the essay? FootnotingMany cases of plagiarism detector occur in the documentation rather than the body of the essay. You should have a clear idea of the variety of purposes a footnote (or endnote) may serve, and many different ways you can acknowledge the work of others. For specific cases

Example. Also, note the following: Always record your source of the information; never use or rely on another author’s footnotes. The footnote should allow the reader to find or check the material being cited. Provide exact page numbers for direct quotes, and a range of page numbers for more general points. If you included more than one source or reference in a footnote, the relevance or order of the various sources should be clear to the reader. EditingOnce your essay is complete, consider each portion that is drawn from another source, and ask yourself the following: Is the idea or argument expressed entirely my own? Is the general language or choice of words (including even phrases or rough paraphrases) my own? If either answer is "no," the work must be credited to the original author. And if the answer to the second question is "no," the passage should either be quoted directly or rewritten in the student’s own words and credited directly.