Plagiarism
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is broadly defined as presenting someone else’s ideas or work without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism in academia is considered academic dishonesty. Cheating refers to plagiarizing the work of another student, with or without permission, or to obtaining answers to tests, for example, from sources not permitted at the time.
The following information is provided to help students avoid plagiarism and cheating.
Common examples of plagiarism:
- Copying sentences, paragraphs, data or visuals without properly citing their source
- Quoting material without proper use of quotation marks (even if otherwise cited appropriately)
- Paraphrasing or summarizing information from a source without proper acknowledgement;
- Paying someone for writing the assignment
- Listing a source in the bibliography/reference list that was not cited in the assignment
Why is plagiarism considered to be such a serious offence?
Properly citing sources is an essential component of academic research. Original ideas or concepts are considered to be a person's property. If you do not cite a source, you do not acknowledge the creator's rights and therefore commit intellectual theft. Citing sources correctly also allows the reader to go back to the original sources in order to better understand the arguments presented in your paper.
What are the consequences of plagiarism?
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has policies regarding plagiarism and cheating. Students should consult Kwantlen’s policy C.8 on Plagiarism and Cheating, and the University’s statement on Academic Honesty.
How do I avoid plagiarism?
Quoting
- Use quotation marks whenever quoting an exact phrase, sentence or short paragraph
- Longer quotations should not be included in quotation marks, but indented, as indicated by the citation style in use
- Select and use quotations carefully. Use them only when they directly contribute to your argument
- Avoid quotations that only provide detail, common knowledge, or information that can be more effectively paraphrased
Paraphrasing and Summarizing
- Paraphrase when you need to represent another person's ideas, and a quote is not significant or suitable
- To correctly paraphrase, you must change both language and sentence structure
- Summarize if you want to provide the main points of another person's argument in a condensed format, more brief than a paraphrase
- Avoid taking notes verbatim or using the cut & paste tool in your software
Citing
- Make sure you acknowledged and cited all sources of borrowed ideas and materials
- Make sure you have a properly formatted bibliography
Remember that the source that is cited within the paper must also be included in the bibliography. To be able to correctly cite the sources you have used, it's advisable to consult a citation style guide. Three of the most widely used citation styles are APA, MLA and Chicago. Checking our guides will help you to correctly cite your sources.
Recommended Resources
|
Kwantlen Books & DVDs |
||
|
Tutorials |
||
|
Websites |
||
Updated by: MD/SK
