Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original ideas.
But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
Plagiarism is a serious offence. An essay or report that contains plagiarised material will automatically fail. This applies to sketch books and diaries that are appended to essays and reports.
Plagiarism is:
handing in another person's work as your own
copying another person's work without referencing the source
not making it clear you are quoting using either quotation marks or indented
paragraphs
incorrectly referencing a source either in the text of an essay/report or in the bibliography
paraphrasing or précising without referencing the source
when an extensive part of your essay/report is from copying, paraphrasing or précising even if the sources are referenced
Avoiding plagiarism
You do this by referencing the source of the information you are using. You must do this:
every time you quote
every time you paraphrase or summarise
every time you express an idea that has been informed by someone else
every time you mention the work or opinion of someone else
Information that is generally known, such as that Shakespeare wrote plays, does not need to be referenced to a source. Information on who Shakespeare wrote plays for, however, does need to be referenced to a source.
Useful websites that explains plagiarism in more detail: