PLAGIARISM:
DEFINITION: Using another person’s words, ideas, or work and passing it off as your own. It is where you read, hear or see a unique idea and put it into your essay, seminar, or presentation without giving credit to the “owner” for the information/language. You must fully acknowledge the author or creator of the information you are using.
COMMON KNOWLEDGE
DEFINITION: Common knowledge is information that most people already know. For example, if you read that Harper Lee is the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, you do not have to cite the source. In addition, if you read that Atticus Finch is a good father figure, you do not have give credit to the source -- both of these pieces of information are “common knowledge.” Reading that George Washington was an important president is common knowledge.
Here is more information from Turnitin:
Many types of plagiarism exist; some are obvious and some are not. A writer must know what constitutes plagiarism because ignorance of the facts will not excuse him or her from the consequences. The University of Pittsburgh's undergraduate plagiarism policy (University of Pittsburgh, 2008) lists examples of plagiarism:
Leesville uses parenthetical documentation. By citing your sources using parenthetical documentation and including a Works Cited page, you will avoid plagiarism and give proper credit to your sources.
Example:
Below is a pasted analysis from Cliffnotes. Underneath the passage are examples of plagiarism and proper use of citations.
Character Analysis Atticus Finch
Atticus represents morality and reason in To Kill a Mockingbird. As a character, Atticus is even-handed throughout the story. He is one of the very few characters who never has to rethink his position on an issue. His parenting style is quite unique in that he treats his children as adults, honestly answering any question they have. He uses all these instances as an opportunity to pass his values on to Scout and Jem. Scout says that "'Do you really think so?' . . . was Atticus' dangerous question" because he delighted in helping people see a situation in a new light. Atticus uses this approach not only with his children but with all of Maycomb. And yet, for all of his mature treatment of Jem and Scout, he patiently recognizes that they are children and that they will make childish mistakes and assumptions. Ironically, Atticus' one insecurity seems to be in the child-rearing department, and he often defends his ideas about raising children to those more experienced and more traditional.
Works Cited
“Character Analysis Atticus Finch.” Cliffnotes: To Kill A Mockingbird. Houghton Mifflin.
2015. Web. Accessed 9 January 2018.
Plagiarized: The bolded phrase below comes from the Cliffnotes passage.
Atticus Finch shows readers what a good father does. Good fathers are role models, living the morals he wants to pass on. Because he treats his children as adults when talking about empathy, he shows Scout, specifically, that empathy is the best way to live life.
Explanation: The bolded phrase is not my idea; I read them from Cliffnotes and do NOT give credit. I have plagiarized because I make my reader think I “own” or “created” the idea -- also, the phrase is word for word what Cliffnotes wrote.
To avoid plagiarism, you should write:
Atticus Finch shows readers what a good father does. Good fathers are role models, living the morals he wants to pass on. Because “he treats his children as adults” (“Character Analysis…”) when talking about empathy, he shows Scout, specifically, that empathy is the best way to live life.
Explanation: Since the bolded phrase is not my idea, I have to put quotation marks around the exact wording and give credit to my source with Parenthetical Documentation. I typed in the first part of the Works Cited entry for my source -- “Character Analysis…” what I put it in parenthesis.
Plagiarized:
Throughout the novel, Atticus shares his parenting ideas with Uncle Jack, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra. His one insecurity seems to be in the parenting department because he has to defend his delight in helping others discover things in a new light. For example, Atticus understands Calpurnia, his maid, would take the children to her church where they would discover prejudices but also learn about the African American community in Maycomb. Later in the novel, when Aunt Alexandra moves in, Atticus discusses with his sister his motives to let the children roam and learn Maycomb’s ways. He possesses a defensive tone when talking with her.
Explanation: The bolded phrases are not my ideas; the first example is word-for-word from Cliffnotes. The second example is not word for word. Rather, I have paraphrased the idea, changing just a few words to make it appear like I own the idea. But Cliffnotes owns the idea, not me.
Not plagiarized:
Throughout the novel, Atticus shares his parenting ideas with Uncle Jack, Miss Maudie, and Aunt Alexandra. His one “insecurity seems to be in the parenting department” (“Character Analysis….”) because he has to defend his delight in helping others discover things in a new light (“Character Analysis…”). For example, Atticus understands Calpurnia, his maid, would take the children to her church where they would discover prejudices but also learn about the African American community in Maycomb. Later in the novel, when Aunt Alexandra moves in, Atticus discusses with his sister his motives to let the children roam and learn Maycomb’s ways. He possesses a defensive tone when talking with her.
Explanation: The bolded phrases are not my ideas; the first example is word-for-word from Cliffnotes. To avoid plagiarism, I put quotations around the words I borrowed/read and put the source in parenthesis. The second example is not word for word but is a paraphrase. I am required to cite my sources because I did not think of this idea -- it is an idea I read from Cliffnotes, and I must give them credit. No need to put quotation marks around because it is a paraphrase.
Below is some more information to help you avoid plagiarism.
Screencasts explaining what plagiarism is:
Websites to practice avoiding: