It is the view of many people that plagiarism is simply copying somebody else’s work or borrowing their ideas they put forward. But the words ‘borrowing’ or ‘copying’ mask the severity of the act of plagiarism.
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.
Therefore it can be said that plagiarism is in fact an act of fraud. With this in mind most educational institutions take plagiarism very seriously. The consequences range from generally a minimum of a fail in the module plagiarized to even possible expulsion from the institution.
Students regularly claim exemptions form plagiarism sanctions for varying reasons such as their sources were somehow exempt from referencing or they only had to reference quotes and not the paraphrases.
At any time that I have an essay or assignment to do referencing is one aspect of the assignment that I consider and review constantly. I have a Harvard reference guide laminated and with me at my desk at all times. A good tip that I always found helpful is to reference as you go. Attempting to do this at a later stage is near impossible and you will probably miss some and get accused of accidental plagiarism. Referencing is a difficult thing to do but follow the referencing list step by step. I always feel like a stupid kid obediently following an adults instructions but it’s worth in to not mistakenly Plagiarize.
Really agree with you it is near impossible to reference anything at a later stage. It is much easier to do it as you go.
ReplyDeleteLisa