Introduction to bibliographies
Why include a bibliography
Writing references
How to prepare a bibliography
How to compile a bibliography
Bibliography notes
What is plagiarism?
The Harvard System
Writing References, Easy Examples
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the term used for one type of academic cheating! It is basically using the work, words or ideas of other people without saying where you obtained your information. It is a deliberate attempt to deceive by using somebody else's work and passing it off as your own.
In academic circles, plagiarism is treated very seriously indeed and plagiarised work is disqualified as a matter of course. It is taken so seriously that in some universities dissertations are routinely run through plagiarism detection software which checks the Internet to see if phrases or passages of text have been "lifted" from the web. Even if your work is not submitted electronically (if it is a word processed and printed document, or if it is handwritten) others may detect plagiarism. If you copy a colleague's assignment or homework and hand it in as your own your tutors will know what you have done because they will of course read both sets of work! Passages or phrases that you copy from books are probably the same useful pieces that are copied out by each year's group of new students and your tutors probably know the relevant books inside out.
Plagiarism includes all of the following:
- Using words exactly as they have been used elsewhere:
- in books
- in lectures
- in articles
- from television programmes
- in newspapers
- on the radio
- Using ideas and theories generated by other people and not giving them credit.
- Paraphrasing things that you have heard or read without saying where the information has come from.
- Even if you change phrases that you have "borrowed" or if you re-order them the result is still plagiarism.