WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
Plagiarism is the use, without acknowledgement, of the intellectual work of other people, and the act or representing the ideas or discoveries of another as one’s own in written work submitted for assessment. To copy sentences, phrases or even striking expressions without acknowledgement of the source (either by inadequate citation or failure to indicate verbatim quotations) is plagiarism; to paraphrase without acknowledgement is likewise plagiarism. Where such copying or paraphrasing has occurred, the mere mention of the source in the bibliography shall not be deemed sufficient acknowledgement; each such instance must be referred specifically to its source. Verbatim quotations must be in inverted commas, or indented, and directly acknowledged.
WHAT IS A SOURCE?
Sources are published (print or electronic) primary and secondary material as well as information and opinions gained directly from other people.
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism falls under two broad categories: a) Copying an entire document, or part of a document as your entire paper; b) Mosaic plagiarism, that is, mixing the words and ideas of a source with your own, or mixing the words and ideas of two or more sources without acknowledgement.
Plagiarism usually takes one of these forms:
• Un-cited idea: passing off someone else’s idea as your own.
• Un-cited information or data from a source: not acknowledging the source of any fact, figure, event, statistical data or information provided.
• Verbatim phrase or passage that is not quoted: any direct quotation that is not in quotation marks or indented and not referenced at the end of the quotation.
• Misrepresenting evidence: information from a source that has been changed or taken out of context to suit your paper/argument.
• Dual submission: submitting the same paper or parts of a paper to more than one course/instructor.
• Abetting plagiarism: knowingly helping another student to plagiarize by letting him/her copy your paper.
• Selling a paper to a student, or by writing all or part of a paper for another student.
• Commercial tutoring services: making use of the services of a tutoring school or term paper company to write papers.
