In keeping in line with SNC’s emphasis towards academic honesty, plagiarism can be defined as passing off "the ideas or words of another as one's own" (Merriam-Webster).
In many cases plagiarism is unintentional, however, students are still responsible for citing all their sources and accurately quoting/paraphrasing with proper credit. Follow these tips to avoid plagiarism:
Be prepared: Knocking out a 10-page paper at the last minute might be a common college pastime, but it’s also a common way to make mistakes (a big one being plagiarism). Good research and good writing take time. Taking quality notes and organizing your research goes a long way to avoiding problems and creating excellent work.
Understand citations: To cite or not to cite…that’s not Shakespeare (although even the Bard is not immune to accusations of plagiarism). Citations are simply a mechanism to give credit where credit’s due. Visit our Citation Guide to learn more about this process.
When in doubt...ask: We’re here to help! Contact a librarian for direct project support, or reach out to the campus Writing Center for writing assistance.
Plagiarism Examples (Scribbr):
|
Original text |
| Example: Verbatim plagiarism For the last 2,500 years, Ancient Sparta has been considered the unmatched warrior city-state in popular imagination. The idea that every male was raised from infancy to fight to the death, as ingrained as it is alluring, is actually not true. |
| Example: Quoted correctly with a citation For the last 2,500 years, Ancient Sparta has been considered the “unmatched warrior city-state” in popular imagination, where “every male was raised from birth to fight to the death.” Despite its prominence, this perception is highly misleading (Cole, 2021). |
(Scribbr)
The following links offer more information to understand and avoid plagiarism:
Many students are accused of plagiarism because they simply don't understand it and, therefore, don't know how to avoid it. (plagiarism.org)
You may have heard people say that you do not have to cite your source when the information you include is “common knowledge.” But what is common knowledge? (integrity.mit.edu)
Is it possible to plagiarize yourself? In some cases...yes. (Scribbr)
There are various tools online that can help pinpoint possible plagiarism errors in an essay. The following applications are some of the top-rated checkers. A few are available for free with limited use and others require a subscription fee:
| Original text “So much of modern-day life revolves around using opposable thumbs, from holding a hammer to build a home to ordering food delivery on our smartphones. But for our ancestors, the uses were much simpler. Strong and nimble thumbs meant that they could better create and wield tools, stones and bones for killing large animals for food” (Handwerk, 2021). |
| Example: Paraphrasing plagiarism A lot of life today involves using opposable thumbs, from using a hammer to build a house to ordering something on our smartphones. But for our predecessors, the uses were much more simple. Powerful and dexterous thumbs meant that they could better make and use tools, stones and bones for killing large animals to eat. |
| Example: Correct paraphrasing Opposable thumbs are such an ingrained part of humans’ day-to-day life that most do not pay them much notice. However, they could be a matter of life or death for our ancestors. Per Handwerk (2021), opposable thumbs allowed earlier humans to survive and thrive, enhancing their ability to create tools and weapons to kill large animals. |
(Scribbr)
