Plagiarism Guide

Plagiarism Guide 

This document should apply primarily to writing but can be applicable to all disciplines on Chattahoochee Valley Community College’s campuses.

Plagiarism is detrimental to students’ academic and intellectual development, and the hope is that this guide will help students become more confident, capable, and ethical writers.

In the interest of eliminating plagiarism and fostering academic and intellectual growth through student writing, this guide will define plagiarism, offer ways to avoid it, and indicate types of plagiarism and the potential consequences thereof.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is FRAUD and is a CRIME! 

Merriam-Webster defines the word plagiarize as “to copy and pass off (the expression of ideas or words of another) as one’s own:  Use (another’s work) without crediting the source” or “to present as new and original an idea or work derived from an existing source” (“plagiarize”).

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s ideas, words, expressions, or information without acknowledging, through proper citation, that those ideas, words, expressions, or information came from someone else.  Plagiarism also includes “recycling” your own work or someone else’s work to gain credit for it a second time.

Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism may be intentional and blatant or inadvertent and reckless.

• Blatant and intentional
  • Buying a paper
  • Having someone write a paper for you
  • “Borrowing” a paper from someone to submit
  • Copying and pasting directly from a source
• Inadvertent and Reckless
  • Patchwork plagiarism
  • Neglecting in-text citations
  • Citing some but not all source material
  • Neglecting Quotation Marks around a Quote
  • Self-Plagiarism
  • Misquoting sources
  • Paraphrasing sources without proper documentation
  • Misattributing or misquoting a source
  • Misrepresenting or manipulating information from a source

Ways to Avoid Plagiarism

Three Basic Steps to Avoid Plagiarism (you must follow ALL three)

1. NEVER, EVER, EVER just copy some else’s words (even if it’s only a couple)
   1. If you are using a quote, punctuate it using quotation marks to show the reader that the words aren’t yours and cite it properly
   2. Avoid patchwork plagiarism (just changing a couple of words around or using a thesaurus to change a few words out isn’t the same as paraphrasing)
2. Always use an in-text citation to identify a source you have summarized or paraphrased
   1. Use in-text citations when you finish using a source or every time you change sources
   2. Make sure to use in-text citations for every source you list on your works cited page
3. Always include ANY source you used in your paper in your works cited page
   1. Don’t list anything on the Works Cited page that wasn’t actually used in the paper
   2. Follow MLA guidelines for all formats including webpages, television shows, recordings, YouTube videos, etc…
   3. Again, check that your in-text citations match your Works Cited entries

For additional information check with your instructor.  IN addition, the following websites may be helpful:

• Purdue Online Writing Lab – https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
• The MLA Style Center – https://style.mla.org/plagiarism-and-academic-dishonesty/

Consequences for Plagiarism

Plagiarism will ALWAYS incur consequences.  Those consequences can include:

• failure of the assignment
• failure for a portion of the course
• failure for the entire course
• even expulsion from the College

For more information check with your instructor and review the College’s policy on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in the Student Code of Conduct section of the Student Handbook.

Works Cited

“Plagiarize.” Merriam-Webster.com, Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize. Accessed 2017.