PLAGIARISM…You DON’T Want To Go There!

What it is: Dictionary.com defines plagiarism as:

“the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work ”

Put simply… Plagiarism is cheating because you are

copying someone else’s words and taking credit for them…in other words, you are stealing

How it happens…You are guilty of plagiarizing if you: Use a research paper you copied from the Internet Buy a research paper from a paper mill Turn in a paper you already did for another

assignment (without your teacher’s permission) Use someone else’s exact words without putting

them in quotation marks or citing them Use a picture, music, video, or idea someone else

created without giving credit to that person.

Copyright When the U.S. Copyright Office grants

copyrights, it means that the person who created that piece of written work, music, or art (including audio, video, etc.) is the only person with the right to copy it in any way. Since January 1, 1978, works protected by copyright will be protected for the lifetime of the author or creator and for a period of 50 years after his or her death.

What’s the difference?...Plagiarism is different from copyright

infringement although you could be accused of both. With so many websites on the Internet now, it seems easy enough to cut and paste someone else’s written work, but most information on the Internet is not protected by copyright. When you plagiarize from something with a copyright, you are breaking the law.

Excuses, excuses…Why would you be tempted to plagiarize? You ran out of time on doing your paper Your parents have been threatening to take away some of

your privileges unless you bring your grades up Maybe you just didn’t understand your assignment You are new to doing research and using the Internet You never wanted to do this assignment and you think it’s a

big bore so you just copy someone else’s work because you need something to turn in to your teacher

You figure you won’t get caught… WRONG!!!

“My teacher will never know…”That’s what you think! If you plagiarized from something you

Googled, all your teacher has to do is search a phrase or sentence from your report on Google to find where you copied from.

Ever heard of turnitin.com??? Many schools – including some in our district use this powerful tool to weed out papers that have been plagiarized.

Truth or Consequences…What will happen if you get caught plagiarizing? You will probably get a failing grade You may get detention or even suspended You may not get to graduate If you’re in college, you may get kicked out As an adult, you can get sued or serve time in

jail

Famous Plagiarists…George Harrison, one of the

Beatles, was tried for plagiarizing from the song, "He's So Fine“ by the Chiffons, when he wrote his hit, "My Sweet Lord". He always said it was completely unintentional.

Author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Roots, Alex Haley had to pay $650,000 in a settlement when he was sued for copying lengthy passages from a book entitled The African by Harold Courlander.

Poet T.S. Eliot won the Nobel Prize for Literature and yet he often bragged about his plagiarism. One of his famous quotes goes: “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”

“So what’s the big deal?”…You’re probably wondering, “If famous people have

been known to plagiarize, then what’s the big deal?” Plagiarists are considered to be:

Dishonest Lazy Liars Selfish FraudsIs that how you want your friends and classmates to see

you?

“How can I avoid plagiarizing?”… Take notes, putting everything in YOUR OWN

WORDS. Keep in mind that research is a process of collecting information from a variety of sources, reading that information, and reporting on the sum of what you found. It is not just a list of facts.

If you do copy word for word any statement or paragraph, use quotation marks to show that this is not your own original idea and cite your source.

Turn in every printout or copy of the information you used as a source so your teacher will know that you have not plagiarized.

Q & AQ: If I use a picture or photo I found on the Internet or in a book as part of my report

and I don’t cite it, is that plagiarism?A: Yes and it is also copyright infringement unless it is royalty free. To be sure you

aren’t plagiarizing, use the image databases that KMS subscribes to.Q.: If I put music in my PowerPoint or PhotoStory3 project, is that plagiarism?A.: Yes. The only downloadable music you should use must come from a royalty free

website like FreePlay Music.Q.: If I change a few words in what the author wrote, is that still plagiarism?A.: Yes. The way you word something and the vocabulary you use is what your

teacher wants; it is how your teacher is used to what you say so reword everything into your own words. In other words PARAPHRASE what the author said.

Q.: But how can I tell the difference between what needs to be cited and what doesn’t?A. Anything you did not know about your topic before you started your research

should be cited. A helpful way to begin your research is to fill out a KWL, listing what you Know, what you Want to know, and what you Learned about your topic. Anything from your “L” list should be cited.