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Plagiarism

Key Terms and Concepts: plagiarism !air use Plagiarism can be against the law. If a writer publishes a book or article (or music, etc.) and you use it without permission, as if it were your own idea or words, not only are you plagiarizing his work, you are also violating his copyright to that book or article. You can uote something to illustrate a point or to discuss whether the author is right or wrong. !his is called "air #se.

"hat #o $ou Think%

Using a schoolmate's report as your own is not technically a crime. But is it ethical? "Help me with my homework." I was sick yesterday. Can I copy your notes? I just borrowed some ideas.

Plagiarism is taking credit !or someone else&s work ' especially their writing. any people ha!e been publicly humiliated "or this. any students ha!e been gi!en an # instead o" an $ because they copied other people's work and tried to take credit "or it. %ith great color"ul encyclopedias a!ailable on C&'() * anyone can copy "iles and include words and pictures and maps In reports. +ou %ill probably not be caught "or doing this.

%ith the Internet* "inding massi!e amounts o" in"ormation on any subject !ery easy. $ll you ha!e to do is copy it* make some minor changes add your name* right? %hat are the odds your teachers will know about that obscure yet per"ect paper you want to use as your own?

This is the pro(lem. )ow much copying is too much%

,ournalists and pro"essional writers use a principle called "#air Use." -his means that you can use pieces o" someone's work i" you are .uoting "rom it "or a re!iew or to build into a report or article. But the key point is that you need to gi!e credit where credit is due. +ou should name the author* the name o" the article/book* and tell when it was written. But many students take another work and merely add their name to the "irst page and o""er it as their own. )r they may "ind a really good idea 0in their research and use a "ew paragraphs "rom another thesis or paper and choose not to name the original author.

Plagiarism is a gray area:

it is di""icult to de"ine* but easy to recogni1e. -eachers now ha!e a way to check i" a student's work was plagiari1ed. The "e( site wwwplagiarism.com is becoming !ery popular and will make it much easier to catch o""enders.

*uestions To Think +(out%

+ou "orget entirely about a report that is due on onday* and there is no way you can complete it o!er the weekend. +our teacher is un"orgi!ing about being late on assignments. &o you go to the library or the Internet and copy a "ew bits and pieces "rom di""erent sources and call it your own to a!oid "ailing? %hat are the arguments "or and against doing this? I" you are going to use someone else's ideas* which is !ery common "or all o" us* how many words* sentences or paragraphs o" their work is )2 to use without gi!ing credit to them?

Is there any sort o" plagiarism that you "eel is )2? Using the words o" the 3resident or other public o""icial? %ould you plagiari1e someone else's work/words i" you only speak them aloud* but not write them down?

3lagiarism and the Internet http4//www.plagiarism.org/problem.html Cut'and'3aste 3lagiarism4 3re!enting* &etecting and -racking )nline 3lagiarism http4//ale5ia.lis.uiuc.edu/6janicke/plagiary.htm 3lagiarism case bede!ils 2ansas school http4//www.cnn.com/7887/"yi/teachers.ednews/89/:;/plagiarism.dispute.ap/inde5.html