Plagiarism: highway robbery in the
classroom
Author: Kathy Bell
Published on: February 23, 1999
Citations, references, bibliographies, footnotes,
endnotes, APA, MLA... When it comes to making proper
citations for quotes and paraphrases, the procedure
can seem fussy and endless. So who cares if you copy
out a few sentences from a dusty old book? The author's
probably dead anyway! And why not "borrow"
a choice turn of phrase from that web site, when your
own writing is so dull and flat?
One answer is that academic integrity is at stake.
Another is that your academic reputation, and perhaps
your student status, is also on the line.
Copying and paraphrasing published text without the
use of proper citations is called plagiarism. The
handy nature of the Internet makes it all too easy
to download and paste, or even to buy whole, pre-fab
papers from on-line paper mills.
All of this a kind of academic theft, plain and simple,
and many institutions have strict policies on it.
If you're caught, some instructors may give you a
0 grade on the paper; others may document the situation
in your student file; and in severe cases, some institutions
may throw you out.
So, obviously it's not worth the risk, yet it continues
to be a problem on many campuses. Let's face it: students
are tired, faced with tight deadlines, and sometimes
a little nervous about their writing skills. It just
seems too tempting to copy something right out of
a book and paste it into your paper. However, there's
always the chance that your instructor read that book
(or worse, if you're really careless, wrote it!) and
will recognise the text. There's also the chance that
the instructor will notice the sudden shifts in writing
style within your paper. When beautiful semi-colon-filled
passages are interspersed with simple, dull prose,
an experienced marker's eye will take notice.
The copying we in North America call plagiarism is,
however, not considered a problem in many other cultures.
In some cultures it is acceptable, even flattering,
to copy the works of "masters." In some
cases it is considered more humble than boldly advocating
your own opinions about something. So, it may be necessary
for instructors and classmates to sensitise students
from other cultures to the highly negative value attributed
to plagiarism in North America.
The following web sites have detailed information
about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it in your
papers. To be safe, always check with your instructor
if you have questions about the acceptability of a
quote or paraphrase you have used. It would be unfortunate
to be accused of plagiarism when none was intended
at all, so brush up on the rules before you start
writing your paper. In the next column, we'll discuss
how to use proper citations and referencing.
1. http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~janicke/plagiary.htm
Defines plagiarism, particularly on-line plagiarism,
and shows how it can be detected.
2. http://condor.bcm.tmc.edu/Micro-Immuno/courses/igr/plagdef.htm
Definitions of plagiarism, plus some ideas about why
people do it.
3. http://www.guilford.edu/ASC/TWZ/plag.htm
How to avoid plagiarism, both intentional and unintentional.
4. http://olax.ola.bc.ca/ou/faq/plagiarism.htm
British Columbia's Open University's discussion of
plagiarism, including their policies for dealing with
it.
© Kathy Bell 1999
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