What does plagiarism consist of?

Answer 1

Plagiarism takes the intellectual work, written work, or other creative work, in whole or in part, and using it without crediting the source.

The source is the "creator" of the work. So, an "author" is any person who speaks or writes words, whether handwritten or typed, whether published or unpublished.

The "work" includes anything that you, yourself, did not write, using your own words. The rule is to "paraphrase" the original, but even in paraphrasing the words can be so close that it can be considered plagiarism. This is because words are not the only part protected under the copyright; the intellectual work is also protected. This means that some topics or points are so original that they cannot be paraphrased in any fashion that sufficiently changes the creator's intellectual or written work. Consider the 1980's fast food commercial in which an older woman exclaims, "Where's the beef?" There is no acceptable way to paraphrase that slogan. To use it without crediting either Wendy's, as the specific fast food restaurant or without crediting the advertising agency would be plagiarism. And in the case of , "Where's the beef?", the plagiarism would be readily apparent.

Plagiarism also involves a notion of how much is quoted. The rule is to only use the shortest portion of a work that illustrates or defines a point you are trying to make in your own original work. For example, let's say only one person created a new definition for a newly coined phrase (this often happens in various professions). If you wanted or needed to use that newly coined phrase and it's definition, you'd only use that portion. But you would not take 3 paragraphs from that person's work and use the whole portion.

To avoid plagiarism, use only the shortest amount necessary to support the point you are trying to make. Make index cards, clearly marking parts taken as a quote; use the back of the card for your original ideas that relate to that quote. Use quote marks around any part taken from someone else's work. Mark the quote using the appropriate Style, such as (author, page number) immediately after the portion quoted. Cite the work in your bibliography using the correct Style.

TIP: Did you know that the content on every website is "intellectual property" and should be treated as being under copyright? Even the questions and answers on WikiAnswers.com and on Answers.com are "works" that should be quoted and marked as 'words not my own' in your work. For example, above I typed: "To avoid plagiarism, use only the shortest amount necessary to support the point you are trying to make." If you use that sentence in a paper you write, you would 'cite the author' as my user name, with the full question (above), and then cite WikiAnswers.com as the website on which it appeared, along with the question's URL. Students will earn better grades if they are very aware of the rules for quoting someone else's words and giving proper credit.