Plagiarism: What is it and How Can You Avoid It?

Before I begin to discuss plagiarism, I wish to make certain it is clearly understood that plagiarism is a very serious matter. So serious that in most universities a student can find themselves with a failed course or in some cases, expulsion for being caught plagiarizing someone's work.

Many writers are familiar with the concept that Plagiarism is stealing the ideas and words of other writers and claiming it as their own. Because of this, instead of re-hashing that idea, I've provided a link at the end of this lesson for you to read if you have any questions as to what plagiarism is or is not. The article by Purdue University is written for their students and provides a great question and answer type format. In this lesson, instead of discussing what plagiarism is, we're going to discuss why plagiarism happens.

When I look at the act of plagiarism, I see five reasons why people fall into this trap:

Ignorance, Procrastination, Apathy, Sloppy Note-Taking, and Lack of Confidence.

Problem: Ignorance

This type of plagiarism is not intentional. It is still serious, still wrong, and it could still result in a failed college course. However, this plagiarism is not a deliberate, sneaky attempt to grab credit but more an unawareness that they are actually stealing.

This scenario generally happens during paraphrasing. The writer either doesn't realize how close their words are to the author they're researching or they don't understand that even paraphrasing requires a citation.

Solution:

Take first-rate notes in a writing journal. See "Research is Not a Dirty Word" for ideas on this. Understand that "their" words are not "yours" no matter how you re-arrange them. Always give credit to your source, even when paraphrasing. Try to use the words of others as a springboard for your own thoughts and ideas, rather than as your entire argument or reasoning.

Problem: Procrastination.

Here the writer has put off doing their research and now find themselves in a time crunch with their deadline. Instead of developing their own ideas created by newfound discoveries from their research efforts, they feel pressed to rush their paper. Vast portions are then paraphrased or outright copied from other papers. Depending on which of the two and how extensive the plagiarism becomes can mean the difference between a failed course and being expelled.

Solution:

Know your deadlines. Give yourself the time to not only understand your material but also enough time to allow your imagination and reasoning spark your ideas about what you have learned. Developing writing concepts takes time. Make sure you allow time for that process to happen.

Problem: Apathy or Laziness

What I consider one of the most severe of the scenarios, for it is not based on ignorance or the times of procrastination we all sometimes get ourselves into. This situation is the "I don't feel like doing it" which leads directly to shortcuts like buying finished term papers or outright cheating. Expulsion, if caught, would most likely occur.

Solution:

The writer should first care enough about their reputation as a writer and the integrity of their actions to make an effort. If a writer does not feel motivated, perhaps the writer has selected a topic that does not hold their interest. Perhaps the writer has not found an angle that absorbs them. Re-read the article, "Breaking the Writer's Block: Sparking the Ideas" if you're ever stuck on a topic. A writer should pick a topic they want to write about. If a topic is required, which of itself does not interest them, they should look deeper into that topic for an angle that does interest them. They may just find a nugget of gold in that search.

Problem: Sloppy Note-taking

This scenario is one where the individual actually does take notes but fails to record the details clearly enough. Perhaps the quote is correct, but the web page cited is incorrect. Or, the individual did not record the page number, though they have the book, author and publisher correct.

Solution:

The solution here is obvious. Take meticulous notes. Make sure anything you quote is absolutely correct, right down to incorrect grammar in the original writing. Write down anything that will help you find the quotation again. Reread, "Research is Not a Dirty Word" for ideas on keeping accurate notes.

Problem: Lack of Confidence

I believe this issue is the most common, from grade school on up through adulthood. Inexperienced writers are particularly prone to this. Reading the finished thesis, journal article or periodical of an experience writer can be quite daunting to a new writer. The writers then compensate by using a vast amount of paraphrasing instead of having the confidence to develop and state their own lines of thinking. They accept the words of others verbatim instead of adding in the value of their own experiences and findings.

Solution:

If there is one thing I'd like someone to take away from this article, it's that each individual, every individual, has something to offer the world. No one else sees things exactly the way you do. No one else walks in your shoes. No one else has had the exact same experiences you have had in exactly the same way. You are completely unique in that respect. Our perspectives of right now are based on what we, personally, have experienced before. No one else in the world has what you have to offer. It doesn't matter how rich you are, how educated you are, how old you are or where you live. No one has your own unique perspective.

Many years ago, I heard the story of The Blind Men and the Elephant. I found it again in Wikipedia (yes, I know...bad source) and learned there are multiple versions of it. Each version has its merits. The basic premise of The Blind Men and the Elephant is that several blind men are led to different parts of an elephant, which they feel with their hands, and they are then asked to describe the elephant. Naturally, since one is feeling the head, the other the tail, the other the leg, another the body, yet another, the ear, they all give different descriptions of what an elephant is. Their descriptions anger all the others because each of them is certain they are right. The different versions show variations in the way the "masters" resolve the situation.

Remember that perspective is everything. We are all as blind as those men, but by sharing what we learn, adding our own descriptions to the collected works of society, maybe one day we'll all know what the elephant actually looks like. That is scholarly research and why such research is important. That is also why your own words and thoughts are so important. Perhaps you will not be the one to make the earth-shattering discovery, but your thoughts might just be the ones which Spark the Ideas in the one who does make that leap forward. That unique chain of knowledge is what non-fiction writing is all about.

Writing Exercise

Write a short essay based on your personal perspective of an incident in your own past. This should be something unexpected. Base this on something you read, witnessed or heard, which changed how you looked at or thought about something in your life. This can be a childhood incident or something quite recent. It can be on any topic. This should be in essay form of at least 300 words. What you are looking for here is a piece that shows you understand how personal perspective can change and does change based on events in your own life. Practice your citations by citing your sources, even if that is "personal memories" or "related to me by my mother".

2. Read the Blind Men and the Elephant article in Wikipedia. Think about which version you liked the best. Why?

3. Read the information in the article "Is It Plagiarism Yet?" listed in the reference links below. What are your thoughts on what you read or was there something that surprised you within the article?

Reference Links and Works Cited

Is It Plagiarism Yet? - Accessed: November 24, 2008
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/

Blind Men and an Elephant - Accessed: November 24, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Men_and_an_Elephant

Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism - Accessed: November 24, 2008
http://www.wpacouncil.org/node/9

Other articles in the Engaged Writing Series

Breaking the Writer's Block: Sparking the Ideas
For or Against: Writing an Effective Argumentative Essay
Writing for Your Readers: Academic and Informal Papers
The Ethnography: What it is and How to Write it.
Interviews: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Interview
Logical Fallacies: What they are and How do we keep them out of our writing?