Plagiarism

This is something often talked about but , what about it ? I have taken something from a web site which, I think explains what we need to know quite clearly and simply.

So, with reference to :-

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=references+pliagarism&page=1&qsrc=121&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uwplatt.edu%2Flibrary%2Freference%2Fplagiarism.html

I reproduce some highlights but would advise readers to visit the link for details.

"Plagiarism Defined

Plagiarism is stealing or using the writing or ideas of others as though they are one's own. The word comes from Latin, plagium which means "kidnapping".

According to West's Encyclopedia of American Law, plagiarism is "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation. Plagiarism is theft of another person's writing or ideas."
"

For interest sake lets look at another site,

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=references+pliagarism&page=1&qsrc=121&ab=8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bristol.ac.uk%2Fis%2Flibrary%2Ffindinginformation%2Fplagiarism%2Fadvice.html

"What is plagiarism?

The University's Examination Regulations define plagiarism in the following way:

'Plagiarism is the unacknowledged inclusion in a student’s work of material derived from the published or unpublished work of another. This constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional. “Work” includes internet sources as well as printed material. Examples include:

-Quoting another’s work “word for word” without placing the phrase(s), sentence(s) or paragraph(s) in quotation marks and providing a reference for the source.

--Using statistics, tables, figures, formulae, data, diagrams, questionnaires, images, musical notation, computer code, etc., created by others without acknowledging and referencing the original source. This list is not intended to be exhaustive.

-Summarising, or paraphrasing the work or ideas of another without acknowledging and referencing the original source. “Paraphrasing” means re-stating another author’s ideas, meaning or information in a student’s own words.

-Copying the work of another student, with or without that student’s agreement.

-Collaborating with another student, even where the initial collaboration is legitimate, e.g., joint project work, and then presenting the resulting work as one’s own. If students are unclear about the extent of collaboration which is permitted in joint work they should consult the relevant tutor.

-Submitting, in whole or in part, work which has previously been submitted at the University of Bristol or elsewhere, without fully referencing the earlier work. This includes unacknowledged re-use of the student’s own submitted work.

-Buying or commissioning an essay or other piece of work and presenting it as a student’s own.' "

Although the context seems to be on students' environment only, I believe this extends to other areas outside the academic institutions . Of course there are other sites available. But my message here is that we should , at least , be aware of prevailing good practice.

Anyway, this is just something that happened to cross my mind this morning.

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