What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is cited in the University Honor Pledge as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.  Those found in violation are subject to disciplinary action.

An exact definition of plagiarism is found under Section 3.F of the Student Disciplinary Policies and Procedures under the Student Code of Conduct.  It reads as follows:  "A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else's work without acknowledging its source; or if the source is cited which the student has not cited or used (1998).   Plagiarism includes submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks (1998).  Plagiarism also occurs in a group project if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group's work and participates in none of the group's activities but attempts to take credit for the work of the group (1996)."

• The following, according to Stephen Wilhoit, are specific examples of acts of plagiarism:
•  Buying a paper from a research serve or term paper mill
• Turning in another student's work without that student's knowledge
• Turning in a paper a peer has written for the student
• Copying a paper from a source text without proper acknowledgement
• Copying material from a source text, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks
• Paraphrasing material from a source text without appropriate documentation

It is always best to over-cite.  WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS ASK A PROFESSOR, consult the American Psychological Association Handbook, or the Little Brown Handbook (MLA Citations).  Students may also contact the Honor Council at 683-4350, or email hcouncil@odu.edu.

The following is a 5-step checklist to avoid plagiarism taken directly from the Little, Brown Handbook by Fowler and Aaron, 1994.

1) What type of source are you using: your own independent material, common knowledge, or someone else's independent material?  You must acknowledge someone else's material.
2) If you are quoting someone else's material, is the quotation exact?  Have you inserted quotation marks around quotations?  Have you shown omission with ellipsis and additions with brackets?
3) If you are paraphrasing or summarizing someone else's material, have you used your own words and sentence structures?  Does your paraphrase or summary employ quotation marks when you resort to author's exact language?  Have you represented the author's meaning without distortion?
4) Is each use of someone else's material acknowledged in your text?  Are all of your source citations complete and accurate?
5) Does your list of works cited include all of the sources you have drawn from in writing your paper?

References

American Psychological Association. (2001).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Ed.).  Washington, DC.:  American Psychological Association.

Fowler, R.H., & Aaron, J.E. (1992).   The Little, Brown Handbook (5th Ed.).  New York: Harper Collins Publisher.

Old Dominion University Division of Student Services. (1996). Student Handbook.  Norfolk, VA:  Old Dominion University.

Wilhoit, S. (1994).  Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism.  College Teaching 42.

"Pledging Honor, Preserving Excellence"