Skip to Main Content
 

Library Home | Student Info | Faculty & Staff | Research Tools | Distance Learning | Remote Access | Useful Resources | Contact Us | Library Events

Copyright & Plagiarism

Defining Plagiarism

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the use of others’ words or ideas without the appropriate acknowledgment. In the context of higher education, it has been defined as a form of academic misconduct involving a writing process which results in an inappropriate relationship between the new text and its source(s).

Amey, Marilyn J., and Miriam E. David, editors. “Plagiarism.” The SAGE Encyclopedia of Higher Education, by Stephen Lubell, 1st ed., Sage UK, 2020. Credo Reference, search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NTE1MjE=. 

An important academic ethic that college students must learn is to properly credit the intellectual efforts of others. This ethic safeguards the integrity of ideas and the building of knowledge. Plagiarism occurs when someone uses another's ideas or words without acknowledgment. Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, is a form of "scholastic dishonesty" at Blinn College and it carries consequences. Please refer to the Blinn College Student or Faculty Handbooks for more information.

Types of Plagiarism

  1. Clone Submitting another's work, word-for-word, as one's own

  2. CTRL+C Contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations

  3. Find – Replace Changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential content of the source

  4. Remix Paraphrases from multiple sources, made to fit together

  5. Recycle Borrows generously from the writer's previous work without citation

  6. Hybrid Combines perfectly cited sources with copied passages without citation

  7. Mashup Mixes copied material from multiple sources

  8. 404 Error Includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources

  9. Aggregator Includes proper citation to sources but the paper contains almost no original work

  10. Re-Tweet Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text's original wording and/or structure

Detecting Plagiarism

Is it plagiarism? You should investigate further if:

  • The writing style and language are above the level at which the student usually writes.

  • The student uses jargon or specialized terminology that is inconsistent with the student's level of knowledge

  • The quality of writing is inconsistent.  The beginning and ending of the paper is deficient, but the rest of the paper is well written.

  • The paper contains references to citations that are not included in the reference list.

  • The reference list is inaccurate or incomplete.

 Source: University of Nebraska Medical Center

Plagiarism Websites

Videos on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Watch the video to learn more about plagiarism.

Blinn Home | Blinn A to Z | myBLINN | eCampus | Blinn Directory | Academic Calendar | Writing Centers | Learning Centers | Computer Labs | Comments and Suggestions?