The Ohio State University

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using others' ideas and/or words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. It may be intentional (e.g., copying or purchasing papers from an online source) or unintentional (e.g., failing to give credit for an author's ideas that you have paraphrased or summarized in your own words). (UIUC)

Return To Top of Page

How do I know if I am plagiarizing?

You are committing plagiarism if you:

• Submit a paper to be graded or reviewed that you have not written on your own.
• Copy answers or text from another classmate and submit it as your own.
• Quote or paraphrase from another paper without crediting the original author.
• Cite data without crediting the original source.
• Propose another author's idea as if it were your own.
• Fabricating references or using incorrect references.
• Submitting someone else's presentation, program, spreadsheet, or other file with only minor alterations.

This is not a definitive list — any action in which you misleadingly imply someone else's work is your own can constitute plagiarism. (PSU)

Return To Top of Page

Why is plagiarism a problem?

When you commit plagiarism, you hurt yourself and the community in the following ways:

• You deny yourself the opportunity to learn and practice skills that may be needed in your future careers. You also deny yourself to opportunity to receive honest feedback on how to improve your skills and performance.
• You invite future employers and faculty to question your integrity and performance in general.
• You commit fraud on faculty who are evaluating your work.
• You deprive another author due credit for his or her work.
• You show disrespect for your peers who have done their own work. (PSU)

Return To Top of Page

What is unintentional vs. intentional plagiarism?

Unintentional plagiarism: Research-based writing in American institutions is filled with rules that beginning writers may not be aware of or don't know how to follow. Many of these rules have to do with research and proper citation. Sometimes you may not be sure what needs to be cited and what doesn't.

Intentional plagiarism: It may seem easy and harmless to copy and paste sections from articles or papers found online to fill an assignment. You should keep in mind, however, that although such behavior may seem harmless, it actually degrades the quality of education that you are receiving and devalues the degree that you are working toward. (UIUC)

Return To Top of Page