Understanding Plagiarism

In this module, you will familiarize yourself with how to recognize plagiarism and techniques to avoid it.

Types of Plagiarism

This is going to sound obvious, but you should avoid plagiarism. We have found that people don't really know what plagiarism is. They usually know that copying someone else’s writing verbatim is wrong, but plagiarism actually has less obvious forms. 

Here are the types of plagiarism:

  • Global plagiarism. Copying someone else’s writing verbatim.

  • Paraphrasing plagiarism. Using an inspiration article as a source and paraphrasing at least a portion of the article. They use the same paragraph structure, the same points, and maybe even the same sources. But there’s no attribution to the source article anywhere.

  • Verbatim plagiarism. Copying a passage word for word without providing proper citation.

  • Mosaic plagiarism. Combining ideas and text from a variety of sources without proper citation.

  • Incorrect citation. Failing to properly source an idea that’s not theirs.

Source: https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/types-of-plagiarism/

Examples of Plagiarism

This can be a bit nuanced, so let’s give you an example using a famous quote. The original quote comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address: 

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, onto this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Paraphrased (that is to say, plagiarized), it reads: 

Eighty-seven years ago, our ancestors created on this land a new nation that was founded on liberty and committed to the principle that all people are equal.

If someone was trying to pass this off as their own original writing, it would be plagiarism, specifically paraphrasing plagiarism. 

Let’s look at another example, this time from a government website discussing consumer debt. This example is originally from https://www.usa.gov/debt:

Credit counseling services provide resources to help solve your money problems. Counselors discuss your entire financial situation and help you develop a personalized plan.

And let’s say someone writes for their blog:

Credit counselors can give you resources that help solve your money challenges. These counselors talk with you about your whole financial picture and help you build an individualized plan.

Again, this is plagiarism. The content is paraphrased, and there’s no attribution to the source. 

How to Avoid Plagiarism

How do you avoid plagiarism?

  • Write in your own words. It’s fine to do research to get ideas and data for your own writing. But what you actually write needs to be in your own words.

  • Put quotation marks around verbatim copy. If you want to use something verbatim, put quotation marks around the copy and give proper credit. 

  • Give credit to the original source. You can say, “As such-and-such article points out” and link back to the article or include a footnote. If you want to paraphrase or expand on a concept you found elsewhere, you still need an attribution. Anytime you're borrowing something, you should give credit to that person. 

  • Include links. Giving credit can be as simple as linking the relevant text back to the site.

  • Use footnotes. Some sources may need a more formal attribution like a footnote. If you use a chart from another source, cite your source. Anything that is not your original content or isn’t common knowledge needs attribution of some kind.

  • Use a plagiarism checker like Grammarly. People end up plagiarizing all the time and don't even know it. It’s easy to do, so run your finished article through software like Grammarly to be sure it’s OK before you publish it. If you have your employees or freelance writers write on behalf of your company, you'll want to check for plagiarism to avoid any legal issues. It really is that important.