Examples of Plagiarism

Example 1

A person looking beyond the present moment, could not inspect the map of the United States, without perceiving the importance of connecting the west with the east, by facilitating the intercourse between them.

Correct Citation

“A person looking beyond the present moment, could not inspect the map of the United States, without perceiving the importance of connecting the west with the east, by facilitating the intercourse between them.” (Marshall, 302)

Marshall, J. (2000). The Life of George Washington. Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund.

Example 2

Picture used from a book, website, journal article, etc. Is this plagiarism?

Explanation

Yes it is! Any source be it illustration, media, written work must be properly cited. Think of a citation as a route for the reader to get to the information.

Example 3

I want to use some of the paragraphs from a paper I wrote the previous semester for a different class.

Explanation

This recycling of one’s own work is considered self-plagiarism. The consequences of self-plagiarism may include copyright infringement or a violation of academic honor codes.

Example 4

(T/F) A source doesn’t need to be cited if it’s collaboratively written on the web like Wikipedia. False!

Explanation

A misunderstanding about websites like Wikipedia is that they don’t need to be cited or referenced because they are in the public domain and collaboratively created. Taking any idea or text from the original source requires proper citation. Also, Wikipedia is not considered as a reputable source by many instructors in the world of academia.