What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when you intentionally or unintentionally use another person's words or ideas without giving them proper credit (i.e. citing them) and pass off their ideas or words as your own. At it's most basic level, plagiarism is intellectual theft.
The CSCU Student Code of Conduct defines plagiarism as "the submission of work by a student for academic credit as one’s own work of authorship which contains work of another author without appropriate attribution."
Did you know that the word "plagiarize" comes from the Latin word for "kidnapper" thereby implying that some who plagiarized has stolen another person's words or ideas? (from
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
Examples of Plagiarism
| Intentional Plagiarism |
Unintentional Plagiarism |
- Copying large sections or entire contents of a resource without attributing the work to the appropriate author(s) through proper citations
- Hiring someone or using an AI service (like ChatGPT) to write your paper or do your project for you
- Intentionally leaving out a citation in an effort to claim someone else's words or ideas as your own
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- Accidentally leaving out key elements of a citation (for example, forgetting to include an in-text citation, or not including the title of the work in the works-cited entry)
- Quoting a source and forgetting to use quotation marks
- Accidentally attributing a quote or idea to the wrong source
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(adapted with permission, Purdue University Online Writing Lab - Plagiarism FAQs)
What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is a very serious offense and depending on the intent and level of plagiarism you could face consequences ranging from relatively minor to severe. If you are found to have plagiarized, some possible consequences you might face include:
- A failing grade on the assignment
- A failure for the course
- Being put on academic probation
- Being suspended or expelled from the college
- If you plagiarize outside the college environment you could be fired from your job or face legal action against you
See the CSCU Student Code of Conduct for more information on disciplinary procedures and sanctions at CT State Community College.
How Can I Avoid Plagiarism?
The best way to avoid plagiarism is to ALWAYS cite your sources, whether you're quoting a source directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing words, or ideas from another person or entity. Both in-text citations and works-cited entries are always necessary. Below are some specific tips on avoiding plagiarism:
Quoting
- Use quotation marks when using the same exact words from your source
- Longer quotations (generally more than 3 sentences) are typically NOT put in quotation marks but indented on a separate line. Check the appropriate style guide (MLA, APA, etc.) for proper formatting.
- Always include both an in-text and works-cited citation
Paraphrasing and Summarizing
- To correctly paraphrase or summarize, the wording AND sentence structure must be changed to reflect your own understanding of the information
- Always include both an in-text and works-cited citation
Citing
- Give explicit credit to ALL sources you took ideas, information, or language from regardless of the initial format (written, audio-visual, graphic, etc.).
- Clearly differentiate between your own ideas and any thoughts or information borrowed from another source by including in-text citations in the appropriate locations
- Make sure your in-text citations and works cited page (also known as reference list or bibliography) are properly formatted according to your citation style.
- Always include both in-text citations and a works-cited page listing all sources used
(adapted from Plagiarism - Academic Integrity & Plagiarism - LibGuides at Kwantlen Polytechnic University)