As a student, it’s essential to understand the various forms of plagiarism and how to properly cite sources to maintain academic integrity. Let’s explore some common examples of plagiarism and provide practical tips to help you avoid these issues.
Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Paraphrasing involves rewording someone else’s ideas in your own language. To do this properly, you must completely rewrite the original passage without altering its meaning.
Each time you paraphrase, it’s crucial to provide a citation for the source material and ensure your phrasing does not too closely mirror the original text. Failing to do so could result in paraphrasing plagiarism.
It’s important to note that simply substituting a few words with synonyms while maintaining the same sentence structure does not qualify as proper paraphrasing. To avoid plagiarism, the author’s idea must be thoroughly reformulated in a way that seamlessly integrates into your own writing.
Original Text
“So much of modern-day life revolves around using opposable thumbs, from holding a hammer to build a home to ordering food delivery on our smartphones. But for our ancestors, the uses were much simpler. Strong and nimble thumbs meant that they could better create and wield tools, stones and bones for killing large animals for food” (Handwerk, 2021).
Example: Paraphrasing Plagiarism
A significant portion of contemporary living revolves around the utilization of opposable thumbs, ranging from grasping a hammer to construct a dwelling to ordering sustenance via smartphone. Conversely, for our predecessors, the applications were far more basic. Robust and dexterous thumbs enabled them to more effectively fabricate and employ tools, stones and bones for the purpose of slaughtering sizeable creatures as nourishment.
Example: Correct Paraphrasing
Opposable thumbs have become so ingrained in human daily life that their importance is often overlooked. However, as Handwerk (2021) notes, these versatile digits were crucial for the survival of our ancestors. The ability to create and wield tools, weapons, and other implements using their opposable thumbs allowed earlier humans to hunt large animals more effectively for food.
Verbatim Plagiarism
Quoting involves directly copying a brief passage from another text and enclosing it within quotation marks. Failing to include quotation marks or a proper citation to acknowledge the source constitutes verbatim plagiarism – copying someone’s exact words without credit. Even minor modifications to the original wording do not absolve this form of plagiarism.
To quote a source correctly, you must introduce the quotation with your own words, ensure it is properly enclosed in quotation marks, and provide a citation indicating where the quoted material originated.
Original Text
“Ancient Sparta has been held up for the last two and a half millennia as the unmatched warrior city-state, where every male was raised from infancy to fight to the death. This view, as ingrained as it is alluring, is almost entirely false” (Cole, 2021).
**Example: Verbatim Plagiarism**
For the last 2,500 years, Ancient Sparta has been regarded as the unparalleled warrior city-state, where every male was raised from birth to fight to the death. This perception, while deeply entrenched and appealing, is, in fact, largely inaccurate.
Example: Quoted Correctly with Citation
For centuries, Ancient Sparta has been upheld “as the unmatched warrior city-state, where every male was raised from infancy to fight to the death.” However, this enduring view is, as Cole (2021) notes, “almost entirely false.”
The key distinction is properly quoting the source material by enclosing it in quotation marks and providing the citation attributes with the exact phrasing of the original author. In contrast, the example of verbatim plagiarism attempts to paraphrase the content without acknowledgment, which is unacceptable.
Patchwork Plagiarism: Combining Multiple Sources
Patchwork plagiarism, also known as mosaic plagiarism, involves combining elements from different sources to create a new text, potentially including both direct copying and paraphrasing without proper attribution.
This approach can be challenging, as incorporating content from various sources simultaneously requires meticulous citation to avoid plagiarism. It’s crucial to double-check that you are correctly citing each source you reference.
When quoting or paraphrasing from multiple sources within a single sentence, it’s often best to cite each source separately. This helps make it clear which material is attributed to which original source.
Original Texts
“For many Americans, the eagle feather headdress is a generic symbol of Native America indivisible from the narrative of the wild west and cowboys and Indians” (Van Heuvelen, 2020).
“Americans have always remembered the battle. What we often forget are the difficult decisions tribal leaders made afterward to ensure the safety of their people” (Van Heuvelen, 2020).
“Under skies darkened by smoke, gunfire and flying arrows, 210 men of the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry Unit led by Lt. Colonel George Custer confronted thousands of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors on June 25, 1876, near the Little Big Horn River in present-day Montana. The engagement was one in a series of battles and negotiations between Plains Indians and U.S. forces over control of Western territory, collectively known as the Sioux Wars” (McDermott, 2021).
Example: Patchwork Plagiarism
For many Americans, the headdress is a well-known “symbol of indigenous America indistinguishable from the narrative of the ‘wild west and cowboys and Indians'” (Van Heuvelen, 2020). One of the most famous examples of the cowboys versus Indians narrative is the Battle of Little Bighorn, where on June 25, 1876, “210 men of the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry Unit led by Lt. Colonel George Custer confronted thousands of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors” (McDermott, 2021). Custer and his men were soundly defeated, and “Americans have always remembered the battle” as “Custer’s Last Stand.” What is often forgotten, however, are “the difficult decisions tribal leaders made afterward to ensure the safety of their people” (Van Heuvelen, 2020).
Example: Correctly Citing Multiple Sources
The headdress is a well-known symbol of indigenous America, forming part of “the narrative of the wild west and cowboys and Indians” (Van Heuvelen, 2020). One of the most famous examples of this narrative is the Battle of Little Bighorn.
On June 25, 1876, Lt. Colonel George Custer led a unit of 210 men of the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry against thousands of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors (McDermott, 2021). Custer and his men were handily defeated, and Americans have always remembered the battle as “Custer’s Last Stand.” However, sometimes lost to history are the “difficult decisions tribal leaders made afterward” in seeking to protect their people, especially those most vulnerable (Van Heuvelen, 2020).
Common Knowledge: When Do I Need a Citation?
Common knowledge encompasses information that the average reader can reasonably be expected to accept as factual without the need for supporting evidence.
Citations are not required for this type of widely known, undisputed, and easily verifiable information. For instance, you would not be accused of plagiarism for failing to cite your sources when stating that Paris is the capital city of France.
To be considered common knowledge, a statement must meet several criteria: it must be broadly known, uncontested, and readily confirmable. When there is any doubt about whether a piece of information qualifies as common knowledge, it is best to err on the side of caution and provide a citation.
Example: Common Knowledge
The United States celebrates Independence Day on July 4th.
Example: Not Common Knowledge – Citation Needed
The Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2, 1776, even though Independence Day today is celebrated every July 4.
Example: Correctly Cited Information
The Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2, 1776, even though Independence Day today is celebrated every July 4 (National Archives, 2005).
The key distinction is that the final example includes a citation to attribute the less widely known historical fact to its appropriate source, whereas the previous examples involve information that can be reasonably considered common knowledge.
Real-Life Examples of Plagiarism
While plagiarism is most frequently discussed in the context of academia, it is a concern that extends across a wide range of industries, from music to politics.
Plagiarism in Academia
Plagiarism in academic settings is not limited to improperly using words – the unauthorized use of others’ datasets, research findings, or methodologies is also considered academic dishonesty.
For instance, in 2006, the Brookings Institution accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of plagiarizing approximately 80% of his economics dissertation from a paper published by the University of Pittsburgh several decades earlier (CNN). Similar cases of dissertation plagiarism committed by prominent political figures, such as former U.S. Senator John Walsh, former German Defense Secretary Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg, and former Hungarian President Pál Schmitt, have resulted in resignations and the revocation of their academic degrees.
Source by CNN
Plagiarism in Politics
Political discourse often centers around familiar themes, but while drawing inspiration from past speeches is acceptable, excessively paraphrasing them is deemed plagiarism.
In 2020, a speech delivered by Senator Elizabeth Warren at a campaign rally was discovered to have borrowed heavily from remarks made by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a previous address. While Warren’s team argued that she had incorporated “elements of others’ statements that resonated with her own views,” the consensus was that she had engaged in plagiarism. Similarly, in 2012, then-Vice President Joe Biden was accused of plagiarizing portions of a speech given by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair during a campaign event. Despite Biden’s team contending that he had merely “echoed the sentiments” of Blair’s oration, the incident was widely condemned as a case of intellectual property infringement.
Source: CNN