Plagiarism. Although I am guessing that you have probably heard of this term in high school or college, I am also pretty sure that you may not know exactly what plagiarism is. Here's my brief definition along with some Web sites that can help you learn more.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s ideas, words, or intellectual property (such as images and charts) without giving the person proper credit. Plagiarism can be intentional, such as buying a paper online or cutting and pasting text from a Web site, or unintentional, such as forgetting to use quotation marks around a direct quote.

Some college students choose to believe that plagiarism is no big deal. Faculty and administrators at colleges and universities disagree. They take academic dishonesty very seriously and usually have a system in place to handle plagiarism charges.

If you are caught plagiarizing, the consequences run from receiving a failing grade on the paper or in the course to being expelled or even having your diploma rescinded. With all of this at stake, you owe it to yourself to understand what plagiarism is. If you are unsure, ask your professor, a librarian, or a writing tutor for a second opinion.

The Web sites and tutorials listed below will help you learn more about plagiarism. You may also want to practice using Activity #4: Detecting Plagiarism in the Tips for Educators section of this Web site.

More Information:

Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It (Indiana University)
This Web site provides ways to avoid plagiarism and shows examples of acceptable and unacceptable paraphrases. Produced by the Writing Tutorial Services.
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml - plagiarized

Avoiding Plagiarism
Learn what common knowledge means and some easy strategies to help you avoid plagiarism. Produced by Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab [OWL].
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/

Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of Scholarship

Cengage Learning (a division of Wadsworth Publishing)
Cengage Learning defines plagiarism, shows how students plagiarize as well as how instructors react to plagiarized work, and provides ways to avoid plagiarism.
http://www.wadsworth.com/
english_d/special_features/plagiarism/index.html

University of California, Davis (Office of Student Judicial Affairs)
This document provides an overview of what plagiarism is, explains why plagiarism is wrong, explains ways to avoid plagiarism, and shows examples of the various forms that plagiarism can take.
http://sja.ucdavis.edu/files/plagiarism.pdf

Research Resources
Use the links under “For students” to learn what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, and how to cite sources. Produced by Turnitin.com.
http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_home.html

Tutorials:

The Plagiarism Court: You Be the Judge
This tutorial covers what plagiarism is and its consequences. It also provides tips on how to take notes, paraphrase, quote, and document sources without plagiarizing. An interactive ten-question quiz follows. Developed by Ramona Islam from Fairfield University.
http://www.fairfield.edu/lib_plagiarismcourt.html

from Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers Universit

Is It Plagiarism?

from the University of Maine at Farmington

Bedford/St. Martin's Tutorial
This self-paced tutorial includes six sections (with quizzes). Sections of the tutorial define plagiarism and take students through notetaking and the appropriate integration of sources. Requires registration (free). Sections for students and instructors.
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/plagiarismtutorial/

Florida International University College of Education
This Web site defines plagiarism, shows examples of various types of plagiarism, explains how to avoid plagiarism, and offers a 20-question quiz.
http://coeweb.fiu.edu/plagiarism/Definition.htm

Is It Plagiarism? (University of Maine at Farmington)
If you think you know all there is to know about plagiarism, take this nine-question quiz. You can also click on the links on the left to learn more about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
http://plagiarism.umf.maine.edu//is_it.html

How to Recognize Plagiarism (Indiana University, Bloomington)
This in-depth tutorial includes interesting current and past cases of plagiarism, examples of plagiarism, a ten-item quiz, and a test. Produced by the Instructional Systems Technology Department of the Department of Education at Indiana University.
http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/

Provost Video on Plagiarism (Rutgers University)
Videos #2 through #4 provide background information on what plagiarism is, show examples of what information needs to be footnoted, and allow you to test your knowledge with a five-item quiz. Developed by Paul Robeson Library.
http://library.camden.rutgers.edu/EducationalModule/Plagiarism/