Library Tip # 6

What is Plagiarism?

This guide will introduce you to the concept of plagiarism, strategies for avoiding it, and City Colleges of Chicago's policy on plagiarism. After reviewing this guide it is recommended that you also consult the Citing Sources guide.

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What is Plagiarism?

"The action or practice of taking someone else's work, ideas, etc, and passing it off as one's own; literary theft."

Source: Oxford English Dictionary

Examples of Plagiarism

Copying from a website, such as Wikipedia.

Copying from an article in a magazine, journal, or newspaper.

Copying from a book.

Copying someone else's work.

Any form of "copying & pasting" without citing.

Rewording (paraphrasing) a source, or someone else's work without citing it.

Failing to place quotation marks around a direct quote.

Fabricating citations or providing incorrect references.

Buying an essay online and turning it in as your own.

Using a previously written essay from one class in another class.

Plagiarism Policy @ City Colleges of Chicago

The City Colleges of Chicago follows polices set forth in the Student Policy Manual. Pages 40 -41 detail polices for student academic dishonesty and disciplinary procedures. Plagiarism is considered a form of academic dishonesty.

Summary of the CCC Plagiarism Policy

The City Colleges of Chicago is committed to the ideals of truth and honesty.

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind are serious violations and will result, minimally, in a failing grade.

Academic dishonesty is a serious offense, which includes but is not limited to the following: cheating, complicity, fabrication and falsification, forgery, and plagiarism.

Plagiarism involves the failure to acknowledge sources (of ideas, facts, charges, illustrations and so forth) properly in academic work, thus falsely representing another's ideas as one's own.

In individual cases of academic dishonesty, sanctions may range from a written warning to a failing grade for the course; the severity of the penalty is left to the discretion of the instructor.

The complete policy can be read on page 40-41 of the official Student Policy Manual.

How to avoid Plagiarism

3 Tips to avoid plagiarism:

Don't procrastinate!

A good researcher plans ahead and avoids waiting to the last minute to start research projects. Create a time line that includes dates and deadlines for your research/writing project . Pace yourself so that you will not feel rushed to write your paper or tempted to plagiarize.

Taking good notes and keeping track of your sources.

One of the best ways to do this is to create a research log. As you search the internet, library databases, and check out books from the library, take notes and record your findings. You can also save material to a flash drive, print articles, or make photocopies of information from reference sources. Use highlighters and post-it notes to stay organized. Record page numbers and direct quotes you plan to use in your paper.

Ask questions!

If you have questions about using sources to write your paper, ask your instructor. You can also visit the library and ask a reference librarian for assistance. Visit the library's web page (ohclibrary.ccc.edu) for the library's hours and contact information.