1. pla.gia.rize: transitive verb: to steal and
pass off (the ideas or words of another) as
one’s own: : present as new and original
an idea or product derived from an
existing source
(Merriam-Webster 1728)

2. pla.gia.rize: transitive verb: to take what
isn’t yours and tell everybody it is
(Common Sense 1)

3. Our Focus
• This tutorial will focus on:
– the three most common forms of plagiarism
– how to use an authors ideas and/or words
without plagiarizing
– the consequence of plagiarizing

4. Types of Plagiarism
I Vow…
Ideas
Stealing an author’s idea or concept without giving proper credit. Although you may
have completely reworded the text the idea is still presented as if it is your own.
Verbatim
Copying and pasting text from the original source directly into your paper or project without quoting
or
giving proper credit.
Organization
Following the rationale or organization of the author’s article or paper. The text may be completely
reworded but the organization of the paper remains the same.
Word Switch
Copying and pasting text from the original source directly into your paper or project and then
switching keywords with their synonyms. This is an inappropriate way to paraphrase.
….Not to Cheat!

5. Idea: Taking an author’s idea…
If I were to take the idea presented in the quote below and present it my
work as my own, I’d be plagiarizing.
Original Quote
“A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.”
Bill Cosby
Plagiarized Use
Some may argue that the expression “a word to the wise” is an oxymoron
because wise people shouldn’t need advice, rather stupid people should.
creator of the idea.
creator of the idea.
reader is led to believe the writer of this passage is the
reader is led to believe the writer of this passage is the
author’s idea but does not provide a citation. Therefore the
author’s idea but does not provide a citation. Therefore the
This use is considered plagiarism because it takes the
This use is considered plagiarism because it takes the

6. Idea: Taking an author’s idea…
However, If I were to the in-textexact same passage
Notice use the citation
and include in-text citation – it would not be
in parentheses, includes
considered plagiarizing. last name,
the author’s
and then the page #.
Also notice that the period
For example, the following passage is not
plagiarized. is now place behind the
in-text citation.
Some may argue that the expression “a word to
the wise” is an oxymoron because wise people
shouldn’t need advice, rather stupid people
should (Cosby 1). not considered plagiarism.
not considered plagiarism.
demonstrating that Cosby was the creator of the idea. Therefore, this is
demonstrating that Cosby was the creator of the idea. Therefore, this is
Here is the same passage but this time the writer included a citation
Here is the same passage but this time the writer included a citation

7. Verbatim: Taking an author’s words…
If I were to take the author’s words and present
them as if they were my own, I’d be plagiarizing.
Original Quote
I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who
annoy me.
Fred Allen
Plagiarized Use
I’m not opposed to exercise. For example, I like long walks,
especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. Badump
Bump.
This use is considered plagiarism because it takes the
author’s words but does not provide a citation. Therefore the
reader is led to believe the writer of this passage is the
original author of the quote.

8. Verbatim: Taking an author’s words…
However, If I were to use the exact quote including
quotation marks and in-text citation – it would
not be considered plagiarizing.
For example, the following passage is not
plagiarized.
I’m not opposed to exercise. For example, “I like long walks,
especially when they are taken by people who annoy me” (Allen 2).
Badump Bump.
This use is not considered plagiarism because it cites the
author’s words letting the reader know who the original author
is.

9. Word Switch: Trying to trick to the reader…
If I were to take the author’s words and rearrange them as if I were
paraphrasing, I’d be plagiarizing.
Original Quote
“When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a
second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second
seems like an hour. That's relativity.”
Albert Einstein
Plagiarized Use
When you are flirting with a nice girl hours seem like
seconds. When you sit on a red-hot stove seconds seem
like hours. That's relativity (Einstein 1).
This use is considered plagiarism because it takes the author’s
words and idea. This is not paraphrasing but a merely a poor
attempt to trick the reader into believing the writer of this passage
is the original author of the quote.

10. Word Switch: Trying to trick to the reader…
However, If I were to use the passage verbatim and include quote
marks it would not be considered plagiarizing.
“When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second.
When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour.
That's relativity” (Einstein 1).
Or, if I paraphrased the passage and used in-text citation it would not
be considered plagiarizing. Both of these passages tell
the reader that the writer is not
The theory of relativity could be humorously explainedthe the
the original author of that
passage of time when flirting withwords or creator of the idea. different
someone is significantly
Therefore, they are not
than the passage of time while being brutally burned (Einstein 1).
considered plagiarism.

11. To Recap
• If you take an author’s ideas…
– Include in-text citation
• If you take an author’s words…
– Include quotation marks and in-text citation
• Trying to trick the reader?
– DON’T

12. Consequence
• Plagiarizing, whether intentional or not will
result in bad things happening to you.
Some short-term and (depending on the
severity) some long-term.

13. Short term Consequences
school consequences
1st Offense - zero on assignment, parent-teacher
contact, administrator-student conference
2nd Offense - zero on work, 3 day in-school
suspension
A subsequent offense in cheating will result in a 5
or 10 day school suspension and loss of credit in
that course for the semester

14. Long term Consequences
• The act of plagiarism can follow a person
for years, even a lifetime. It’s important to
make good ethical decisions or be
prepared to accept the consequences of
making poor choices.

15. Melanio Acosta made the
decision to plagiarize his
valedictorian speech. As
a high school senior he
probably had no idea what
impact this would have on
his life. Unfortunately, it
has followed him for
years.
Although this incident
occurred in 2008 and
Melanio has moved on, if
you were to search his
name via google today,
the top results would be
about his plagiarism
scandal.
The google search on the
right was conducted on
August 25, 2011. All
highlighted entries
reference his plagiarism.

16. Kaavya Viswanathan is another
example of plagiarism gone
wrong. While attending Harvard
University she wrote and
published a book but soon
afterwards the Harvard student
newspaper released a story which
broke the news that she had
plagiarized many of its passages.
Although this incident occurred in
2006, it still plagues Viswanathan
today. In June, her parents were
killed in a plane crash. To the left
is an excerpt from a story done
about their deaths. The
highlighted portions reference and
give details of Kaavya’s plagiarism
incident.

17. Young adults aren’t the only people faced
with the temptation to cheat. Many adults
face the same temptations. Marilee
Jones, former dean of admissions at MIT,
lied on her original application for a job at
MIT and on subsequent applications for
promotions. Her lies were discovered in
2007 and made national headlines. To
the left you will see a Google search
conducted for her name on August 25,
2011. The highlighted results are articles
that deal with the scandal. Below is her
wikipedia article, last updated August 3,
2011. The highlighted portions reference
her cheating at MIT.

18. • In the case of Melanio Acosta his plagiarism was
deliberate, but he was young and probably did
not realize the long-term consequences.
Regardless, his decision still follows him today.
• Kaavya Viswanathan says that her plagiarism
was unintentional. She has argued that she did
not realize she what she was doing was wrong.
However, her illegal actions cost her greatly and
continue to plague her name today.
• Marilee Jones choice to lie on her job application
seemed to make little difference in her job
performance. However, 28 years later she
resigned due to the scandal. Although she has
rebuilt her life and started a new business – the
scandal is among the top hits in a Google
search of her name today.

19. Recap
• If you’re unsure – cite to be safe
• Plagiarizing and cheating can follow you
for years (and maybe a lifetime)
• Don’t plagiarize

20. Works Cited
Finally – Always include a works cited entry for
each of the works you used in your project.
Allen, Fred. "Funny Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 26 Aug. 2011
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_funny.html>.
Cosby, Bill. "Funny Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 26 Aug. 2011
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_funny.html>.
Einstein, Albert. "Funny Quotes Page 9 - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 26
Aug. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_funny9.html>.
Franko, Kantele. "Kaavya Viswanathan Harvard Author's Parents Die In Plane Crash." The Huffington
Post. 20 June 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/kaavya-
viswanathan-harvar_n_880200.html>.
"Marilee Jones." Wikipedia. 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilee_Jones>.

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