2. PLAGIARISM
Have you ever written any academic
paper?
If so, have you ever copied and pasted
texts from the Internet (i.e., Google)
into your assignments?
Have you ever used someone else’s
ideas and information without
acknowledging the authors?
3. PLAGIARISM
Do you know that the two above mentioned
activities are unethical?
Yes, they are unethical.
The two activities are some examples of
plagiarism.
If you have committed it, it is important to
stop this practice, because plagiarism leads
to negative consequences.
4. PLAGIARISM
For those who have never written an academic
paper before, you need to be prepared to do it
correctly.
An academic paper is a form of written work in an
academic setting.
It is not like writing composition at your high school
which you can write from your own personal
opinions and knowledge.
Academic paper requires you to uses references to
support your arguments in your writing.
5. PLAGIARISM
Some students try to use short-cuts
when writing academic papers.
They often copy and paste what they
find on Google into their paper.
It is important that students stop this
practice; otherwise they cannot
successfully gain new knowledge and
skills.
6. PLAGIARISM: DEFINITION
Plagiarism is an act of stealing “someone else’s
creativity, ideas, or language.”
It is considered to be cheating and a corrupt act.
In advanced countries with high standards of
education, plagiarism is considered to be an academic
crime.
But it often goes unnoticed in some countries,
including Cambodia.
Babalola, Yemisi T. Awareness and incidence of
plagiarism among undergraduates in a Nigerian private
university (African Journal of Library, Archives and
Information Science. (22)1 (Apr. 2012), p. 53).
7. PLAGIARISM: PRACTICES
The activities listed below are examples of plagiarism. Note that
they are not a comprehensive list of plagiarism practices.
Use exact phrases/sentences/paragraphs from other sources,
including books and the Internet, without providing credit to their
owners.
Use someone else’s ideas without acknowledging them.
Copy and paste exact phrases/sentences/paragraphs from your
previous work into your new work.
Use your assignment submitted to a previous teacher to submit to
another teacher.
Use someone else’s assignment by changing their name to your
name.
Copy and paste someone else’s Power Point slides into your Power
Point.
Ask someone else to write an assignment for you.
8. PLAGIARISM: REASONS
Students might commit plagiarism for several reasons.
For example, some may say they do not have time to
complete their assignments.
Most often, it is not about lack of time, but about time
management.
Since students are required to complete an assignment
within a time frame, it is necessary that students make
a plan to conduct research as early as possible, and
then do it accordingly.
They should not try to complete their assignments at
the last minute.
If they do, it will be hard for them to avoid plagiarism.
9. PLAGIARISM: REASONS
Another reason is group conformity.
When students see their fellow students
plagiarize, they plagiarize too.
They assume that it is fine since everyone is
doing it.
In this case, students give up their chance to
learn, and voluntarily join a group that
reinforces a culture of cheating.
If students develop habits of cheating in
school, they may continue to cheat later in
life and contribute to creating an unjust
society.
10. PLAGIARISM: REASONS
Some students plagiarize is because they claim
that they do not have enough English or writing
skills to properly do their assignments.
In this case, students still can avoid plagiarism
by seeking help.
PUC students can use writing assistance or
English tutoring at the Academic Achievement
Center.
They can ask reference librarians to help find the
right resources for their assignments, or they
might be able to get help from their peers.
11. PLAGIARISM: REASONS
By asking for help and using
resources available to them, students
have opportunities to learn research
strategies and improve writing and
English skills.
Learning new knowledge and skills is
a process and time commitment. It
takes hard work.
It cannot be earned by taking short-
cuts.
12. PLAGIARISM: REASONS
If students are aware that they do not
have enough English skills to perform
college level assignments, they
should motivate themselves to
improve English by self-study and/or
get help from tutors at the Academic
Achievement Center.
13. PLAGIARISM: CONSEQUENCES
Some students might commit plagiarism
unintentionally due to lack of knowledge
about plagiarism.
Whether plagiarism is unintentional or
intentional, it still leads to the same
negative consequences.
In advanced countries, the direct
consequences for students who
plagiarized include getting poor grades,
failing the course, or being kicked out of
school.
14. PLAGIARISM: CONSEQUENCES
Plagiarism will not only have immediate consequences,
but it also impacts educational, occupational, and
personal achievement in the future.
When students plagiarize, they lose an opportunity to
truly gain new knowledge, improve writing skills, and
sharpen their critical thinking skills.
As a result, they cannot perform well at their work
place.
This problem is reflected in many statements from
Cambodian educators.
They often point out that Cambodian graduates not
only need skills related to their profession, but also
other skills, including leadership, critical thinking,
critical reading, and writing skills to perform their work
duties.
15. PLAGIARISM: CONSEQUENCES
Moreover, when students have a habit of
plagiarizing at school, they may become
accustomed to cheating and stealing, and
accept it as a norm.
Consequently, when they enter into a work
environment, they will bring this norm with
them.
They may commit unethical or unlawful acts
without feeling guilty as long as they get
benefits. Ultimately, students who form a
habit of plagiarizing may lose a chance for
true success with dignity, while the country
will be deprived of strong human resources.
16. PLAGIARISM: SCANDALS IN THE REAL WORLD
When you plagiarize, sometimes it can turn out very
badly for you.
For instance, in 1988, the current vice president of the
United States, Jo Biden, had to give up his presidential
race when he plagiarized a speech that belonged to
Neil Kinnock from the British Labor Party.
David Greenberg
The Write Stuff?
Why Biden’s plagiarism shouldn’t be forgotten? (Aug.
25, 2008) http://academic.luzerne.edu/shousenick/102--
ARTICLES_Plagiarism_Biden.doc
17. PLAGIARISM: SCANDALS IN THE REAL WORLD
There have been many severe European plagiarism scandals
recently.
Many high profile politicians have had to resign from their posts
due to plagiarized work found in their academic papers and
dissertations.
For example, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Minister of Defense in
Germany resigned in March 2011, followed by Silvana Koch-
Mehrinin, a vice president of European Parliament in May 2011, Pal
Schmitt, President of Hungary in April 2012, Loan Mang, Minister of
Education in Romania in May 2012, and Annette Schavan, Minister
of Education in Germany in 2013.
BBC. German MEP Silvana Koch-Mehrin quits in plagiarism row
BBC. Hungary President Schmitt quits in plagiarism scandal
Business-review. Education minister resigns after plagiarism accusations
BBC. German minister Annette Schavan quits over 'plagiarism'
18. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
As you have read above, the consequences
of plagiarism can be very harsh.
In European cases, they were not caught
when they submitted their papers or
dissertations.
They were caught when they became
important public figures.
The European plagiarism scandals show that
even though you may get away with it when
you commit it, sometimes unethical acts
cause problems later in life.
19. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
Since plagiarism only leads to negative
consequences, including hindering
academic and occupational
achievements and hurting dignity.
So why do students want to plagiarize?
Often students do not know these
consequences.
Now that you are reading this handbook,
and you are taking the Information
Literacy Course, we hope you can avoid
plagiarism.
20. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
Remember, your goal to go to school is
not just to get a piece of paper that
shows you have a bachelor’s, master’s,
or PhD degree.
That piece of paper does not mean that
you have truly gained knowledge. It also
does not guarantee you a job.
Therefore, you should prepare yourself
and work hard to gain knowledge and
skills by paying serious attention to your
lectures, fulfilling all assignments
ethically, and abiding by PUC’s policies.
