Plagiarism

You find a great idea in an article, so you use it in your research. You’ve expressed it in your own words so you don't bother to cite the source. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism.

You copy and paste a paragraph directly from an article you found. You cite the source, but you forget to put quotation marks. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism.

• No, it is not because you just forgot.

You need an image for your essay. You go online and find one. You don’t cite the source of your image, because images on the web aren’t protected by copyright. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because it is just an image.

You pay a tutor for editing assistance, and he drastically re-writes your original paper. You hand in this new edited version to your teacher. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism because it is no longer my original writing.

• No, this is not plagiarism because my parents paid the tutor to help me.

It’s the night before your assignment is due, and you haven’t done any work. You buy an essay from an online essay writing service. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because you paid for the essay.

Your friend finished this course last semester, and she gives you her assignment. You change the wording here and there and insert a few of your own ideas. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because she is your friend and she gave you permission.

You copy a short passage from an article you found online. You change a couple of words, so that it’s different from the original – this way you don’t need quotation marks. You carefully cite the source. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because you changed a few words and cited the source.

Your teacher assigned an in-class writing assignment early in the semester, and you did really well on it. You now want to use it in your final paper.  Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because the teacher provided her permission.

How would you define plagiarism?