Plagiarism is the technical term for stealing someone else's intellectual property such as words, ideas, or thoughts and trying to pass them off as your own. Derived from the Latin word plagiarius, plagiarism means 'kidnapper'.
Merriam-Webster defines plagiarism as "the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person : the act of plagiarizing something".
Plagiarism. (2016). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating and academic dishonesty, as explained in the Student Code of Conduct and Discipline in the Athens State university Student Affairs Policies.
"In support of the University's mission, Athens State University strives to prepare students for leadership roles, and encourages students to be responsible citizens, to have integrity, and to s how consideration for others. The University expects exemplary personal conduct from both employees and students. [....] Violations of the Code include, but may not be limited to: [...] B. Academic dishonesty, including: 1. Plagiarism-taking the words or specific substance of another and either copying or paraphrasing the work without giving credit to the sources, including: a.) submitting a term paper, examination, or other works created by another person as one's own work; b.) Failure to give credit for ideas, statements of facts, or conclusions derived by another; c.) Failure to use quotation marks when quoting directly from another source, regardless of the length of the quoted portion; d.) Close and extended paraphrasing from another source; and e.) Self-plagiarism." Athens State University Student Code of Conduct and Discipline.
What is Plagiarism? is licensed under CC By-NC-SA 4.0 International License by Susan Wood.
Special thanks to Jennifer Bartlett at the University of Kentucky, Beth Shepard at the University of South Alabama, and the librarians at Butler University for allowing us to use their LibGuides as a template.
Plagiarism can result in serious consequences, ranging from having to redo an assignment or getting an F on an assignment, to being suspended from the university. If you have any questions about plagiarism, or how to cite your sources correctly, contact your professor, the Writing Center, or a submit a question to "Chat with a Librarian".
Think plagiarism is just an issue affecting college students? Just turn on the news for a few minutes and you will find out that is not the case. Check out the real world examples of celebrities accused of plagiarism!