Unit 2: Paraphrasing and Avoiding Plagiarism
10 Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism means using someone else’s words, ideas, data, or creative work without giving proper credit. This can happen in writing, presentations, discussions, code, images, or multimedia projects.
In university work, if an assignment appears to show that you created the words or ideas, then they must actually be your own, or you must clearly cite the source.
Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional, but both are academic integrity violations and can have serious consequences.
Two Types of Plagiarism
- Deliberate plagiarism = cheating, theft, fraud
- Accidental plagiarism = not following the conventions when writing for publication or for university assignments.
The penalties for plagiarism are serious and could include:
- Failing the assignment
- Failing the course
- Disciplinary action by the university, including possible expulsion
Deliberate Plagiarism
Deliberate plagiarism is academic dishonesty. It happens when a student knowingly presents work created by someone else as their own. This includes:
- Copying from another student
- Downloading or buying assignments, essays, or code
- Submitting work written by a friend, tutor, or family member
- Submitting AI‑generated work (from tools like ChatGPT or other generative AI tools) as if you wrote it yourself, when your instructor does not allow this
- Sharing your work so another student can submit it
- Working collaboratively when individual work is required, and submitting very similar assignments
You know the work is not yours, but you submit it anyway.
Accidental Plagiarism
Accidental plagiarism happens when students do not follow academic conventions, often because they are still learning how to use sources correctly. This includes:
- Forgetting to cite a source
- Paraphrasing too closely to the original text
- Using quotations without quotation marks
- Mixing your ideas and source ideas without clear citations
- Using Generative AI for help (e.g., brainstorming, drafting, or paraphrasing) without acknowledging it, when disclosure is required by the course
- Assuming common knowledge when it is not actually common in academic writing
You did not intend to cheat, but the result still counts as plagiarism.
Generative AI and Plagiarism
Generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT or similar systems) can produce original‑sounding text, but they do not count as your original thinking.
In this course:
- You must follow instructor instructions about whether and how AI tools may be used.
- If AI use is allowed, you may be required to cite or describe how you used it.
- Submitting AI‑generated text as your own work without permission or disclosure may be treated as deliberate plagiarism.
When in doubt: ask your instructor before submitting the assignment.
Knowledge Check
From Excelsior Online Writing Lab: Try it Out: Check your Understanding of Plagiarism
Key Takeaways
- Plagiarism means using others’ words or ideas without credit.
- Your work must be your own or clearly cited.
- There are two types:
- Deliberate = cheating on purpose
- Accidental = citation mistakes
- AI‑generated work is not your own writing.
- Follow your instructor’s rules for using and citing AI.
- Plagiarism can cause serious penalties.
- If unsure, ask your instructor.
For a Deeper Dive, Watch the videos on Plagiarism.
Video 1: Avoiding Plagiarism, produced by GCFLearnFree.org. (2018, September 13). Avoiding plagiarism. [Video]. YouTube.
Video 2: What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid it, produced by BrockLibrary. (2014, September 2). What is plagiarism and how to avoid it. [Video]. YouTube.
Video 3: For a visual representation of the types of plagiarism, watch this video (3:58) created by WriteCheckVideos:
