Understanding Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of another authors’ language, thoughts, ideas or expressions as ones’ own original work
Now-a-days, you can see increasing numbers of plagiarism cases in academic world. Plagiarism is considered as an academic crime. We all must be aware about various aspects of plagiarism to improve the quality of research and academic writings.
We need to understand the difference between stealing and referring.
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work, ideas, or intellectual property without proper acknowledgment or permission, and presenting it as one’s own. It is considered a serious ethical violation, particularly in academic, literary, and artistic contexts. Key aspects of plagiarism include:
- Copying or Paraphrasing Without Credit: This involves directly copying text, ideas, or artwork from a source without citing it. Paraphrasing someone else’s work too closely, even if not word-for-word, without giving credit, also constitutes plagiarism.
- Not Using Quotation Marks for Direct Quotes: When using exact words from a source, quotation marks should be used and the source cited. Failure to do this is plagiarism.
- Misrepresenting Sources: Using a citation that does not correspond to the source material or altering the meaning of the cited material in a way that misleads readers is also a form of plagiarism.
- Self-Plagiarism: This occurs when an individual reuses significant portions of their own previously published work without acknowledging that it has been used before.
- Using Others’ Ideas Without Credit: Plagiarism isn’t limited to texts; it can also include using someone else’s ideas, designs, music, and other intellectual property without permission and proper attribution.
- Collusion: Unauthorised collaboration on an academic assignment can also be considered plagiarism, especially when the intent is to deceive.
It’s important to understand that plagiarism is not just an academic issue but also a legal and ethical one. It can lead to serious consequences, such as loss of credibility, legal repercussions, academic penalties, and damage to professional reputation. Proper citation and acknowledgement of sources are essential to avoid plagiarism.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary (n.d.), plagiarism can be defined as “to steal and pass off (the idea or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source.”
According to University of Essex (2007), plagiarism is ‘using or copying the work of others (whether written, printed or in any other form) without proper acknowledgement in any coursework’.
All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under the plagiarism (University of Oxford, n.d.).
“In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source.” – WPA Statement of Best Practices
- copying or paraphrasing another person’s words without giving proper acknowledgement,
- Adopting someone’s ideas or data, without giving credit and without citing the source.
Conceptual understanding and early signs of plagiarism
You as a teacher gives assignments to your students in your class. At the time of assignment submission, you notice that some student’s work seems similar or copied from somewhere. In the classroom you don’t have any software to check your student’s assignment. In fact, these are the early signs of plagiarism. It is very important for every teacher so that you can guide your students and save them of committing this offence for their bright future. It’s better to prevent your students at the initial level to commit this unacceptable academic behaviour. Let’s have a look to understand what are the early signs of plagiarism and can apply your understanding in your classroom.
Source: Swartz, P. (2016). “Oops, I plagiarized.” Bruin Success with Less Stress: Plagiarism. http://guides.library.ucla.edu/bruin-success/citing
Example of Plagiarism
The 1992 IIM Ahmedabad plagiarism case
The 1992 IIM Ahmedabad plagiarism case involved a student discovering significant instances of plagiarism in a book titled “Quantitative Techniques for Managerial Decisions.” Authored by U.K. Srivastava, G.V. Shenoy, and S.C. Sharma, faculty members at IIM Ahmedabad, the book was found to have extensively copied content from other books without proper acknowledgment. The student noticed this while working on a summer project and reported it to the Director of IIM Ahmedabad. A subsequent inquiry confirmed the plagiarism, noting uncredited material lifted from several other books, including works by Baumol, Levin, and Wagner. This case is an example of academic plagiarism where the authors of a scholarly work copied material from other sources without proper citation or acknowledgment
Accusations of Plagiarism in Thesis Cast Spotlight on Jamia Millia Islamia Scholar
In the case involving Jamia Millia Islamia, the university utilized a software called ‘Turnitin’ to detect plagiarism in research works. They discovered that a significant number of project works done by faculty members and students contained plagiarized material. This included cases where entire chapters or articles from journals were copied without proper attribution. As a response, the university returned these submissions to their authors for revision, emphasizing the importance of original work in research. This incident highlights the university’s efforts to address and deter plagiarism in academic research