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► Plagiarism
What is it?
The University College defines plagiarism as:
-Reproducing extracts from books and other sources, without acknowledgement, whilst changing some words here and there.
-Presenting an argument, idea or phrase or research design that came from elsewhere and claiming to be the originator.
-Giving the source for an extract, but still copying more or less word for word without inverted commas, thus implying that the writing is the candidate’s own summary.
So…
What can happen?
1.Plan ahead – Take notes! You’ll be dealing with a lot of information but if you record your information clearly and promptly and in advance, the write up should be easier! Plan and check through your work, allow time for a proof read of grammar and spelling.
2. Don’t panic!- If you plan in advance and take your advice from tutors you will have no need to panic. The worst thing you could do is panic and turn to websites that offer to write your essays for you. Lecturers at Newman will know if it is your work or not, and these purchased essays are usually of a very poor standard and you will be caught.
3. Record references – Record where you have taken your notes from because you won’t remember 2 or 3 days later let alone a few weeks later! So take notes of where you got them from so you don’t miss the chance to include all of them in your essay.
4. Reference Correctly - Check your subject handbook for the correct method of referencing for your module. There are guides on Moodle for you to follow. Remember you need to add quotation marks if you’re reproducing someone else’s work
Plagiarism
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another’s work, or borrowing someone else’s original ideas. But terms like ‘copying’ and ‘borrowing’ can disguise the seriousness of the offence.
-Copying word for word an extract, however small, from a book, article, thesis, electronic resources or another’s assignment without giving a source (reference).
(See general Academic Regulations Appendices for further details)
This means that ALL of the following are considered plagiarism:
Turning in someone else’s work as your own.
Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit.
Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks.
Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation.
Changing words but copying the sentence structure of the source without giving credit.
Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not.
Plagiarism is a serious offence and the University College do not treat it lightly. If you plagiarise you run the risk of having your marks reduced to zero, your degree being downgraded or even being expelled from the University College. You’ve worked hard to get here so don’t throw it all away!
How do I avoid plagiarising?
If you need advice or help with an assignment come to the Student Union and we’ll point you in the right direction!
