Plagiarism is...
... "using someone else's work without attribution. We think of plagiarism as 'cut and paste' writing" (Hobbs 8). Note: "attribution" is similar to "citation" - explaining where you found the idea/original text - Ms. Courchesne
... "unauthorized copying that the copier claims (whether explicitly or implicitly, and whether deliberately or carelessly) is original with him" (Posner 106)
... "intellectual fraud" and "concealment" (Posner 106, 17).
BUT... “generous acknowledgment, the use of quotation marks, and perhaps even careful paraphrasing will get the would-be plagiarist off the hook” (Posner 92).
Works Cited
Hobbs, Renee. Copyright Clarity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2010. Print.
Posner, Richard. The Little Book of Plagiarism. New York: Pantheon, 2007. Print.
Plagiarism and copyright infringement overlap somewhat, but not entirely (Posner 12): "plagiarism is an ethical problem handled by teachers and schools; copyright infringement is a legal problem handled by courts" (Hobbs 8).
One cannot copyright an idea, only the "unique language for the expression of that idea" (Cvetkovic 41). However, the uncited use of another person's idea is plagiarism, since plagiarism policies [like Framingham High School's] "specifically require a student to cite the source of the idea, no matter how original the student’s manner of expression" (Cvetkovic 41).
In addition, “copyrights have limited terms; after a copyright expires, the work enters the public domain and can be copied by anyone, without legal liability” (Posner 12). However, copying public domain works without attribution to their original author is still plagiarism, no matter how old the work.
Works Cited
Cvetkovic, Vibiana Bowman and Luis F. Rodriguez. “The Academy versus Plagiarism: Rearranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic or the Stand at Thermopylae.” STOP Plagiarism: A Guide to Understanding and Prevention. Eds. Vibiana Bowman Cvetkovic and Katie Elson Anderson. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2010. Print. 39-49.
Hobbs, Renee. Copyright Clarity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2010. Print.
Posner, Richard. The Little Book of Plagiarism. New York: Pantheon, 2007. Print.
Works Consulted
Copyright Basics. Pub. no. 1.0512. Washington D. C.: U. S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress, 2012. Print.
Massachusetts General Laws, Part IV – Title I – Crimes and Punishments, Chapter 271 – Crimes Against Public Policy
"Section 50. Whoever, alone or in concert with others, sells to another, or arranges for or assists in such sale for another, a theme, term paper, thesis or other paper or the written results of research, knowing or having reason to know that such theme, term paper, thesis or other paper or research results or substantial material therefrom will be submitted or used by some other person for academic credit and represented as the original work of such person at an educational institution in the commonwealth or elsewhere without proper attribution as to source, or whoever takes an examination for another at any educational institution in the commonwealth, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both."
Work Cited
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 271. Sec. 50. Massachusetts General Laws. Web. 10 July 2014.
<https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter271/Section50>.
Newbold, Curtis. "Did I Plagiarize?" The Visual Communication Guy. 16 Sept. 2014. Web. 23 Dec. 2014.
This 2 minute video is a funny overview of the definition and meaning of plagiarism.
Work Cited
Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University. (2007, November 17). What is plagiarism? [Video file].
This short film series takes a comical look at cheating and copying.
Work Cited
Office of Student Judicial Affairs, University of Alberta, and Townend Films. (2013). Academic Integrity. [Video file].
