PLAGIARISM
by DARSHANIE PREMATILAKE
"To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's production) without crediting the source"
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).
In short, plagiarism in writing is copying what is written by somebody else and presenting as your own without crediting or acknowledging the real author.
Sometimes people confuse 'plagiarism' and 'referencing'. During referencing, you read and understand what is written by earlier workers and use that information to enrich your own writing with due credit to the author. But plagiarism is copying others work without mentioning their names.
Once, an undergraduate gave me her assignment for marking. While reading her work, halfway through, I noticed a different writing pattern and some elaborative words which were alien to her usual writing style.
Next day, without any preamble, I asked the meaning of one such word from her. The look she gave me was enough to realize that she was clueless.
Obviously, my student had directly copied a passage from a text book, even without understanding the proper meaning, let alone its applicability, into her work!
Whether you are a student, a teacher, a scientist or a professor, using someone's work as your own is wrong and should be avoided at all costs.
Now there are many software programmes to detect plagiarized work. Hence you have to be very careful in writing and presenting your work for publication. If you are accused for plagiarism, definitely you'll lose your credibility in writing as well as in scientific community.
Plagiarism is illegal; never be a victim of plagiarism.
Links:
http://www.ithenticate.com/
http://www.Turnitin.com
www.writecheck.com
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).
In short, plagiarism in writing is copying what is written by somebody else and presenting as your own without crediting or acknowledging the real author.
Sometimes people confuse 'plagiarism' and 'referencing'. During referencing, you read and understand what is written by earlier workers and use that information to enrich your own writing with due credit to the author. But plagiarism is copying others work without mentioning their names.
Once, an undergraduate gave me her assignment for marking. While reading her work, halfway through, I noticed a different writing pattern and some elaborative words which were alien to her usual writing style.
Next day, without any preamble, I asked the meaning of one such word from her. The look she gave me was enough to realize that she was clueless.
Obviously, my student had directly copied a passage from a text book, even without understanding the proper meaning, let alone its applicability, into her work!
Whether you are a student, a teacher, a scientist or a professor, using someone's work as your own is wrong and should be avoided at all costs.
Now there are many software programmes to detect plagiarized work. Hence you have to be very careful in writing and presenting your work for publication. If you are accused for plagiarism, definitely you'll lose your credibility in writing as well as in scientific community.
Plagiarism is illegal; never be a victim of plagiarism.
Links:
http://www.ithenticate.com/
http://www.Turnitin.com
www.writecheck.com
What do you think?
"If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research."
Wilson Mizner (1876 - 1933)
"The best way to become a successful
writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from."
Gene Fowler (1890 - 1960)
"If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research."
Wilson Mizner (1876 - 1933)
"The best way to become a successful
writer is to read good writing, remember it, and then forget where you remember it from."
Gene Fowler (1890 - 1960)
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