PLAGIARISM

1
PLAGIARISM

• MSc Projects
• Damian Gordon

2
Plagiarism

• "regarded as either intentionally or
  unintentionally the passing off of others work
  as ones own. This includes the using of others
  ideas, information presented or accessed in
  either visual or audio formats and asking or
  paying another to produce work." 1

3
Plagiarism

• That is not to say students shouldn't use the
  work of others, most learning involves engaging
  with other people's ideas reading about them in
  books or on the web, or hearing about them in
  lectures, but it is very important to give credit
  where it is due in accordance with the scholarly
  method.

4
Plagiarism

• The purpose of the School's policy on plagiarism
  is not to catch students out it is to teach you
  correct academic behaviour and conventions of
  referencing. For more details on the DIT's policy
  on plagiarism please refer to the General
  Assessment Regulations.

5
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 1. Copying and pasting text without acknowledging
  its source

6
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 1. Copying and pasting text without acknowledging
  its source

YES
7
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 2. Copying and pasting text with a citation at
  the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

8
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 2. Copying and pasting text with a citation at
  the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

YES
9
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 3. Copying and pasting text, and putting it in
  italics, with a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith,
  2006)

10
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 3. Copying and pasting text, and putting it in
  italics, with a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith,
  2006)

YES
11
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 4. Copying and pasting text, and putting it in
  italics, with quotes ( inverted commas), with
  a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

12
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 4. Copying and pasting text, and putting it in
  italics, with quotes ( inverted commas), with
  a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

This one is OK
13
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 5. Half-coping the authors sentence - either by
  mixing the authors phrases with your own without
  using quotation marks or by plugging your
  synonyms into the authors sentence structure
  without acknowledging its source

14
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 5. Half-coping the authors sentence - either by
  mixing the authors phrases with your own without
  using quotation marks or by plugging your
  synonyms into the authors sentence structure
  without acknowledging its source

YES
15
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 6. Half-coping the authors sentence - either by
  mixing the authors phrases with your own without
  using quotation marks or by plugging your
  synonyms into the authors sentence structure
  with a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

16
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 6. Half-coping the authors sentence - either by
  mixing the authors phrases with your own without
  using quotation marks or by plugging your
  synonyms into the authors sentence structure
  with a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

YES
17
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 7. Restating the authors views in your own words
  without acknowledging its source

18
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 7. Restating the authors views in your own words
  without acknowledging its source

YES
19
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 8. Restating the authors views in your own words
  with a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

20
Plagiarism

• Which of these is plagiarism?
• 8. Restating the authors views in your own words
  with a citation at the end, e.g. (Smith, 2006)

This one is OK
21
Plagiarism

• If a student wishes to copy text verbatim from
  another source (usually no more than about ten
  lines) it is important that they do three things
  first that they enclose the text in quotes
  (inverted commas ), second they italicize the
  text, and third they place a reference directly
  after quote to a citation that will uniquely
  identify the source of that quote.

22
Plagiarism

• It is usually more preferable that the student
  summarises and interprets material read from
  another source, opening their summary with
  something like According to Smith 2009 thus
  citing the reference at the start of the summary.
  
• Ultimately it is vital that students include
  references to all materials read in the course of
  their research, it serves to show the degree of
  research effort that they have undertaken and
  shows their academic integrity.

23
Plagiarism- What its a waste

• When you copy you cheat yourself. You limit your
  own learning
• It is only right to give credit to authors whose
  ideas you use
• Citing gives authority to the information you
  present
• Citing makes it possible for your readers to
  locate your source
• Education is not us vs. them - its about
  learning
• Cheating is unethical behaviour
• The consequences are not worth the risks!

24
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work
25
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work

• I didn't realise I was doing it.
• The student is responsible for the work that they
  submit for marking in this course it is their
  responsibility to fully understand what
  plagiarism is and to ensure that they do not
  commit plagiarism (intentionally or
  unintentionally).

26
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work

• We were doing a group project.
• Students are not allowed to submit work jointly
  unless they have first received permission from
  the lecturer in question that this is
  permissible it is not acceptable to come to the
  lecturer after submission and indicate that they
  worked with others. 

27
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work

• They said it so much better. Shouldn't I use
  their words?
• The problem with copying is that the examiner
  cannot be sure if the student really understands
  the material or is just cutting-and-pasting, it
  is better for students to express something
  poorly in their own words than steal somebody
  else's work.

28
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work

• I meant to include citations, but I forgot/ran
  out of time.
• It is important that students get into the habit
  of inserting citations, even in their rough
  drafts. If they have difficulties remembering
  their references, there is a range of citation
  software on the market now. Good citing is part
  of good project management.

29
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work

• I showed this work to my examiner before I
  submitted it and s/he didn't comment on it.
• Again it is the student's responsibility to
  ensure that they do not commit plagiarism
  (intentionally or unintentionally) when they
  submit a piece of examinable work no one
  elses.

30
Excuses for Plagiarism and Why they Dont Work

• I didn't think I would get caught.
• Not only is there a range of software available
  to detect plagiarism, but also most of the
  lecturers are familiar with a broad range of text
  books and have been using the Web for a lot
  longer than the students.

31
What will happen a student plagiarises?
32
What will happen a student plagiarises?

• If an examiner suspects that plagiarism has
  occurred they will inform the appropriate
  individuals as per the D.I.T. General Assessment
  Regulations, this may result in a Faculty level
  Panel of Enquiry (as per section 10.1.2 of the
  D.I.T. General Assessment Regulations). Penalties
  for plagiarism include failure of the entire
  year, suspension and expulsion.

33
References

• 1 D.I.T. General Assessment Regulations,
  http//www.dit.ie/services/academicregistrar/stude
  nt-assessment-regulations/general/ Date Accessed
  4 February 2010.