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Plagiarism and you

What is it? Plagiarism is when you copy someone else's work or use their ideas in your thesis or research, and then do not acknowledge that you have done so.

Definition: 'Plagiarism is dishonesty. It's theft. It means stealing someone else's ideas or words and pretending that they're your own.'

Ford, J.E. (ed.) Teaching the research paper: from theory to practice, from research to writing. Metuchen, N.J., Scarecrow, 1995.

Plagiarism - how to avoid it

You can avoid plagiarism by using bibliographic software and referencing your material appropriately (referencing guidelines will be discussed later in this unit) and by ensuring you have a clear understanding of copyright.

Things you should not do!

  • never use a direct quote without putting the text in quotation marks and acknowledging the author
  • never use information from a personal source or email without asking the permission of the person you have corresponded with
  • never use information from an interview without asking the interviewee's permission
  • never collaborate with someone and not acknowledge their input
  • never assume, when asking for permission to use someone else's work, that because they do not respond permission has been given

Things you should do!

  • always cite and reference your work appropriately
  • use bibliographic software to help manage your information and create your reference list and bibliography
  • always ask permission before using information from any type of personal communication or interview data
  • if using interview material, always have a transcript of the interview
  • find out your department's rules and regulations about plagiarism
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PILOT by Imperial College London, modified by Marion Kelt, Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.