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Understanding Plagiarism & AI: Avoiding Plagiarism

  Avoiding Plagiarism: Policies, Definitions, and Tips

 

As described in the Marshall University Creed, Marshall University is an “Ethical Community reflecting honesty, integrity, and fairness in both academic and extracurricular activities.” 

Therefore, academic dishonesty is something that will not be tolerated. This includes cheating and plagiarism, as well as fabrication/falsification, bribes/favors/threats, and/or complicity.  A student, by voluntarily accepting admission to the institution or enrolling in a class or course of study offered by Marshall University, accepts the academic requirements and criteria of the institution.  It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of policies regulating academic conduct, including the definitions of academic dishonesty, the possible sanctions, and the appeal process.

MU students can find the current Academic Dishonesty Policy* on the Forms & Policies page.

According to MU's Academic Dishonesty Policy, cheating is "any action which, if known to the instructor in the course of study, would be prohibited, such as:

  • the unauthorized use of any materials, notes, sources of information, study aids or tools during an academic exercise.
  • the unauthorized assistance of a person other than the course instructor during an academic exercise.
  • the unauthorized viewing of another person’s work during an academic exercise.
  • the unauthorized securing of all or any part of assignments or examinations, in advance of distribution by the instructor." 

According to MU's Academic Dishonesty Policy, plagiarism is  "Submitting as one’s own work or creation any material or an idea wholly or in part created by another. This includes:

  • Oral, written, and graphical material.
  • Both published and unpublished work.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to clearly distinguish their own work from that created by others. This includes the proper use of quotation marks, paraphrase, and the citation of the original source.  Students are responsible for both intentional and unintentional acts of plagiarism." 

*MUBOG AA-12 Academic Dishonesty / SR-19-20-27 BAPC, February 27, 2020 

In addition to implementing the best practices below, you should also know you're not alone.

Ask a Librarian if you need help with any aspect of research or citing sources, including understanding what plagiarism is, if you need someone to review your work to ensure you're not plagiarizing, or to better understand techniques for tackling it head-on.

Additionally, if you're having trouble understanding an assignment, ask your professor for clarification to ensure you know exactly what they expect you to do. 

    Question mark in talk bubble The easiest way to avoid plagiarism: ask for help when you need it: MU Librarians (for citation help) or the MU Writing Center (for writing help).

Do not procrastinate.

Sometimes when we wait until the last minute to do things, we find ourselves in a desperate mindset, which can result in bad decisions, which sometimes leads to plagiarizing. So, what are steps to take to avoid falling victim to this? 

 Create a calendar just for schoolwork and add not only deadlines and due dates, but reminders.

  • If you find out on the 10th that a paper is due on the 30th, then set several reminders. For example, one for the 15th, another for the 20th, and one more for the 28th. This will not only allow you the time to work on it, but will keep it on your radar to ensure you don't forget. Be sure to schedule the reminders to appear at a time when you can do the work (so, not during a regular job shift, etc.). 

 The calendar can be print or virtual, as long as your reminders appear when and where you are sure to see them. 

  • The trick is using a process that works for you, and forming habits that will help you succeed. 

Know yourself. 

  • If you are used to putting sticky notes all over your desk, but then you forget to look at them, you may need to implement another system (not sure how to find one? Ask your friends, family, or classmates what works for them, or do a quick search on proven techniques). Likewise, if you love the aesthetic of pretty paper calendars and multi-colored pens, but you are on your laptop or phone all the time, virtual may be the way to go. 

Take good notes.

As you gather resources and read through the research, take clear notes about your thoughts on the subject matter, connecting ideas, and even definitions for words you had to look up.

 Stay in the moment to document your initial impressions. 

  • Scholarly resources can sometimes be difficult to comprehend. Taking notes allows you to focus on the information to ensure you're absorbing it, instead of just going through the motions of turning pages. 
  • The act of organizing your thoughts into written words will help you retain the information you read, in order to better synthesize it later on in your paper or presentation.

 As you take notes, make sure you include the source.

  • If it's your own idea or opinion that you had while reading, write something like (Me).
  • If it's something from your textbook, another reading, or class discussion, etc., attribute that by including the author, book/article title, and page number. 
  • For more information about citing, review the Craft proper citations section on this page.

Stay true to the source material.

  • Do not stray from the original message or information as you take notes.
    • You can add your own thoughts and opinions, just make sure you clearly distinguish that from the scholarly research. 
  • This is especially something to look out for if you have any sort of bias for or against the material. 

Craft proper citations.

First things first: we must always give credit where credit is due. 

 Citations versus Paraphrasing

  • You must cite any information that did not come from your own brain.*
  • This includes:
    • direct quotes: you copy + paste the exact wording
    • paraphrases: you re-worded it

* This excludes things known as "common knowledge," for example, George Washington was the first US president. If you're not sure what information would be considered "common knowledge," it's always best to check with your professor. 

  What does a citation look like? 

  • In the body of your paper, it's called an "in-text citation," and could look something like this (the following examples are in MLA style and were taken directly from Purdue Owl's In-text Citations: The Basics:
    • Direct quote: Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263).
  • At the end of your paper, for a Works Cited or References page, it could look something like this:
    • Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. Oxford UP, 1967.

 What does a paraphrase look like?

  • Using the same example source as above:
    • Paraphrase: Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
  • Remember: you must still cite information that you paraphrase.

Tips for citing & paraphrasing

When citing:

Look for citation tools when using the library's resources so you have something to start with. BUT REMEMBER to verify the accuracy of the formatting by checking with a style manual or a librarian.

When paraphrasing:

Try explaining the information to your roommate, a friend, a coworker, or a family member by putting it into your own words in a way that they would understand it.

Use information ethically.

As you become an expert in your field, you must develop and hone expert-level research practices. 

  • Evaluate all information. No matter where you got it, or what form it takes, ask yourself key questions to make sure you're using the best information out there for your research goal(s).
  • DO NOT take information out of context, or cherry-pick information to suit your needs while ignoring the larger picture.
    • If the full scope of a source does not further your research goal(s), then find a better source, or, at least acknowledge the shortcomings.
    • Not sure how to do that? Ask a Librarian for help.