WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?

WHAT MATERIALS REQUIRE CITATION AND

WHICH ONE DONOT?

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism derives from the Latin term plagiarism, which means kidnapper and it was first

described in literature by the dramatist Ben Jonson in 1601 to describe someone guilty of literary

theft.

Definition :

Merriam–Webster dictionary defines plagiarism as ( a) The theft and use of other people’s ideas

or words as yours; b) Use of sources without attribution; c) Literary Theft and d) presenting

some ideas as own and as it is new, while this idea already exists in other source.

Plagiarism, specifically, is a term used to describe a practice that involves knowingly taking and

using another person’s work and claiming it, directly or indirectly, as your own.”

Explanation:

Plagiarism is a field of research corruption described as writing new ideas or words created by

somebody or from one’s own earlier research, and aiming to publish such work

Without properly referencing original writer, work. Plagiarism is a crime and an ethical offence.

So, plagiarism is stealing someone’s intellectual property .Plagiarism occurs as a result of one of

the two possible motivations: an absence of ethics or an ignorance of citation conventions among

researchers/students.
People did this for many reasons ,here are some reasons for starting from individual and not

limiting to institutions, journals, textbooks, research funding agencies or international trials. An

inherent desire or urge to be successful, cultural, psychological, aggressive nature towards

success, fear of discrimination for failure, promotion, financial or job gains, peer pressure and

need to increase one’s record number of publications are some of the individual causes for

plagiarism. Lack of education at the undergraduate level regarding plagiarism and the dogmatic

view expressed in textbook without the ability to self support are other reasons for this trend.

Shortage of time, inadequate preparation, poor English or writing skills and the pressure to

publish more articles than to consider the quality, in shorter time are other causes for plagiarism.

Poor quality/maintenance of the journal, lack of proper guideline , poor reviewing methods or

uneducated reviewer, competition amongst journal to publish more articles are some of the other

factors that can lead to non-detection of plagiarized content.

Plagiarism is widespread even in developed countries and can be avoided by being honest while

writing articles. Some of the ways to do this is by being original, taking time to write articles,

writing in your own words, acknowledging all the studied articles, proper reference and strict

adherence to the author or journal guidelines. Avoid copy paste type of writing .

Types of plagiarism:

Self-plagiarism:

Self-plagiarism happens when a student submits his/her own earlier work or combines pieces of

previous works without the permission of all concerned instructors. Selfplagiarism also refers to

presenting the same piece of writing for various classroom assignments without prior permission

from both instructors.

The intentional plagiarism are copying and pasting text from online encyclopedias; copying

information from electronic sources (web information, web pages, any electronic

source/database) and using it as your own; using photographs, video or audio without permission

or acknowledgement; using another student’s or your parents’ work and claiming it as your own

even with permission; citing sources you did not use, patch writing (copying a passage and

changing only an occasional word here and there); turning in the same paper for more than one

class without the permission of both teachers (this is also called self-plagiarism); using your own

work without properly citing it; ask someone else to write a report/dissertation/thesis for you;

force others to include your name as co-researcher/co-author without contribution; using

incorrect references etc.

Unintentional plagiarism:

This plagiarism is plagiarism arising from disregard for correct scholarly procedures. The

unintentional plagiarism are: careless paraphrasing, poor documentation, quoting excessively,

failure to use your own ‘voice’, the forgotten footnote, the misinformer etc.

What is Citation?

Citation is a way of giving credit to the original source of information that you use in your work

such as report writing, research etc. The purpose of citation is to acknowledge the contributions

of others and to avoid plagiarism. In-text citation is use to acknowledge the source of

information within the body of a paper. The citations are compiled on a References or Works

Cited list at the end of a paper. A basic citation includes the author’s name, the title of the work

and publication information.

In order to cite materials, it is important to give credit to the necessary materials but we should

avoid unnecessary citations. There are certain materials which do not require citation.

1. Common knowledge:

Generally accepted facts are pieces of information that are widely recognized and agreed upon

by a majority of people. These facts are supported by evidence, research, and consensus within a

particular field or community. They are considered reliable and accurate based on the available

knowledge and understanding at a given time.

It also refers to the information available from multiple sources, such as:

 Mathematical formulas and equations don’t usually require citations. They’re considered

part of the established body of mathematical knowledge that doesn’t change based on

specific sources.

 Basic events such as dates, important events , knowledge or facts that are widely studied

recorded and putted into documents by various sources.

2. Personal insights:

Personal insight refers to our own understanding related to matters different from others or we

can say one’s perspectives that are developed through personal experiences and observations.

3. Our own research:

When we talk about results from our own research, it means the data and findings that we have

gathered through our own efforts. For example, if we conducted lab experiments, we would
collect and analyze the data our self. If we did fieldwork, we would make observations and

measurements in the natural environment. And if we conducted surveys or interviews, we would

gather data through our own questionnaires or conversations with participants. In a scientific

paper, you would definitely mention our research methods and results, but we would not need to

cite sources for the raw data or observations we directly collected.

4. Our creative content:

When we talk about our own creative content, we are referring to any original artistic or

intellectual work that we have made. This includes artwork, such as paintings, sculptures, or

drawings, as well as digital media like photographs, videos, music, or any written content that we

have created. It also includes inventions or designs that we have made.

5. Information provided as a courtesy:

Courteous information refers to sharing knowledge or insights in a polite and considerate

manner. It involves being respectful, understanding, and mindful of the other person’s feelings

and perspective. When providing courteous information, it is important to use kind and friendly

language, listen actively, and respond in a way that shows empathy and respect. This kind of

information does not need to be cited it’s usually based on common knowledge and personal

insight therefore it does not need to be cited.

Reference materials such as books, data bases , journals , encyclopedia, interviews usually don’t

need to be cited . However if we’re using more specialized definitions, specific data sets, or

unique illustrations from these references, it’s a good idea to include a citation. Different fields
and academic disciplines may have their own specific citation guidelines, so it’s always best to

check with our instructor or consult a relevant style guide for accurate citation practices.

Materials which require Citation:

1. Quoting:

Use quotation marks wherever required. When you want to include someone’s exact words in

your paper, you need to put those words in quotation marks and provide an in-text citation i.e.

last name of author, year and page number in parenthesis. You need to provide full detail about

the source in References or Work Cited list. For including an extensive quotation, it is important

to get permission from the author and copyright holder of original work to give them credit and

to avoid plagiarism.

2. Paraphrasing:

Paraphrase the original work in order to avoid plagiarism. This means express the ideas and

information from the source in your own words. If you do not use direct quotations and instead

choose to paraphrase, you still need to provide proper citation at the end of paper to give credit to

the original author.

3. Summarizing:

When you summarize a text, you condense the main points or ideas in shorter version.

Summaries are generally shorter than the original work but still require citation as you are
borrowing original ideas from the author. Citing the source gives credit to the original author and

also helps the readers to find the original text if they want to read it in full.

4. Drawing and Illustrations:

If your work requires the addition of drawing or any other illustrations from a published source

you have to provide a brief description of that drawing, including its title, artist name, and date of

creation. You also need to cite the original source at the end under the heading of “Work Cited”

for MLA or “References” for APA.

5. Statistics , Graphs and Tables:

Some publication requires strengthening arguments with available data graphs and tables. In

these scenarios you have to cite the source of that data. Even if you have made the graphs and

tables yourself you still have to credit the source for the data available in those tables.

6. Self Publication:

If your work is already published somewhere republishing that work against the consent of

original publisher results in plagiarism. If you want to use that data you have to ask for

publishers permission as well as properly citing the source so that readers are aware of the fact

that it is not a new piece of information.

7. Ideas and arguments of others:

If you use the ideas and arguments of others on the same topic you have to credit the author for

that idea. In case of failure in crediting the source it will be considered plagiarism.

Conclusion:
In conclusion Plagiarism is a common but avoidable malpractice prevalent in the world. It affects

all from students to senior teachers and from developing to developed countries. Strict adherence

to the journal guidelines and being honest can help to reduce this burden on the scientific society.

Use of the common computer aided tools to detect plagiarism followed by severe punishment to

the guilty, blacklisting the authors, worldwide notice of their activity, are some ways to address

this problem.

References:

Roig, M. (2010) Plagiarism and self-plagiarism: What every author should know. Biochem

Med. 20, 295-300.

Handa S. (2008) Plagiarism and publication ethics: Dos and don’ts. Indian J Dermatol Venereol

Leprol. 74, 301-303.

Dhammi, I. K., & Haq, R.U. (2016). What is plagiarism and how to avoid it?. Indian J Orthop.

50(6), 581-583.

Islam.et al(2022). Plagiarism: All About How to Avoid. British Journal of English Linguistics.

10(1), 1-11.
Lippe A. (1882). Plagiarism. Homoeopath Physician. 2(12), 474-477.