What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else's words or ideas without acknowledging the source. If you use someone else's ideas, phrases, conclusions, or even facts, statistics, or artwork without citing where they came from, in effect you pass them off as your own work and have plagiarized.

Plagiarism can be deliberate, when, for example, you hand in work you knowingly copied from a book or an article or another student's essay. If you printed out an essay or a book report from an Internet source, put your name on it, and handed it in as your own work, you have plagiarized intentionally.

What is particularly important to be aware of, though, is how easy it is to plagiarize without intending to do so. If you use some of the author's words in your summary or put his ideas in your own words without acknowledging him, you have plagiarized. If you copy and paste material from the Internet without attending to where it came from or who created it and then use it in your own work, you have also plagiarized.

Factual information that is widely known, or common knowledge, does not need to be credited with a citation.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

To avoid plagiarism, you must engage carefully in your research. Always err on the side of caution when you take notes; make sure that you record author names and page numbers when you copy quotes or paraphrase information. Read, think, and summarize in your own words. Take particular care with ideas; if what you read offers interpretation of material, you must credit that interpretation. Ask yourself from time to time if what you are writing is what you think or a compilation of what other people have thought.

Visit Capital Community College's Research Guide and Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Service to see examples of how to avoid plagiarism. Both sites include the original text of a document as well as appropriate and inappropriate use of it in student writing.

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Why Your Teacher Might Suspect Plagiarism

As writers, we are defined by the way we put our words together as well as by the scope of our vocabularies and our creativity. We all have unique styles. Your teacher learns to recognize your style as you submit your work. If you turn in an essay that departs significantly from your typical writing style because it expresses ideas in unusually sophisticated language, or because it contains uncommon vocabulary, or because it demonstrates a kind of insight that is different from your previous work, that essay may look suspicious enough for your teacher to investigate the issue.

You should be aware that there are many ways that your teacher can confirm that work has been plagiarized. In particular, if you have found a source or sources on the Internet, it is likely that your teacher can find that same source without too much difficulty.

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The Consequences at Skowhegan Area High School

Plagiarism is serious business because it is intellectual theft. When you use the work of others as though you thought of it, you steal their way of thinking or their way of using language effectively. It is unethical behavior that ultimately insults your own integrity.

At SAHS, the consequences for plagiarism vary. You might receive a zero on an assignment or a lower grade in a course as the result of plagiarism. You could be removed from an honors level course. You will likely have meetings with your teacher and an administrator. Your parents will be informed of the plagiarism. When you sign the Maine School Administrative District No. 54 Student Computer and Internet Use Rules Form in the fall, you acknowledge that you are aware that plagiarism is categorized as 'prohibited use' and that its consequences "may result in loss of computer and Internet access privileges, disciplinary action and/or legal action."

The impact of being caught for plagiarism extends well beyond your grades to your reputation as a student. It raises the issue of your general trustworthiness and honesty. It might affect your eligibility for organizations like National Honor Society or your consideration as a prospective candidate for some scholarships. It might even have a negative influence on your recommendations for college.

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The Consequences in the "Real World" of College

In the "real world" of the colleges throughout the state of Maine, students are routinely reminded of the serious nature of plagiarism when they read student handbooks, statements of academic integrity, or when they are required to sign pledges of academic honesty, as they are at Bowdoin College. The institutions of higher learning in this state - technical schools, state universities, and private colleges &endash; impose very similar punishments on those students caught plagiarizing. Professors may fail papers, lower grades in courses, or dismiss students from their classes with a failing grade. Depending on the nature of the plagiarism, students may be suspended or expelled from the school.

Click on the name of the school to read its statement on plagiarism:

University of Maine

University of Maine at Farmington

Colby College

Bates College

Unity College

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