Plagiarism or Paraphrasing?

You find a great idea in an article, so you use it in your research. You’ve expressed it in your own words so you don't bother to cite the source. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism.

• No, it is not plagiarism.

You copy and paste a paragraph directly from an article you found. You cite the source, but you forget to put quotation marks. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism.

• No, it is not plagiarism because you just forgot.

You need an image for your essay. You go online and find one. You don’t cite the source of your image, because images on the web aren’t protected by copyright. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, it is plagiarism.

• No, it is not plagiarism because it is an image.

Your friend finished this course last semester, and he gives you her assignment. You change the wording here and there and insert a few of your own ideas. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because he is your friend and he is trying to help you.

You copy a short passage from an article you found online. You change a couple of words, so that it’s different from the original – this way you don’t need quotation marks. You carefully cite the source. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because you changed a few words and cited the source.

Your teacher assigned an in-class writing assignment early in the semester, and you did really well on it. You now want to use it in your final paper. Is this plagiarism?

• Yes, this is plagiarism.

• No, this is not plagiarism because it is your work.

Research is creating new knowledge. An acceptable paraphrase of the preceding sentence is as follows:

• New knowledge is the result of research.

• Research is producing new knowledge.

• Research is producing knowledge that is new.

• The creation of new knowledge is the result of research.