Cartoon by Nina Paley shared freely from Mimi and Eunice
Merriam-Webster defines "plagiarizing" as
Copying one's own work from a previous publication or assignment without indicating that it was a previous work. That is, you can't use an essay you wrote for two different assignments. Should you want to reuse an article you published for your thesis or dissertation, you would need written permission from the journal publisher.
Adapted in part from The Common Types of Plagiarism (Bowdoin College)
When you quote or paraphrase another person's idea in your research paper, provide a full and accurate citation to the source you used in the appropriate citation style. By doing so, you will not only avoid plagiarizing, but will also:
When incorporating the work of another author into your own writing, you may decide to do so in the following ways:
In general, you will best show your grasp of the information if you paraphrase or summarize.
Different disciplines have different expectations when it comes to documenting the work of others in your writing. One of the more popular citation styles used by college students is MLA, which is taught to Stevens' first-year undergraduates in the CAL 103/105 program. While MLA is standard in the humanities fields, the sciences tend to emphasize the currency of the research, so APA can be a useful style for students in other programs.
The list below includes the main styles of many academic disciplines so you can meet the requirements of the Stevens Honor System.
Stevens students may have access to Turnitin through their Canvas shells and can scan assignments before submitting them. If your course doesn't have Turnitin enabled, ask your professor!
Adapted in part from Plagiarism Detection Tools (Science Integrity Digest).
Patchwriting is a term coined to describe how students sometimes borrow from other authors who they feel can better describe or phrase a concept than they can in a sort of inadvertent plagiarism. This article from 2010 explains the issue and provides further reading.
Students and researchers work in the context of academic and research integrity rules and requirements. Artists and musicians may claim copyright infringement if they feel their creations have been reused without permission. Journalists follow ethical standards that forbid the uncredited use of a source. Writers don't want to see their text reused without credit.
