Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in the UM Student Conduct Code as representing another person's words, ideas, data, or materials as one's own. Consequences include failing an assignment, failing a course, or even expulsion.
PLAGIARISM IN THE NEWS AND ON CAMPUS
Attention to plagiarism has been growing over recent years, with accusations of plagiarism in academia by both professors and students rising. With quick and easy access to centuries' worth of publications in online databases and indexes and the creation of services like turnitin.com and the Internet Archive, it's possible now to catch instances of plagiarism that would have been undetected years ago. Also, the amount of information available to researchers nowadays is daunting--many academics who have been accused of plagiarism claim to have forgotten to cite materials or have done so improperly.
Cases outside academia involving popular authors like Stephen Ambrose, journalists like Jayson Blair, and entertainers such as Eminem have gotten even more media attention. Again, it's not clear that plagiarism itself is on the rise. It may be more a factor of the ease of discovering related materials and information in the electronic age, or the overwhelming amount of resources available to the average person and the difficulty in keeping track of what tidbit came from where.
The following sites provides information and resources for faculty attempting to address plagiarism on campus and in the classroom:
- Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices
The Council of Writing Program Administrators presents ways to reduce the likelihood of plagiarism in your classroom. - 22 Ways to Handle Technology Enhanced Cheating
Teaching, Learning, and Technology at SUNY discusses how to handle the opportunities new technologies such as term paper cheat sites present for plagiarism. - Writing Needs of International Students
This site from Claremont Graduate University contains an excellent discussion of plagiarism and international students, highlighting the cultural differences that may exist.
There are many excellent online guides intended to assist students in understanding and avoiding plagiarism, including:
- Literature Cited
The Mansfield Library's online guide to using the APA, MLA and Chicago citation styles. Properly citing material is important to avoid plagiarism. - Style Manuals and Citation Guides
This exhaustive resource from Duke University covers many different citation styles, broken down by discipline. Ask a Librarian if you need assistance determining the proper style or have questions about using any citation style. - Understanding Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
This site Indiana University-Bloomington has helpful tips on avoiding plagiarism, including examples of when to cite and how to paraphrase. It also includes a quick quiz that can help you determine how much you know about plagiarism and correct citation. - How Not to Plagiarize
This useful site from the University of Toronto answers frequently asked questions about plagiarism and gives examples on how to paraphrase. - Writing Research Essays in North America - Plagiarism
This website by William Badke of Trinity Western University contains helpful advice for international students (and Americans too!) on what constitutes cheating and plagiarism in North America.
ASSISTANCE FROM THE MANSFIELD LIBRARY
- Citation style guides (APA, Chicago, Turabian, MLA) are always available for use at the Information Center Desk.
- Ask a Librarian for assistance via email/chat/phone, or visit the Information Center desk.
- The Mansfield Library's online guide, Literature Cited, provides information on citing information sources according to different citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian).
- Librarians are available to assist faculty in preparing handouts for class instruction. Contact your Subject Liaison Librarian.
Questions/comments concerning this guide?
Contact: Samantha Hines Ph. 406.243.4558
Last Revised: Dec. 13, 2006
Articles Referenced
"Dr. Dre Fighting New Rap Rip-Off." United Press International 14 July 2003. Lexis Nexis Academic. Lexis Nexis. University of Montana Mansfield Library. 16 Dec. 2003 <http://www.lib.umt.edu>
Barry, Dan, et al. "Correcting the Record; Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deception." The New York Times 11 May 2003, late ed.: Section 1 Page 1. Lexis Nexis Academic. Lexis Nexis. University of Montana Mansfield Library. 16 Dec. 2003 <http://www.lib.umt.edu>
Hansen, Brian. Combatting Plagiarism. Spec. issue of CQ Researcher 13.32 (2003): 773-796. University of Montana Mansfield Library. 27 Oct. 2003 <http://library.cqpress.com/images/cqres/pdfs/color/cqr20030919C.pdf>
Hastings, Michael. "Cheater Beaters." Newsweek 8 Sept. 2003: E16.
Isserman, Maurice. "Plagiarism: a Lie of the Mind." Chronicle of Higher Education 2 May 2003: 12.
Kirkpatrick, David D. "2 Say Stephen Ambrose, Popular Historian, Copied Passages." The New York Times 5 January 2002, late ed.: A8. Lexis Nexis Academic. Lexis Nexis. University of Montana Mansfield Library. 16 Dec. 2003 <http://www.lib.umt.edu>
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "New Study Confirms Internet Plagiarism Is Prevalent." News 28 Aug. 2003. 27 Oct. 2003 <http://ur.rutgers.edu/medrel/viewArticle.html?ArticleID=3408>
Wyman, Alisha. "Web betrays cheating students." Montana Kaimin 18 Sept. 2003. 27 October 2003 <http://www.kaimin.org/test2.php?ardate=20030918&id=1752>
Young, Jeffrey R. "The Cat and Mouse Game of Plagiarism Detection." Chronicle of Higher Education 6 July 2001.