On 14th April 2008 the famous Harry Potter writer J.K Rowling was in a New York Court over plagiarism issues as Steve Vander Ark has written an A-Z guide on Harry Potter Lexicon... (read more)
Plagiarism is presenting somebody else's ideas as your own without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism is a huge issue and is illegal in the commercial world and it can get you thrown out of university so be careful what you write!
So, how do you avoid plagiarism when writing essays for coursework and exams? Here are a few tips...
When are you plagiarising?
You are plagiarising if you buy, steal or borrow essays from the web or if you hire somebody to write an essay for you. Even if you have copied just a sentence from any material you are still plagiarising.
How can it be avoided?
Make sure you cite the source of any materials you refer to in your essay.
When to cite the source:
You must state the source for something somebody said, wrote, emailed, drew, or implied. This includes...
-Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, Web page, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium
-Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing
-When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase
-When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials
-When you reuse or repost any electronically-available media, including images, audio, video, or other media
Bottom line, document any words, ideas, or other productions that originate somewhere outside of you. (Read more from Source) - NB. Notice how I did not plagiarise this paragraph!
How to reference the source:
State your sources properly using footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical references, and write a bibliography, references, or works cited page at the end of your essay to list the sources used. Check with your lecturer to see which type of documentation they prefer. (Read more from Source) Most universities detail their policies on plagiarism and many like the University of Oxford have extensive information on this issue.
Be specific:
You must refer specifically to the source of any material you are quoting from. A general reference to a book or website is not enough. You must provide the exact link or details on the book (i.e. titles, publisher, when and where it was published, edition number and page number) to enable the reader the find exactly where you are referring to.
For further information see http://www.aresearchguide.com/6plagiar.html
