Citations + Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you present someone else's work or ideas as your own, without giving them credit. This includes not only copying word-for-word but also using someone else's ideas or research without giving them credit. Even plagiarizing your own work is wrong. Plagiarism can apply to any kind of creative or academic work, from writing to art, science, and even computer code.

Why avoid plagiarism?

• It's dishonest: Claiming someone else's work as your own is lying.
• You don't learn: Plagiarism prevents you from demonstrating your understanding and skills.
• It's disrespectful: Giving credit to the original author is important and fair.

Remember: Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. It's important to learn how to avoid it from the beginning of your Niagara College career.

Plagiarism is a serious offence with severe consequences at Niagara College. It's essential to understand the different types of plagiarism to avoid accidentally committing it. Here are the main types:

• Direct Plagiarism: Copying someone else's work verbatim without attribution.
• Self-Plagiarism: Reusing your own previously published work without citation.
• Mosaic Plagiarism (Patchwriting): Taking phrases, sentences, or ideas from multiple sources and combining them without proper attribution.
• Accidental Plagiarism: Failing to cite a source due to a lack of awareness or oversight.
• Paraphrasing Without Attribution: Rephrasing someone else's work without citing the original source.
• Inadequate or Incorrect Citation: Using the wrong citation style or omitting essential information.

Remember: Always cite your sources properly to avoid academic dishonesty.

As a Niagara College student, you are responsible to uphold the College's standards for academic integrity and honesty.  Here are two essential items from Niagara College's Policies and Procedures you need to be aware of regarding plagiarism:

• ​Niagara College’s Academic Honesty Policy
• Niagara College's Academic Rights and Responsibilities Policy

The same information can also be found in the "Academic Responsibilities" section of the student handbook. 

Avoiding Plagiarism

Learning Outcome:

You will increase your understanding of plagiarism and plagiarism prevention.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this module, you will be able to:

1. Provide reasons why plagiarism awareness is important
2. Identify and define different types of plagiarism
3. Explain strategies for preventing plagiarism.

Time:

This tutorial should take approximately 40-50 minutes to complete.