What do these people have in common?

Jayson Blair

Disgraced New York Times reporter According to a 2003 article in the New York Times:

He fabricated comments. He concocted scenes. He lifted material from other newspapers and wire services. He selected details from photographs to create the impression he had been somewhere or seen someone, when he had not. . . . (“Times Reporter Leaves Long Trail of Deception”).

Kaavya Viswanathan

Author of How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life: A Novel

Book contained plagiarized passages from two of Megan McCafferty’s young adult novels

She was a sophomore at Harvard University when the allegations surfaced

All copies of book were destroyed by the publisher

Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Plagiarized one third of his doctoral thesis and appropriated others’ text, for his famous speeches, including, ‘I Have a Dream’ “ (“Famous Examples of Plagiarism”).

Plagiarism

Deborah FarberInstructor

What You Need to Know

What is plagiarismWhy do people commit plagiarismAvoiding Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism

According to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 9th ed, the definition of plagiarize is: Plagiarize \'pla-je-,riz also j - -\ vb -rized; -riz·ing vt [plagiary] : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (a created production) without crediting the source vi: to commit literary theft: present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source - pla·gia·riz·er n (qtd. in Van Braemer 1).

The Legal Definition

One state’s statute says: "Works to be submitted by students without substantial

alteration”

- “Plagiarism Law & Legal Definition” (U.S. Legal Definitions 1).

Obvious Examples

From the Pierce College Library: Asking someone else to write your paper Copying large sections of text and passing it off as your

own writing(“What is Plagiarism and How Can You Avoid it?, screen 1)

Not so Obvious Examples

From the Pierce College Library Presenting facts without saying where you found them Handing in a paper which you already earned credit for in

another course

(“What is Plagiarism and How Can You Avoid it?, screen 1)

Why Do People Commit Plagiarism?

Jonathan Bailey has some ideas:

To get good grades For profit Feelings of inadequacy Ignorance

(“Psychology of Plagiarism” 1-4)

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A Deeper Explanation

Based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, people may commit plagiarism to:

To feel important To get ahead To belong To feel smart

Avoiding Plagiarism

Take careful notes The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University suggests

noting sources with an “S” and original thoughts/ideas with “Me”

Summarize research Cite your sources (see “Works Cited List”) Use plagiarism checker software

Turnitin: Faculty Writecheck: Students

Guidelines for MLA “Works Cited List”

“Works Cited List” centered, one-half inch from top of page

Author’s (or editor’s) last name, first name Title of work (book, journal article, weblog entry, etc.) Place of Publisher (n.p. if no publisher) Name of Publisher (or sponsor of website, if not

available, n.p.) Copyright date (or date posted, if not available, n.d.) Medium Consulted (print, web, etc.) Date of access (for web only)

Works Cited

Bailey, Jonathan. “Psychology of Plagiarism.” Plagiarism Today. 22 Sep 2005. Web. 13 Jun 2009.

Lathrop, Ann and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-up

Call. n.d. Web. 12 June 2009.

“Patrick: Plagiarism Accusation Against Obama ‘Extravagant.” ABC News Web Cast. ABC News. 19

Feb 2008. Web. 17 Jun 2009.

“Plagiarism Law & Legal Definition.” U.S. Legal Definitions. n.d.Web. 29 June 2009.

http://definitions.uslegal.com/p/plagiarism/

Van Braemer, S.E. “What is Plagiarism.” Widener University. 13 Aug 1996. Web. 13 Jun 2009.

http://science.widener.edu/svb/essay/plagiar.html

Image Credits

“Freedom Hero: Martin Luther King, Jr.” Freedom Heroes. 12 Jan 2009. Web.

13 Jun 2009.

http://myhero.com/images/guest/g211761/hero52739/

g211761_u58751_2008-04-dr-martin-luther-king-jr[1].jpg

“Jayson Blair.” South Asian Journalists’ Association. n.d. Web.13 Jun 2009.

www.saja.org/images/blair.jpg

Roy, Sandip. “ How Opal Mehta Saved Us.” Kaavya Viswanathan . 5 May

2006. Web. 13 Jun 2009. www.salon.com/.../kaavya_viswanathan/story.jpg

Plagiarism Resources

Famous Examples of Plagiarismhttp://www.spiritus-temporis.com/plagiarism/famous-examples-of-plagiarism.html

Turnitin.comwww.turnitin.com

What is Plagiarism?http://science.widener.edu/svb/essay/plagiar.html

For More Help

Pierce College Library Guideshttp://info.piercecollege.edu/students/library/Guides.html

Plagiarismdot.org: What is a Citation?http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_citation.html

Purdue University: Online Writing Labhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/

When It’s Not Plagiarism

Ideas have no ownership Obama’s 2008 “Power of Words” Speech

Obama gave a speech before the 2008 Wisconsin Primary and didn’t credit Deval Patrick, when using his ‘just words’ phrase in a speech

Deval Patrick later defended Obama’s use of his words on Good Morning America, despite accusations from the Clinton campaign, concluding that: "He could have cited me in Wisconsin and everyone would have said 'who is that?'… Nobody's policies end up on the side of monuments or great buildings in Washington. I think it's a great power." (“Patrick: Plagiarism accusation against Obama ‘Extravagant’” 1)