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How to Avoid Plagiarism

Learn about plagiarism and how to avoid it

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Chapman University's Academic Integrity Committee page defines plagiarism as the following: 

Representing the words, research findings or ideas of another person as your own in any academic exercise. [At their discretion, faculty may submit student work to plagiarism-detection software, such as Turnitin for review.]

  • Copying word for word without proper attribution.
  • Paraphrasing without proper attribution.
  • Using phrases from another source embedded into original material without proper attribution.
  • Copying of intellectual property without proper attribution.

The Academic Integrity Committee defines plagiarism in research as: 

  • Taking credit for someone else’s work and ideas, stealing others’ results or methods, copying the writing of others without acknowledgement or otherwise taking credit falsely.
  • Taking or releasing the data of others which were given in the expectation of confidentiality, e.g., appropriating ideas from submitted grant or contract proposals, or manuscripts for publication when one is a reviewer for granting agencies or journals.

From the Academic Integrity Policy:

Principle

Chapman University is a community of scholars that emphasizes the mutual responsibility of all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will be subject to sanction by the instructor/administrator and referral to the university's Academic Integrity Committee, which may impose additional sanctions up to and including expulsion.

You can find more information on academic integrity at Chapman University here: 

If you use someone else's words or ideas without crediting them, you are committing a type of theft called plagiarism.

One of the main ideas of research is to study what others have published and form your own opinions. When you quote someone else's work--or even when you summarize or paraphrase information found in books, articles, or Web pages--you must acknowledge the original author. Plagiarism can be as obvious as turning in another person's paper or project as your own, or, it can be as sly as simply paraphrasing sections of various works. It is also incorrect to copy text from Web pages or other sources and paste it into your paper without identifying the original author.

NOTE: According to the Brandman University Student Conduct Code, “Students may not submit work done in one course to satisfy the requirements of another course, unless both instructors agree beforehand to accept such work" (under "Standards of Academic Integrity," Part A. "Academic Integrity Violations").

Consult Brandman University's Student Conduct Code to learn more about the University's official stance on plagiarism and academic integrity.

There are many online guides and tutorials to help you to understand plagiarism. Here are some recommended websites and videos: 

 

 

 

 

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