PLAGIARISM Mohammed Fauzi Abdul Rani International Islamic University Malaysia

Content Summary
Definition  Extent  Types  Excuses  Examples  Consequences  Acknowledgement


Core Principle

In Western Society, a persons words and ideas are considered to be the property of the person who originates them.

Islamic View
Recent phenomenon.  It is known as "al-huqooq alfikriyyah" or "al-huqooq alma'nawiyyah" (intellectual property rights, or copyrights).


Islamic View
Intellectual property is considered the right of the author after the hard work and the financial implication tied to it. The punishment is not similar to Theft and on the judge and its severity

Does Islam recognize intellectual rights?

International Islamic Fiqh Academy in Kuwait, in Jum AlUla 1 : 6, 1409 A.H. / Dec 10 - 15, 1988  First: Trade name, corporate name, trade mark, literary production, invention or discovery, are rights belonging to their holders and have, according to contemporary conventions, an acknowledged financial value. Such rights are recognized by the Shari`ah, and thus, they should not be violated.  Second: It is permissible to dispose of a trade name, a corporate name, or a trade mark for a price, as long as there is no fraud, swindling or forgery, since it has become a financial right.

Does Islam recognize intellectual rights?

Third: Copyrights and patent rights are protected by the Shari`ah; their holders are (fully) entitled to dispose of them, and they should not be violated. Professor Dr.`Abdul-Karim Zaydan in his book Nazharat Fi Al-Shari`ah [Reviews on the Shari`ah]:


"How much of the Qur'an do you know (by heart)?" The man replied, "I know such and such surah," [naming the surahs ]. The Prophet (saw) then said, "Go, I let you marry her for what you know of the Quran (as her mahr )". Ibn Hajar: "It means (joining in marriage) for teaching the Qur'an as a financial mahr".

IP Protection in Malaysia
Comprises of patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright, geographical indication and layout designs of integrated circuits Member of WIPO, signatory to Paris and Berne Conventions, that govern IP Signatory to Trade Related Aspects of IPS under WTO Our laws conform to international standards

Definition:
Plagiarism is the act of presenting the words, ideas, images, sounds, or the creative expression of others as your own.

Plagiarism is:


From Webster's Third New International Dictionary: Plagiarize - \'pla-je-,riz also j - -\ vb -rized; rizing 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.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as follows:

The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft. (Oxford English Dictionary: http://dictionary.oed.com)

Plagiarism can also be defined as cheating or deception.

If you attempt to use another person's work as if it were your own, without adequate acknowledgement of the original source; and if this is done in work that is submitted for an academic grade then it is an attempt to deceive. In other words, plagiarism is cheating and it is deceitful in that the person is trying to claim the credit for something that is not his or her work.

In the real world, this means..

  

Using another person's words without giving them credit. Using another persons ideas without giving them credit. Using another persons research, results, diagrams, or images without giving them credit.

Content
Definition  The Extent  Types of Plagiarism  Excuses  Examples  Consequences  Acknowledgement


How serious is the problem?

A study of almost 4,500 students at 25 schools, suggests cheating is . . . a significant problem in high school - 74% of the respondents admitted to one or more instances of serious test cheating and 72% admitted to serious cheating on written assignments. Over half of the students admitted they have engaged in some level of plagiarism on written assignments using the Internet.
Based on the research of Donald L. McCabe, Rutgers University
Source: CIA Research. Center for Academic Integrity, Duke University, 2003 <http://academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp>.

Is it really such a big problem?

According to the website Plagiarism.org



Recent studies indicate that approximately 30 percent of all students may be plagiarizing on every written assignment they complete.

According to the website Plagiarism.org

80% of college students cheating at least once 36% of UG in written work 90% students believe cheaters never caught or punished 60% in 60s, 80% in 80s Lecturers arent that bothered too

Content Summary
Definition  Extent  Types  Excuses  Examples  Consequences  Acknowledgement


Actions that lead to plagiarism may be inadvertent

Deliberate Plagiarism
  

Maybe Accidental Plagiarism

Buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper Copying from another source without citing Building on someone elses ideas without citation Using the source too closely when paraphrasing

Two types of plagiarism:



Intentional
  

Unintentional
   

Copying a friends work Buying or borrowing papers Cutting and pasting blocks of text from electronic sources without documenting Media borrowingwithout documentation Web publishing without permissions of creators

Careless paraphrasing Poor documentation Quoting excessively Failure to use your own voice

Other types of plagiarism:



Sources Not Cited

     

Sources Cited


The Ghost Writerwholesome copy The photocopy-blind partial copy The Potluck Paper-many sources fit together The Poor Disguise-only key words and phrases altered The Labour of Lazinessparaphrase the whole paper The Self Stealer-repeat his own work

The Forgotten Footnotes paraphrasing-incomplete citing The Misinformer-sources inaccurate The Too Perfect Paraphrase-no quotes The Resourceful Citer-no original work! The Perfect Crime-partial citing

Content Summary
Definition  Extent  Types  Excuses  Examples  Consequences  Acknowledgement


Excuses:


Intentional
    

Unintentional
    

Searching versus researching Their words are better Making the grade Everyone else is doing it Poor planning

Careless paraphrasing Citation confusion Just copying my notes Could not locate source Thought quote not needed Confusion about research

Rationale for academic integrity

      

When you copy you cheat yourself. You limit your own learning. The consequences are not worth the risks! It is only right to give credit to authors whose ideas you use Citing gives authority to the information you present Citing makes it possible for your readers to locate your source Education is not an us vs. them game! Its about learning to learn! Cheating is unethical behavior

Summary
Definition  Extent  Types  Excuses  Consequences  Examples  Acknowledgement


Shame of Dr Copycat: TV shrink Raj Persaud used work of others as his own

Consequences to students
     

0 on the assignment Parent notification Referral to administrators Suspension or dismissal from school/college/university Removal of scholarship Note on student record

Is this important?

Summary
Definition  Extent  Types  Excuses  Consequences  Examples  Acknowledgement


Does this mean I cant quote from or refer to anyone elses writing?
No, it doesnt mean that. You can use other peoples writing if you follow the right rules.

Any time I leave the impression that the words or ideas Ive written are mine, when actually they came from someone else, I am plagiarizing. This is academic fraud and academic theft.

So what are the boundaries?

Some boundaries are obvious:



If I copy material from a book or article, dont use quotation marks and dont provide a citation to the source, I am stealing someone elses words and pretending they are mine.

If I get someone else to write my paper or buy a paper from a commercial source or simply copy a whole paper off the Internet (access versus plagiarism), I am clearly plagiarizing.

Other boundaries are not so clear:

What if I use a chart or some other graphic off the Internet, something that isnt really words? Is that plagiarism? Yes it is. It is still content, even if it isnt words. As such, it is the property of the one who created it, and passing it off as yours is plagiarism.

Just a paragraph of a text and just change a few words to make it my own? Am I still a plagiarist? Yes you are. The problem here is a subtle one, so lets try to understand it. The structure of the original is still there You may change some of the words, but you are stealing the structure.

If it was just an idea, can I use it? Only if you create a citation to show that the idea is not yours but came from this other author. Otherwise you are stealing an idea.

What ties them all together? Its the idea of Intellectual Property. What comes out of my mind and is communicated to others remains my property. If you use my intellectual property as if it were your own, you are plagiarizing.

Its Starting to Look Like Everything is Plagiarism What can I legitimately use as an information source without having to make a citation for it?

Your own ideas Your own analysis/evaluation of other peoples ideas (once you have provided citations for the ideas themselves) Common knowledge knowledge that you find in several sources that are not themselves depending on a single earlier source.

Examples of common knowledge

 

Tunku Abdul Rahman was our first prime minister The date of independence was 31st August 1957

If you see a fact in three or more sources, and you are fairly certain your readers already know this information, it is likely to be common knowledge.

But when in doubt, cite!

Some Tricky Situations 1. You are planning to use some material from a source, but you would rather not quote from it. Is paraphrasing OK?

This depends on what you mean by paraphrasing. By its etymology para meaning with and phrase meaning (well) phrase - a paraphrase is a phrase by phrase rewriting of text into your own words (or mostly your own words).

Example The original:

The paraphrase

Study both for a few seconds.

The paraphrase you looked at is just a doctored version of the original, changed a bit so it looks like something different. But the word order, paragraph structure, and even some of the actual words are the same. Thats plagiarism. If you dont believe it, go back and look at the previous slide again. Even with the changes, the whole paraphrase is still 80% the intellectual property of the original author.

How do you avoid the paraphrasing trap? Simple. Dont paraphrase INTERPRET!!

The original

The Interpretation

(Note that very few of the original words were used, that the interpretation reveals an UNDERSTANDING rather than an IMITATION of the original, and that the interpretation is considerably shorter than the original.)

Whats the difference between paraphrasing and interpreting?

In paraphrasing, you are rewriting the original phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence. When you interpret, you read the text, step back and ask, What is this person saying? With interpretation, you are not depending on what the author said phrase by phrase, but what the author meant overall.

Heres a simple example: Your friend says to you, "I havent eaten for a long time, so why dont we stop at McDonalds?" Someone nearby says, "What does he want?" Paraphrase: He hasnt had a meal for awhile and wants to go to McDonalds. (Changes words but not basic
structure. No attempt to interpret)

Interpretation: Hes hungry and wants to get a burger." (Gets at underlying meaning)

Effective paraphrasing
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Read the original passage until you understand its meaning Set the book aside. Write your paraphrase on note cards or a sheet of paper. Compare your paraphrase with the original to make sure that the essential information is preserved. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phrase you have borrowed exactly from the source Document your sources (include page numbers) on your note cards so you can easily cite later.

Some Tricky Situations

2. The source you are reading says it much better than you could. Whats wrong with using the writers words, if they help the reader of your paper to understand the situation better?

You can as long as you quote them and create a citation (note or reference) to the source. Better still Quote a short portion (no more than 4 or 5 lines) and present the rest as your own interpretation: Quotation, blah, blah. Brown goes on to argue that the real answer to this problem isetc. (Brown 2004)

Dont fear your own words. Most research papers major on interpretation rather than quotation, e.g.:
At the graduate level, it appears that students prefer integrating their information literacy assignment work with their own projects and that they value face to face interaction with their information literacy instructors (Turnbull, Frost, & Foxlee, 2003; Washington-Hoagland & Clougherty, 2002).

(an interpretation of these sources, rather than a quotation)

Are the Following Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide
online information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: The effort required to provide online

information literacy instruction is intense.

Plagiarism It quotes the source without any indication that the words are not yours.

Are the Following Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide
online information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: The effort required to provide online

information literacy instruction is intense. (Smith 2006, p.42)

Not Plagiarism Youve used quotation marks and cited the source so that no one believes that these are your own words

Are the Following Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide
online information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: Smith (2006, p.42) argues that

providing online courses in information literacy is hard work.

Not Plagiarism Youve interpreted without quoting, have cited your source, and have not used a great deal of the original terminology

Are the Following Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide
online information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: The work needed to provide online

information literacy teaching is intense.

Plagiarism Your version is a paraphrase of the original with a lot of the original terminology still there as well as the same sentence structure.

To sum up
Its plagiarism if you use any text or ideas from another source in such a way that you leave the impression that the material is yours. Unless you know the information is common knowledge (found in several sources that do not depend on a single original source), using it is plagiarism When in doubt, provide a citation.

Important Facts About Plagiarism



Some more examples:

Identifying Plagiarism
Is this plagiarism?


Original Source:
If the existence of a singing ape was unsettling for artists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Students Paper:
The existence of a singing ape was unsettling for artists, and was also startling news for animal behaviorists.

Verdict: Plagiarism
The student should have used quotation marks around the words that he copied directly from the original source. Also, there is no parenthetical reference with the page number of the source statement.

Identifying plagiarism
Is this plagiarism?


Original Source:
If the existence of a singing ape was unsettling for artists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Students Paper:
The existence of a singing ape unsettled artists and startled animal behaviorists (Davis, 26).

Verdict: Plagiarism
Even though the writer has cited the source, the writers words are not his own. Look at how closely the phrase "unsettled artists and startled animal behaviorists" resembles the wording of the source.

Identifying Plagiarism
Is this plagiarism?


Original Source:
If the existence of a singing ape was unsettling for artists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Students Paper:
If the presence of a singing chimp was disturbing for artists who regularly sing, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior (Davis, 26).

Verdict: Still Plagiarism

Even though the writer has substituted synonyms and cited the source, the writer is plagiarizing because the source's sentence structure is unchanged. It is obvious that the writer could not have written his sentence without a copy of the source directly in front of him.

Identifying plagiarism
Is this plagiarism?


Original Source:
If the existence of a singing ape was unsettling for artists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists (Davis 26).

Students Paper:
According to Flora Davis, professional artists and animal behaviorists were unprepared for the news that a chimp could sing (Davis, 26).

Verdict: Not Plagiarism

The student has cited the source, and appropriately paraphrased the original source into his own words.

Strategies to avoid plagiarism

Practice good research methods
Consult your supervisor Plan Document well

Know how to quote, how to cite Know when something is common knowledge Know how to paraphrase

Practice good research methods

  

Be careful about paraphrasing while taking notes Be sure to keep track of each source you use Indicate in your notes which ideas are taken from sources and which are your own insights Record all of the relevant documentation information in your notes

When Quoting, you need quotation marks, a reference, and an item in your bibliography
Information literacy is the natural extension of the concept of literacy in our information society. Information literacy is the catalyst required to transform the information society of today into the learning society of tomorrow. (Bruce, 2002)
Bibliography
Bruce, C. (2002). Information literacy as a catalyst for educational change: A background paper. White Paper Prepared for Unesco, the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy, Meetings of Experts, Prague, the Czech Republic, 1-17. Retrieved July 14, 2006 from http://www.infolit.org/International_Conference/papers/bruce-fullpaper.pdf

When referring to an authors work, you dont need quotation marks, but you do need a reference, and an item in your bibliography

Maughan (2001) demonstrates that the information literacy gap in higher education is leaving university graduates devoid of the very skills they require to function well within the information workplace.
Bibliography
Maughan, P. D. (2001). Assessing information literacy among undergraduates: A discussion of the literature and the University of California-Berkeley assessment experience. College & Research Libraries, 62(1), 71-85.

Know how to quote Mention the name of the quoted person in your text  Put quotation marks around the text you are quoting  Use brackets ([ ]) and ellipses ( )  Use block quotes when necessary  Quote sparingly


Cite your sources



Why should you cite your sources?

Citations show you have done research  As a courtesy to your reader  Your arguments become stronger when you can back them up  Ensures others receive fair credit for their work


Citing Internet Sources Material on the Internet is not free. It still needs to be cited.  Dont avoid citing Internet sources and articles from electronic databases just because you dont know how.


Know when to cite

Always give a citation for quoted words or phrases. Always give a citation after paraphrased sentences. Always give a citation for specific statistics, percentages, and numbers given in your text. You dont need to cite facts or ideas that are common knowledge.

Cyber-cheating in the digital age

 

Plagiarism before the Internet era: books, journals, fraternity test files, etc. In the present day: far easier to cheat, but its also growing easier to detect

Cyber-cheating in the digital age



Technology has made it easier to track down and identify cases of plagiarism you wont get away with it.

TurnItIn.com

Catching the plagiarist

The internet has made plagiarism easier with access to term paper mills, search engines, encyclopedias, etc. In response, websites have been developed which help teachers analyze papers and develop strategies to prevent plagiarism. Some sites are:
http://www.turnitin.com/ http://www.millikin.edu/wcenter/plagiarism3.html

Methods of detecting plagiarism

   

More accurate search engines Full-text journal articles in library databases Commercial plagiarism-detection services aimed at lecturers As always, the experts may well recognize the source.

Some telltale signs

        

It doesnt sound like the persons writing. It was printed from a web browser and still has a header/footer on it. The free essay has a tagline at the end that the person forgot to remove. Page numbers dont make sense; fonts switch around; material is off-topic or seems patched together References to charts, graphs, accompanying material that isnt there References to material not owned by the library Dead links All citations are to old material or historical events referred to in the present tense The person cant identify citations, provide copies of the cited material, or answer questions about it

Some Issues
   

Adjudication Council Private Institutions Awareness Resources and Training

Recommended Resources


http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/W C/AvoidingPlagiarism.html http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.ht ml http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~janicke/plagiary.htm

Sources Cited


Avoiding Plagiarism. Virtual Writing Center. 8 August 2001. <http://www.madison.tec.wi.us/is/writingcenter/plagarism .htm>

Avoiding Plagiarism: Mastering the Art of Scholarship. UCDavis Student Judicial Affairs. 2001. 8 August 2001. http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid.htm Plagiarism.org. 8 August 2001. www.plagiarism.org http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/powerpoint/plagiarism.ppt