Questions about Plagiarism
Plagiarism comes with serious consequences for those who unknowingly or knowingly decide to take material that does not belong to them. Copyrighted material is plagiarized every day in small and major ways, such as an illegal music or movie download or borrowing material from an essay to finish a paper in English class. To avoid plagiarism, it helps to know how to cite sources and to understand what is, and is not, copyrighted material.
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What Constitutes Plagiarism?
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Plagiarism means using work that is not your own and pretending it is your work. When you borrow material or ideas without giving credit to the source, such as in a research paper or newspaper article, you commit the act of plagiarism and violate U.S. copyright laws. Copyright protects books, names, ideas, music, movies, inventions or other intellectual property from being stolen or misused.
What Does Copyright Protect?
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Not everything is copyrighted material, such as phone books, works published by U.S. government, generally known facts or works in the public domain. However, individually researchd facts are copyrighted, meaning that they belong to the author and are not common knowledge. Purdue University has a guide to avoiding plagiarism that includes ways to understand what is common knowledge and what requires citations (see references).
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If I Use a Cited Source, Can I Be Accused of Plagiarizing?
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Generally, you must either put the cited material in quotation marks or relate the research back to the source. For example, if paraphrasing, start off the in-text citation with "according to," and then reference the creator or author of the material, and the source for the material. In this way, you borrow material to place your own in context or clarify your own research. However, you must always make sure that your work is not someone else's idea and comes from your own brain. Follow standard guidelines for citing references in text as well as in bibliographies.
What are the Consequences for Violating Copyright Laws?
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There are a variety of ways to get into trouble with violating copyright laws. One serious issue involves academic plagiarism. Punishments include probation or suspension from school, or even expulsion and legal prosecution. In every case, you may receive a failing grade for the course.
Another major copyright issue is downloading music illegally from the Internet. Music is protected by copyright. Anyone who willingly copies and distributes songs, ringtones, movies or other media is in violation of copyright and could face misdemeanor charges with fines up to $50,000 and a year in jail. Some states even consider copyright violation to be a felony.
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References
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