Plagiarism Workshop: Introduction: Plagiarism & Cheating

Plagiarism 

According to the university policy, "Plagiarize" means to take and present as one's own a material portion of the ideas or words of another or to present as one's own idea or work derived from an existing source without full or proper credit to the source of the ideas, work, or works. 

Plagiarism is the act of copying anyone else's work but your own without giving them credit. This includes copying direct words, sentences, and paragraphs. Copying illustrations, figures, drawings, models, recordings, or other visual and nonverbal materials is also considered plagiarism. You may not present work prepared by someone else in your final or draft form without citing the source. 

Cheating

If you have not done the work yourself, you cannot claim it. You must do your own work on papers and presentations using your own answers on quizzes and tests. You also cannot use another person's images or software code. This also applies to purchasing or "borrowing" another person's assignment. Cheating applies to the sharer as well as the borrower. Do not share your work with others that you think may use it as their own. 

Group Work

Group work is common in college classes but it can be confusing to distinguish whose ideas are whose and where credit should be given. You may question what everyone can use in their own individual report and what you should write on your own. If you work on a project together and don't have individual responsibilities to report on, you should write up the group's conclusions in your own words based on your ideas about what you found. Always check with your instructor on how to delineate your efforts from the others in your group. 

Melissa BauerOnline Learning Librarian
Assistant Professor, University Libraries
330-244-3320 | Campus 53320
mbauer10@kent.edu

Theodore Guedel
Reference and Instruction Librarian
Assistant Professor, University Libraries
330-244-3322 | Campus 53322
tguedel@kent.edu