Plagiarism

The University of Minnesota's Definition

The Student Conduct Code classifies scholastic dishonesty as a disciplinary offense actionable by the University. Scholastic Dishonesty is defined as: 

“Submission of false records of academic achievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing; altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement.”

Knowing what to document is a key to avoid plagiarism

St. Martin's Handbook's Annotated Instructor's Edition, defines that "Plagiarism is the use of someone else's words as your own without crediting the original writer for those words" (566). The following shows when you need to give credit the source:

Materials not requiring credit

Common knowledge

If other people like you know the material you are including (e.g., who is President of the U.S., what “capital punishment” means, etc.) you do not need to include a citation. If, on the other hand, you are giving specific data about a President's policies and their impact, or citing the number of people executed in a particular state over a set time period, you should include a citation to document the source where you found this specific information.

Facts available in a wide variety of sources

Information that is commonly available in encyclopedias, almanacs, and textbooks does not need a citation. For example, if you wrote that John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 23, 1963, in Texas, you would not need to cite a source. If you went on to discuss a theory about a conspiracy behind the assassination, you would then need to cite your source.

Your own findings from field research.

Facts or results from your own research can be credited to yourself.

Materials requiring credit

Direct quotations

Always credit the source when you directly quote another person. If you are paraphrasing but using a quote in the middle of a sentence, be sure to set the quote off with quotation marks.

Assertions that are arguable or facts that are not widely known

If other people like you would not know the information, include a citation. In addition, include a citation if you use material that may not be true (e.g., an author asserts that the CIA conspired to kill John F. Kennedy).

Judgments, opinions, and claims of others

Credit the ideas and opinions of others. Even if you summarize someone else's opinion in your own words, the idea does not belong to you and needs to be cited.

Statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any source

Include a citation for all information included in graphs and other statistical material.

Information or help provided by friends, instructors, or others

Anyone who assists in the development of your ideas or research deserves credit. Instructors and friends can be valuable sources in your research. Don't forget to acknowledge their contribution. (566)

(Lunsford, Andrea, and Robert Connors. The St. Martin's Handbook. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1989. 566-7.) 

Useful Reading

• Examples of plagiarism: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/plagiarism/
  From The University of Princeton
• How to recognize plagiarism: http://www.indiana.edu/~istd
  From Indiana University’s School of Education
• How to paraphrase and quote appropriately: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QuotingSources.html
  From University of Wisconsin
• Tips for avoiding plagiarism: http://tutorial.lib.umn.edu/infomachineb5bb.html
  From the University of Minnesota Libraries