The term Plagiarism has been undermined for quite a long time both verbally and in writing, but in these modern days such an act cannot be easily escaped unnoticed due to technological advancement which has brought about the software like Turnitin, which can instantly detect any copied materials or similarity contents when assignments are handed in. iParadigms, LLC (2011) notes that there are two well-known types of plagiarism which are sources not cited and sources cited but still plagiarised and these include the “ghost writer” which is copying another person’s work word for word as well as the misinformer, where the writer provides inaccurate information regarding the sources, making it impossible to find them.
The Mirriam Webster online dictionary notes that plagiarism can be defined as the act of passing off someone’s ideas or words as if they were your own original work. It is also known as the theft or adoption of one’s efforts and in academics it commonly occurs unintentionally when students forget to quote marks around passages they would have obtained from someone else’s work.
Although it is acceptable to use quotes or data from other people’s work, failure to reference and provide the source of material used automatically leads to one’s work being perceived as plagiarised.
Paraphrasing which can also be described as lifted passages can lead to plagiarism if the citing of the work is not acknowledged. Paraphrases occur when the original statement taken from one’s work is still identifiable and has no acknowledgement.
In most instances plagiarism also transpires when someone uses photocopying or borrowed materials. This is often the case which occurs when someone runs out of ideas or is racing against time to do an assignment to beat the deadline and copies or lifts passages from textbooks, hoping that the use of this material will not be noticed.
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