A. WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
1. Definition of plagiarism: "The deliberate adoption or reproduction of the
ideas, words, or statements of another person as one's own without acknowledgment"
(Kibler, Nuss, Paterson, and Pavela, p. 70).
2. Forms of plagiarism
a. "The use of another's writing without proper use of quotation marks. Do not,
under any circumstances, copy onto your paper a direct quotation without providing
quotation marks and without crediting the source" (Lester, p. 47).
b. "The borrowing of a word or phrase, the use of an idea, or the paraphrasing of
material if that phrase, idea, or material is not properly introduced and documented. Also
included in this category of plagiarism is the mere rearrangement of phrases from the
original into a new pattern" (Lester, p. 47).
c. It is also plagiarism to "take, buy, or receive a paper written by someone else
and present it as your own" (Corder and Ruszkiewicz, p. 633).
d. A form of academic dishonesty related to plagiarism is collusion, which is defined
as "collaboration with someone else in producing work you claim to be entirely your
own" (Corder and Ruszkiewicz, p. 633).
B. HOW CAN PLAGIARISM BE AVOIDED?
1. "Acknowledge borrowed material within the text by introducing the quotation
or paraphrase with the name of the authority from whom it was taken.
2. Enclose within quotation marks all quoted materials, even single words and phrases.
3. Make certain that paraphrased material is written in your own style and language.
The simple rearrangement of sentence patterns is unacceptable.
4. Provide a bibliographic entry for every book or magazine that appears in a written
work" (Lester, p. 47).
5. Be certain that all written work you submit is your own. You may (and in some cases
should) ask others to review your work, but "any changes, deletions, rearrangements,
or corrections should be your own work" (Corder and Ruszkiewicz, p. 633).
C. WHY IS PLAGIARISM WRONG?
1. It is considered to be a criminal offense (i.e., the theft of intellectual
property) and can result in fines and/or imprisonment.
2. It is academically unethical and can lead to serious sanctions from the college.
3. It is professionally unethical and can result in expulsion from the American
Psychological Association.
4. It undermines the academic integrity and ethical atmosphere of the college.
5. It violates the spirit of the mission of Sweet Briar College .
6. It involves passive, rote learning processes that retard the acquisition and
understanding of meaningful academic material, and it stalls and/or retards intellectual,
moral, and social development.
7. It is antithetical to the concept of critical thinking.
8. It promotes feelings of lowered self-esteem in those who practice it.
9. It produces alumni whose inferior knowledge, abilities, and moral standards tarnish
the public image of the College and could consequently lower the perceived value of a
Sweet Briar College degree in the eyes of those who evaluate current Sweet Briar College
students who are seeking employment or admission into graduate school.