Information Ethics... Let's Talk About Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a very serious offense. If you plagiarize, you are NOT practicing academic integrity. According to the Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of plagiarize is "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own without crediting the source." 

In addition, it is important to give proper credit to authors if you paraphrase their work.

Paraphrasing is "To express the meaning of (a word, phrase, passage, or work) in other words, usually with the object of fuller and clearer exposition," according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Most university faculty have access to programs, such as Safe Assign, that can easily help them find and verify information that they may suspect as being plagiarized. According to the ZU Code of Academic Conduct, plagiarism is a serious offense and can result in failure or suspension.

If you are unsure whether to cite or not cite, then go ahead and cite the source.

Exercise 7.1  - Plagiarism Tutorial Vaughan Library in Canada has developed an excellent Plagiarism Tutorial. Please go through their entire tutorial. It takes about 10 minutes. Click here to enter... Please Note: This tutorial is from a Canadian university, so don't worry if you don't understand everything. The main point is: Most information needs to be cited. Please Contact ZU librarians (not the librarians from the Vaughan Library) if you have questions about citing.