Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Charles Polk
Walden University
Plagiarism: Recognition and Avoidance
Plagiarism is more than not giving credit for using other people’s word or ideas; it is also
improperly citing someone’s work as not a direct quote when little has been changed from the
original text or work (Study Notes, n.d.). Walden’s code of conduct expresses definitions of
plagiarism and the consequences of such action. The code of conduct indicates that the use of
another’s opinion or views can fall under the definition of plagiarism if not acknowledged. The
It is evident from a comparison of the original text by Crossen (1994) and the student’s
work portrayed in the week ten application assignment that plagiarism exists. The student
appears to have paraphrased the text or intended to paraphrase the text. The student’s passage
does not have quotation marks leading the reader to believe the passage is the student’s own
thoughts and expressions based on the information presented in the original text by Crossen
(1994). The student’s passage has merely rearranged the sentences and structure of the original
work. The student changed some words; however, the two passages bare a strong resemblance
when viewed together. Jeff Zuckerman referenced a quote from Booth, Colomb, and Williams
(1995) stating, “You plagiarize when you use words so close to those in your source, that if your
work was placed next to the source, it would be obvious that you could not have written what
you did without the source at your elbow” (Booth, Colomb, & Williams, 1995, p. 167 as cited by
The third and fourth sentences of the student’s passage are the clearest form of plagiarism
in the passage, since they are virtually word for word. The sentences could be rephrased as
follows: Cynthia Crossen (1994) indicated the governance of science standards and peer review
of biomedical researchers still leave information vulnerable. She gave five reasons the
information may be compromised: “ending the study because the results are disappointing;
changing rules mid-study; not trying to publish negative results; publicizing preliminary results
even with final or less positive results in hand; skimming over or even not acknowledging
drawbacks; and casting the results in the best light” (Crossen, 1994, p. 167).
Plagiarism is best recognized by viewing the original work along side the writer’s work
and comparing the later to the former for critical thinking and scholarly use instead of merely
restating exactly the same words. Plagiarism is easily found by viewing the work for evidence
supporting the work and citations acknowledging the evidence utilized to support the writer’s
conclusions. Avoiding plagiarism involves keeping track of all sources used and read during the
composition of scholarly writing. Based on the list of sources and material used in the production
of the scholarly writing, it must be determined how the sources were used and the proper citation
for the method of use. Insert the citations and references commensurate to the actual writing and
do not wait until the end of the paper, since this may result in overlooking the acknowledgement
of another’s work. During the final review of a research paper or other writing, ensure all
citations and references are properly annotated and all work is cited.
References
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (1995). In the craft of research. Chicago, IL:
Crossen, C. (1994). Tainted: The manipulation of fact in America. New York: Touchstone.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Introduction to Scholarly Writing: Plagiarism and
Study Notes (n.d.). Introduction to Scholarly Writing: Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.
4220885/SN_Writing_Plagiarism_Ac_Integrity_6_09_2006-6.doc.
Walden Catalog Statement on Academic Honesty and Plagiarism. (2009). Plagiarism. Retrived
from http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=9&navoid=596