Running Head: PLAGIARISM IN ACADEMIC WRITING 1

Plagiarism in Academic Writing

Practice Plagiarism Paper

Gwen Hansen

IST 524

Dr. Tourtellotte

November 6, 2018
PLAGIARISM 2

Plagiarism in Academic Writing

It is important to understand the reasons why it is required to use the American

Psychological Association (APA) style standards and to avoid plagiarism in academic writing.

This paper will reflect on my personal knowledge gained by resources provided in the writing

workshop course taken through the Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) program.

The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary definition of plagiarism is: to copy and pass off

(the expression of ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's work) without

crediting the source: to commit literary theft: present as new and original an idea or product

derived from an existing source, (Merriam-Webster, 2018).

The act of plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, is considered fraudulent

behavior and is protected by copyright law. Additionally, professionals are expected to abide by

a code of ethics. We often see plagiarism occur among students. To address this issue,

universities have policies in place regarding academic integrity. Students are responsible to

adhere to honesty in regard to their intellectual work and to acknowledge the work of others in

their writings. A study by Cornell University found that over a three-year period, 60% of all

reported cases were a violation of plagiarism, (as cited in Cornell Code of Academic Integrity,

p.1).

Using APA to document sources used for assignments is the best way to avoid

plagiarism. According to the APA Citation Basics tutorial, the number one reason for plagiarism

is the “failure to cite as you write”, (Scott, 2016). The tutorial goes on to suggest listing your

references first, prior to beginning your work, so that you can locate your sources easily and not

risk forgetting to acknowledge all sources prior to submission of the assignment.

PLAGIARISM 3

The proper use of APA is equally important. Summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting

sources need to be cited correctly. This includes documentation to acknowledge both primary

and secondary sources. Academic writing must also include a reference page to properly

document bibliographic information of sources used in the work. Additionally, there are many

resources to use to practice academic writing and to check assignments.

Realizing that citing adds validity to our papers as well as integrity to our work, makes

embracing APA desirable. The purpose of citation, as stated in Why We Cite (n.d.), provides

evidence to our arguments built on the ideas of others, gives credit and respect to those whose

ideas we borrowed, and allows readers to follow our reasoning and verify sources (University

Libraries, n.d.).

It is important to understand APA and apply these standards to academic writing to

prevent plagiarism. Citing and referencing properly provides solid evidence to our work and

using available APA resources will help us improve as we practice our writing. Acknowledging

the ideas and works of others gives them due respect and avoids academic dishonesty. In return,

documenting those sources help builds evidence to our own writing and provides credibility to

our work.
PLAGIARISM 4

References

Cornell University. (2005). Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://plagiarism.arts.cornell.edu/tutorial/index.cfm

Merriam-Webster. (2018). Plagiarizing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/plagiarizing

Scott, M. (2016, March 18). APA In-text Citations (6th Edition). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=uVlsbN99LIQ

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. (n.d.). Why We Cite. Retrieved from
https://guides.lib.unc.edu/citing-information/why-we-cite