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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is copying someone else’s words (or data) without making

clear that you have done so and/or without indentifying the source.
It is an offence even if you haven’t done this deliberately – not being
aware is no excuse.
Plagiarism ranges from copying significant passages of text verbatim
(word for word), via copying text but changing a few words, to lifting
just bits and pieces from original sources.
RKC uses Turnitin (a plagiarism detection program) as an initial means
to check submissions for signs of malpractice. Turnitin compares your
text with a large number of known sources, and highlights any matches
it finds. Its report also gives an overall percentage of matched text.
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The following is an example of what we see when Turnitin highlights

text (here shown in red) as copied from a source. The text in black
has not generated any match. The number 1 refers to a numbered
link to the identified source in the Turnitin report.

Some of the literature reviewed is concerned with the reputation

of John Maynard Keynes and there is some debate about it.
1Some commentators dismiss Keynes without even a second
thought, but while some may think it may be justifiable to write
him off in this fashion, it can hardly be denied that there remains
in that great man the master economist (Smith, 2014).
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Now consider the following:

The first point to understand is that it is not sufficient to provide a reference for copied text unless that text is clearly
identified as a quotation. Citing an author at the beginning of some text or, as in this example, at the end is useless
because it does not indicate the extent of the copied text.
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So, the identified text on the previous screen ...

Some commentators dismiss Keynes without even a second

thought, but while some may think it may be justifiable to write
him off in this fashion, it can hardly be denied that there remains
in that great man the master economist (Smith, 2014).

... constitutes plagiarism since it was Smith, not you, who wrote
the words. If the entire text had been placed between inverted
commas (“ “) or in italic font, it would have been clear to the
reader that this was a direct quotation, and so, provided that the
bibliographic details for Smith (2014) were included in the
references list, there would be no suspicion of plagiarism.
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How many words can you copy without crediting the source and
not risk an accusation of plagiarism?

There’s no hard and fast rule. Some institutions use the Five
Consecutive Word Rule – any five words in the same order as in
an original document must be explicitly referenced. But this can
lead to an over-abundance of references, as well as not taking into
account consecutive words such as “The Annual Bulletin of the
National Union of Student Business Societies”.

Getting the right balance between over-referencing and avoiding

plagiarism comes down to common sense. The examples which
follow should help you to distinguish between what is and what is
not acceptable. We advise you to study them carefully, but if in
doubt, it is best to err on the side of caution.
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“Patchwork” plagiarism
We occasionally see student submissions with passages made up of
small pieces of copied text “stitched” together. This is just as much
plagiarism as copying whole paragraphs. Below is the kind of thing in a
Turnitin report which leads to an accusation of plagiarism (Turnitin flags
only the first occurrence it finds, so the identified sentences below may
also be found in other sources).

1A leader should be highly intelligent. He should be able to examine and solve the problem
of his or her followers quickly and in the right manner. He or she
4should possess good judgment and decision making abilities. Opinion and judgment
should be formed on the basis of facts and without prejudice.
2A leader should be a person of maturity and logical mind. Communication Skills A leader
1must be a good and effective communicator.
4Goals and procedures of the organization should be communicated clearly, precisely and
effectively. Only then will it be possible to convince, persuade and stimulate subordinates
to action.
2This will also enable him or her to maintain good relationships with followers and
recognize their problems and feelings.
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Paraphrasing (putting it in your own words)

Your dissertation must, then, for the most part consist of your own
words, and this will often involve paraphrasing what other authors have
said. It is an exercise that involves linguistic expertise, but it is crucial
at the very least to understand the difference between paraphrase and
simple word substitution. Take that same quotation from Smith (2014):

Some commentators dismiss Keynes without even a second thought, and while
some may think it may be justifiable to write him off in this fashion, it can hardly be
denied that there remains in that celebrated man one of the greatest economists.

The following is plagiarism (substituted words are in purple):

Some critics reject Keynes without giving him a second thought, and even
though some may consider it justified to write him off in that way, it can hardly
be refuted that there is left in that famous man one of the greatest economists.
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Paraphrasing
How could you deal with that text without actually quoting it? Perhaps something like this:

Original Smith text:

Some commentators dismiss Keynes without even a second thought, and while some
may think it may be justifiable to write him off in this fashion, it can hardly be denied that
there remains in that celebrated man one of the greatest economists.

Possible alternative

Smith (2014) maintains that while Keynes has been written off by some, he should still be
considered one of the greatest economists.

In other words, the easiest (and usually most effective) solution is

to write a brief summary rather than attempt a straight paraphrase.
There is another example on the following page.
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Paraphrasing

From an IMF report of 2009:

Pressures on emerging markets intensified in September 2008 following
the collapse of Lehman Brothers as the credit crunch’s impact on
economic activity became indisputable.

This is plagiarism even if followed by a reference to the source:

The pressures on emerging markets became greater in September 2008
after the collapse of Lehman Brothers as the credit crunch’s impact on the
economy became undeniable.

This, however, is an acceptable paraphrase:

As noted in an IMF report (IMF, 2009), the collapse of Lehman Brothers led to
increased pressure on emerging markets.
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Self-plagiarism

Since plagiarism is often defined as passing off someone else’s

work as your own, the term “self plagiarism” is clearly a
contradiction.
Nevertheless, it is commonly used in most universities to indicate
unacknowledged recycling of what students have submitted for
another course either in the same or a different institution, and
therefore it also counts as malpractice.
Hence if you copy your own words you must also clearly identify
that text as having been copied and pasted by means of inverted
commas or italics.
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Some advice for avoiding plagiarism

 Some plagiarism may well be unintentional, but we have no way of

guessing intention. So apart from including direct quotation, do not
cut and paste when typing up anything you are going to submit.
 Do not try to beat the system. Markers are very experienced at
spotting malpractice. They are particularly sensitive to perfect
English copied from a source contrasted with the student’s apparent
own defective English. They are also aware of all the technical tricks
in the book (which we will not explain here!).
 Do not use a cheat site (ready-made or custom essays), whatever
the claims made about no risk of being caught plagiarising. Turnitin
has access to all such sites, and the penalty for using one can be
severe.
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Some links

With the advent of the internet and the possibility it offers of easy copy
and paste, plagiarism has become a major cause for concern in
universities. As a search on “avoiding plagiarism” reveals, the topic has
generated a veritable multitude of articles, and even whole books,
written about it. There really can be no excuse for not finding advice!

A short article which offers good, practical suggestions is Swain, H.

(2008). The art of avoiding plagiarism, The Guardian, 7 October. It is
available at:

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/oct/07/students.highereducation

In addition, almost every university website includes advice about

avoiding accusations of plagiarism, some with interactive practice
exercises. Here’s a good example:
https://ilrb.cf.ac.uk/plagiarism/tutorial/help.html