Plagiarism isn't just an easy way out of a paper... it can
also be an easy way out of your college. While you might think
that just this once it won't matter, the fact is, it matters
tremendously.
Forging your way
Buying papers off a Web site can be a risky undertaking. There
are plenty of sites that help professors compare papers they
suspect of being plagiarized to those found on the internet. And
many of the papers on the Internet are poor quality. While you
might avoid writing a paper, many of the ones available on the
web are D material. And some people get even unluckier than
that.
Consider the case of the teaching assistant who had a student
hand in a paper that she had written years before as an
undergraduate. "The paper on the web had my name as C. Suleman*,
while as a TA, I went by Jane, my middle name," she says. The
student, apparently not thinking too hard, printed it, handed it
in, and for his tremendous effort, received an F and disciplinary
action. "I told him that it was a great paper," said the TA. "Too
bad it wasn't his."
So maybe not all forgeries are that easily caught, but the
fact is, the possibility is huge. Besides, if plagiarism is the
way you want to go, maybe you should be rethinking college in the
first place. After all, it pretty much defeats the reason you're
there in the first place.
Avoiding it like the plague
So how do you avoid plagiarizing? After all, you are
relatively new to this paper-writing.
Well, first of all, paraphrasing or changing a couple of words
here and there won't get you off the hook. Even if done
inadvertently, this can still earn you an F, or even get you
kicked out of school (in a worst-case scenario). Passing off
others' ideas as your own, even by mistake, is just wrong.
Moreover, it's completely avoidable, so make sure you don't do
it.
Most inadvertent plagiarism takes place when you're taking
notes from a journal or book. So make sure you paraphrase into
your notes—it will also be less awkward once the ideas get into
your paper. And even paraphrasing someone else's idea is still
plagiarism if you don't credit it. So make sure you have a proper
bibliography.
Credit all information you find. Keep in mind that notes or
quotations you found on the web have to be attributed, just like
any book or magazine article you might reference. By now, most
style guides and handbooks should have sections that show you how
to credit internet material, but if you happen not to have such a
guide, here are some good sites to give you tips:
Because even though imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery, it can still get you expelled.
* Name has been changed for privacy.
This article was adapted in part from:
Yale Daily News Guide to Writing College Papers
From the staff of the Yale Daily News comes this practical and
effective guide to writing better college papers. With
step-by-step advice from professors, writing experts, and
successful students, this powerful tool guides you through every
aspect of the writing process.