Doing Research

Plagiarism (from the Latin plagiarius meaning a kidnapper, literary thief) is a very serious offence. In summary: you must not represent the ideas of other people as your own - this applies to published works, or the works of other students.

Different cultures may have diverse attitudes to the idea of plagiarism and so you may not be used to considering where the information you are writing about has come from. But whilst you are studying at a British University and writing for western publications it is very important you take account of the appropriate customs and rules, as the University will penalise plagiarism very heavily.

University of Stirling's "The Little Book of Plagiarism" is designed to help you to understand more fully what plagiarism is and how you can develop practices to avoid it.

You may also find useful the tutorial "Avoiding Plagiarism" (designed by University of Leicester) about how to understand, and avoid plagiarism.

 

The following points are based on the Stirling University's Policy on Plagiarism:

• It is not enough merely to list a source in an appended bibliography, or within the assignment, to express a general indebtedness. To avoid a charge of plagiarism, you must be specific, precise and accurate in your references. So make clear which particular idea or piece of data you have found elsewhere, and say exactly where you found it - the particular book, journal article or web site giving all the details including, where appropriate, the exact page numbers.
  
  
• When you are directly quoting from a passage, or a person's words, make sure that the quote is in quotation marks, or indented. Make clear where the quote begins and ends. Then make sure you include all the details of the source in your reference.
  
  
• You must make explicit the source of any data cited, for example, figures, tables, charts.
  
  
• When ideas, or an argument, are reproduced from a source in a general way, the source must be acknowledged. Even if you have changed the words used, you must still reference the original source of the idea.
  
  
• Remember that these rules apply to all the different sources of information you have used, for example: a lecture or tutorial, books, journal articles, web sites, newspapers, a television programme, a friend's essay.

 

If you think about where you found your information and reference your work properly, then accidental plagiarism can be avoided.

 

 

page last modified 10 September, 2008