Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

1. What is Plagiarism and what are its consequences?

The term “plagiarism” comes from the Latin word plagiarius, which means “kidnapper.” To plagiarize is to commit literary theft—using someone else’s ideas, words, or creative work and presenting them as new and original. Plagiarism involves two fundamental types of wrongdoing:

• Intellectual Theft: This occurs when a writer uses another person’s ideas, expressions, or information without giving proper credit.
  
  

• Fraud: This occurs when a writer intentionally presents someone else’s work as their own to gain an advantage, such as earning a higher grade or personal recognition.

While copyright infringement is a legal issue, plagiarism is primarily a serious ethical and moral violation. It can happen both intentionally—like purchasing a paper—or unintentionally, such as failing to clearly differentiate between one’s own ideas and sourced material in notes. Regardless of intent, acts like borrowing a distinctive phrase, paraphrasing someone’s reasoning without citation, or repeating wording without acknowledgment all qualify as plagiarism.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Plagiarism has serious repercussions because society relies on accurate, trustworthy communication and scholarship. When a writer plagiarizes, it breaks the trust between them and their readers, often leading to skepticism and disapproval. The consequences vary depending on the writer’s role:

• For All Writers: Plagiarists are generally perceived as either dishonest, willing to deceive for personal gain, or incompetent, unable to create original work.
  
  

• For Professionals: Journalists, researchers, and other professionals who commit plagiarism risk career-ending consequences. They may lose their jobs, face public embarrassment, and suffer a permanent loss of reputation and credibility.
  
  

• For Students: Academic institutions impose strict penalties, ranging from failing an assignment or course to expulsion. These measures aim to uphold academic integrity and prevent unfair advantage.
  
  

• Impact on Educational Institutions: Student plagiarism undermines the trust between teachers and students, forcing educators into the role of detectives. It can also compromise the institution’s credibility, as grades and degrees may no longer reflect genuine skills or knowledge.
  
  

• Impact on Personal Development: Students who plagiarize harm themselves most of all. By taking shortcuts, they miss essential opportunities to develop research, analytical, and writing skills. These abilities are critical not only for academic achievement but also for future careers in law, journalism, business, government, and other fields. Plagiarism also stifles personal expression, preventing students from developing their own voice and identity as writers.
  
  

In short, plagiarism is a violation that affects not only the writer but also their audience, their institution, and their own personal and professional growth. Avoiding plagiarism is crucial for maintaining integrity, credibility, and the development of one’s skills and character.

Short note

1. Forms of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of taking another person’s ideas, words, research, or creative work and presenting them as if they were your own original thinking. It is more than just copying and pasting someone else’s writing; it also includes paraphrasing someone’s ideas too closely, borrowing unique phrases, or using information without giving proper credit. Even if the act is unintentional—such as forgetting to cite a source or failing to clearly separate your notes from the original material—it is still considered plagiarism.

Plagiarism can appear in both obvious and subtle ways. The main forms include:

• Submitting someone else’s work as your own: The most obvious form of plagiarism is presenting a paper or assignment written by another person—whether purchased, downloaded, or obtained by other means—as if it were your own original work.
  
  

• Repeating or paraphrasing without credit: Using another author’s words, even if slightly altered in grammar or phrasing, without proper citation, is considered plagiarism. Paraphrasing still requires acknowledgment of the original source.
  
  

• Using a distinctive phrase or concept: Borrowing a unique term, phrase, or idea created by another writer without giving credit also constitutes plagiarism.
  
  

• Paraphrasing someone’s argument or line of thought: Plagiarism extends beyond exact wording. Presenting another writer’s ideas, reasoning, or structure of an argument as your own without proper documentation is equally unacceptable.
  

To avoid plagiarism, it is essential to provide proper documentation every time you use someone else’s words, ideas, or arguments. This includes citing the author’s name, the source, and specific page numbers when applicable.

1. A student rewrites a scholarly paragraph by changing sentence structure and vocabulary but retains the same ideas and sequence of argument. They do not provide a citation because they believe they are “not copying anything.” How should this be treated under MLA guidelines? Does paraphrasing require citation? What would you do in this situation and why?

🔎 Under MLA Guidelines: Is This Plagiarism? Yes — this situation must be treated as plagiarism under the guidelines of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Changing sentence structure and vocabulary does not remove the obligation to cite the source if: 1.The ideas 2.The argument structure 3.The sequence of reasoning 4.Or the original insight come from someone else. MLA makes it clear: If the idea is not your own, it must be acknowledged — whether quoted directly or paraphrased. 📚 Does Paraphrasing Require Citation? Yes. Always. Paraphrasing means: 1.Rewriting in your own words 2.But keeping someone else’s intellectual content Under MLA guidelines, paraphrasing still counts as using a source. Therefore, it requires: Parenthetical in-text citation Corresponding Works Cited entry The only time citation is not required is when: The information is common knowledge Or it is entirely the writer’s original idea Simply “not copying wording” is not enough. ⚖️ Why This Is Still Plagiarism This case would be considered: ➤ Unintentional Plagiarism Because: The student misunderstands what counts as copying. They believe changing wording equals originality. But plagiarism is defined by using ideas without acknowledgment, not just copying sentences. MLA emphasizes that: Intellectual ownership includes ideas, structure, and argument. Academic integrity requires transparent attribution. 🧭 What I Would Do in This Situation

If I Were the Student: I would: Immediately add proper MLA citation. Learn the difference between: Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing Review MLA guidelines on academic integrity. Because academic writing is built on intellectual honesty.

2. Two classmates study together, exchange notes, and discuss how to approach an essay. Their final essays are not identical in wording but share the same structure, examples, and argument path. Is this plagiarism, collaboration, or something in between? How should credit or boundaries operate?

According to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (see discussion of collaborative work and academic integrity), this situation falls into a Gray area that depends on context and instructor policy.

It is not automatically plagiarism, but it can become problematic if the collaboration results in:

• The same thesis structure
  
  

• The same sequence of arguments
  
  

• The same examples used in the same way
  
  

• The same interpretive framework
  
  

Even if wording differs, the intellectual design of the essay may not be independently produced.

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🔎 So What Is It?

1️⃣ If the assignment allows collaboration

Then this is legitimate academic collaboration.

Discussion, exchanging notes, and brainstorming are normal scholarly practices.

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2️⃣ If the assignment requires independent work

Then this becomes closer to:

Unauthorized collaboration

Even if not classic plagiarism (copying text), it may violate academic integrity because:

• The structure and argument path are not independently constructed.
  
  

• The instructor expects individual intellectual development.
  
  

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⚖️ Is It Plagiarism?

Not in the strict sense of copying words.

But under MLA’s broader definition of academic integrity, plagiarism includes:

• Submitting work that is not wholly your own intellectual effort.
  
  

• Failing to acknowledge collaborative contributions when required.
  

So this situation is best described as:

Improper or undocumented collaboration
— not direct plagiarism, but potentially an integrity violation.

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🧭 How Should Boundaries Operate?

Clear Academic Boundaries Should Include:

Allowed	Not Allowed (Without Permission)
Discussing general ideas	Writing outlines together
Reviewing concepts	Developing identical thesis statements
Studying examples	Sharing full argument structure
Clarifying readings	Dividing parts of the same essay

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📝 How Credit Should Work

If collaboration meaningfully shapes the essay:

• Students should ask the instructor if joint discussion is permitted.
  
  

• If appropriate, a brief note can be added:
  
  “I discussed preliminary ideas with [Name], but the writing and analysis are my own.”
  

Transparency protects everyone.

If I were the student:

• I would clarify expectations before collaborating.
  
  

• I would ensure my outline, thesis, and structure are independently formed.
  
  

• When in doubt, disclose collaboration.

Academic writing values independent intellectual labor unless collaboration is explicitly allowed.

Discussion is normal.
Shared intellectual construction of the same paper is not — unless permitted.

3. A student uses two pages of their essay submitted in last semester’s course and integrates it into a new assignment without citing themselves. 

Does MLA treat this as plagiarism? What is this type of plagiarism called? What would an ethical approach look like here?

📘 Is This Plagiarism According to MLA?

Yes.
Under the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, this is considered a form of plagiarism if the student reuses old work without permission.

Even though the student wrote it themselves, submitting it again as “new” work is misleading.

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What Is It Called?

This is called:

• Self-plagiarism
  

• Or duplicate submission
  

It means reusing your own previous assignment without telling the instructor.

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❓ Why Is It a Problem?

Because:

• The assignment expects new and original work.
  
  

• Reusing old work gives credit for something already graded.
  
  

• It is not honest about how much new effort was done.
  

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✅ What Is the Ethical Way?

The student should:

1. Ask the instructor first if reuse is allowed.
   
   

2. Inform clearly if any part is from a previous paper.
   
   

3. Revise and expand instead of copying fully.