If you have ever written a paper for a college course, you have come across the term plagiarism. In fact, your professor probably told you that any known plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the project, or even the class. At Fairfield University, someone caught intentionally plagiarizing can have his degree revoked, even after graduation. What is the big deal about plagiarism, and why do college professors take it so seriously?

According to Webster's Dictionary, to plagiarize is to "steal the ideas or words of another without crediting the source." In other words, plagiarism is when an individual takes something, typically written words, and claims that it is his own work or uses it without acknowledging the original owner.

Plagiarism is against the law in the United States. It is considered a violation of copyright law, as writing and ideas are considered the original author's intellectual property. Paraphrasing, or rewriting someone else's words, without properly crediting the idea to the original author is still considered plagiarism, because the idea is the original author's intellectual property. These links show important information about copyright laws:

United States Copyright Office
Copyright Overview from Cornell University Law School
Copyright Law in the Electronic Environment
Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center

Plagiarism is not a new device. In fact, it is believed that the famous playwright Shakespeare may have stolen his plots from Holinsed, another writer of his time. However, the rise of the Internet and the vast amount of information available online has made the lines between what is fair use of information and what is plagiarism suddenly go a little blurry. Often, people assume that copyright laws do not apply to written words that are published online, but this is not true. These sources outline the ways copyright laws affect published works online:

Online Plagiarism Strikes Blog World
Plagiarism Today
Online Plagiarism Checkers
Internet Plagiarism: Strategies to Deter Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism and the World Wide Web

Most experts in copyright and plagiarism law agree that information that is considered common knowledge is not protected under copyright law. However, as this link from Cal State shows, knowing what is considered common knowledge and what is not is not always easy.

If you are writing something, whether for your personal website, work, or school, how can you avoid plagiarism? The best way to avoid plagiarism is to carefully cite your sources. If an idea or phrase is not your own, give credit where it is due. These sources give excellent insight as to how to properly credit works and avoid plagiarizing.

How to Avoid Plagiarism
Avoiding Plagiarism
Avoiding Plagiarism and Paraphrasing

Remember, when you plagiarize, you are breaking the law. Serious consequences can follow an act of plagiarism, so avoiding it at all costs is the best choice.


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