Resources

Plagiarism Awareness and Avoidance

What is plagiarism? According to the Willamette University Plagiarism Policy web site (http://www.willamette.edu/cla/catalog/Sect3/aca.html#plag) "Cheating is any form of intellectual dishonesty or misrepresentation of one’s knowledge. Plagiarism, a form of cheating, consists of representing someone else’s work as one’s own."

Why do students plagiarize? Understanding the causes can assist in avoidance.

Poor study and time management habits
Lack of interest in or sense of ownership of the assignment
Poor writing skills
Ignorance - students may not understand what plagiarism is, how to properly cite sources, and why giving proper credit is important

Willamette University takes plagiarism violations very seriously, so be sure you understand what plagiarism is, how to prevent it, and why it is so important to the quality of your education. Think you already know how to recognize plagiarized material? Try this test (from Indiana University). You might be quite surprised!

During summer 2002, Willamette University subscribed to Turnitin.com, a widely-used plagiarism prevention and education service that allows access via the web for instructors and students. Instructors may or may not choose to use Turnitin, or they may choose Turnitin in combination with other plagiarism prevention techniques. If you have questions or concerns about a possible plagiarism issue, please consult with your intructor as soon as possible, and check out the IDC Plagiarism web site for more information.