PSY 205: Research Methods I: Plagiarism

The first of two courses in understanding research methods in psychology and the statistical techniques that are used to analyze psychological data. The course will focus on ethical research practice, reviewing the psychological literature, basic non-expe

Intro to Plagiarism

Plagiarism 2.0 Information Ethics in the Digital Age
For a generation raised on the ideology of “open source” and the ability to quickly cut and paste, the concept of plagiarism may seem foreign or passé. And that, of course, can lead to trouble. This video examines the behaviors that constitute plagiarism, their consequences, and the best ways to avoid them. Showing how accidental copying as well as willful plagiarism can occur, the program lays out the dangers of cheating, then illustrates the pitfalls of nonattribution and patch writing while showing how to properly attribute and paraphrase a lengthy quotation. Copyright, trademark, and intellectual property concepts are clearly discussed, in addition to potential sources of noncopyrighted material. Common citation formats (APA, MLA, Bluebook, etc.) are listed along with the suggestion that the student confer with his or her instructor about them.
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“Plagiarism 2.0: Information Ethics in the Digital Age.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 2011,

Important Definitions

Copyright. Copyright is designed to protect the creator from having their creation stolen or copied. Copyright protects music, poetry, art, photography, and many other mediums that are considered in a "fixed state." Copyright happens the moment the work is created. If you are an author, artist, or creator of some kind, be sure and apply for copyright and be careful about sharing to the whole world on the internet.

Fair Use. Students and teachers have some leeway in using copyrighted material as long as it is for educational purposes. This does not mean that you can simply ignore copyright. Be careful to always cite books, articles, music, art, photography and other copyright-protected media in every type of project or paper.

Public Domain. Works that are not covered by individual copyright are considered available for the public to use without permission. Works that have expired copyright can be used without permission. Works in the public domain include the Bible and some similar religious texts, fairy tales and folk tales, government publications and documents. Depending on the citation method you are using, you may need to cite these sources

What is plagiarism?

The Random House dictionary defines plagiarism as "the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work."

Consequences at Saint Leo

Academic Honor Code

Saint Leo University holds all students to the highest standards of honesty and personal integrity in every phase of their academic life. All students have a responsibility to uphold the Academic Honor Code by refraining from any form of academic misconduct, presenting only work that is genuinely their own, and reporting any observed instance of academic dishonesty to a faculty member.

The University will hold a student responsible for their actions. Academic dishonesty will be sanctioned. For more information on penalties, see the Academic Honor Code.

Types of plagiarism

There are two kinds of plagiarism; intentional and unintentional.

Intentional plagiarism means that you are doing it on purpose. You know that you are doing something wrong. There are three types of intentional plagiarism.

Cheating - turning in a paper written by someone else, turning in a paper you wrote at a different school, turning in a paper you wrote for a different class, turning in a paper you downloaded or purchased
Non-attribution - spelling mistakes or missing information in citations, careless or missing citations, citations on the reference page do not match in-text or parenthetical citations
Patch-writing - switching around a few words in an otherwise copied sentence or paragraph.

Unintentional plagiarism means that you have plagiarized, but not on purpose. Most unintentional plagiarism happens when you are rushing due to poor time management. Be sure you give yourself plenty of time. Learn how to do citations properly. Be careful as you write to incorporate information from sources as quotes or paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing means that you have put information from a source into your own words. You need to use in-text or parenthetical citations with paraphrasing.

Quotes, the exact words from a source, should be placed in quotation marks with the proper citation. Be careful not to have too many quotes or long passages of quotes.

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