Plagiarism Definition Essay

There are many definitions and misconceptions on what the meaning, or definition, or plagiarism is. According to Plagiarism.org, the Merriam-Webster dictionary says it means “to steal and pass off ideas of another as your own, use of production without giving due credit, or to present an idea as original or new from an existing source” (Plagiarism.org, 2017). In the simplest of terms, to plagiarize is to steal ideas or words of anyone else and play it off as though they are your own original thoughts. It also includes paraphrasing writing without correctly citing it. Although it may not be a direct quote, the use of someone else’s general idea should still be cited (Janechek). However, plagiarism is not limited to literary work. It can also include the use of copyrighted or stolen images, videos and music (Plagiarism.org, 2017). This is seen frequently on social media and in the tabloids, as many artists accuse others for the

unsolicited use of their original music in movies or other songs.
As previously stated, plagiarism can occur in a variety of different ways, sometimes even unknowingly.

The most common understanding of when plagiarism happens is when someone turns in a direct copy of the work of someone else. This can include research papers, lab reports, articles, and much more. This also includes, but is not limited to, the use of direct quotes without proper citation. The use of a direct quote is not considered plagiarism if it is properly cited to give credit to the original owner. Excluding citations in a paper is a prime example of plagiarism. Another example of when plagiarism occurs is through paraphrasing. Even though the words are switched around, it is still considered plagiarism because the idea is not original (Janechek). If I did not include the author at the end of the previous paragraph, it would have been an example of plagiarism. This is because even though I did not directly quote the article, I did use the work of the author as a building block to my paragraph, making the work unoriginal on my

part.
According to Joe Moxley, the best way to avoid unintentional academic dishonesty is understand the rules of proper citation (WritingCommons.org). It is important to cite after paraphrasing, or using any other idea that is not yours. If you ever wonder whether or not to cite in a paper, think back to whether or not you knew the information before reading the article. If the answer is no, cite. If you are still unsure of the answer, cite anyway just to be careful. Most authors use the “three or more words” rule to determine whether or not citation is necessary (Moxley).