Avoiding Plagiarism

Note: for additional resources, try the Copyright and Fair Use page.

Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers
Background information and practical strategies for fighting plagiarism.

Citation
Links to online citation tools.

Ethics: Cheating and Plagiarism
In this 4 1/2-minute video clip, teens discuss the reasons they feel pressure to cheat. We then meet ninth graders from a New Jersey high school who evaluate a sample of writing to determine whether it is plagiarized.

Fun With Copyright Traps: 10 Hoax Definitions, Paper Towns, and Other Things That Don’t Exist
A nonfiction cautionary tale on the dangers of plagiarism. Note especially the lawsuit discussed in question #10.

Lazy Cheaters and other Misnomers, Part I and Part II
How to help students avoid the mindset that fosters plagiarism.

How to Recognize Plagiarism
Designed for college freshmen, this tutorial includes a test. Students who score 100% on the test receive a certificate documenting their progress.

Making Plagiarism-Proof Assignments
Three approaches that will encourage academic integrity and good practice.

Plagiarism.org
This site offers teachers extensive support into preventing plagiarism, including insights into why students plagiarize, explanations of copyright, and links to printable handouts.

Plagiarism: How to Avoid It
This page emphasizes avoiding plagiarism by careful, correct citation.

Plagiarism and Note Taking
Good tips on avoiding plagiarism by taking notes effectively.

Plagiarism Checker
Are you suspicious about a passage in a student paper? Use this tool to check whether it has been plagiarized from a Web source.

Paraphrase plagiarism infographic
A paraphrase is among most popular types of a so-called accidental plagiarism. Hence, it’s important to understand how to use it properly. This guide draws a line between plagiarism and paraphrase and helps to memorize the paraphrase principle better.

Plagiarism — Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quotations
The 4 handouts at this page introduce students to note-taking. The "Is this plagiarism?" activity helps students determine how to attribute information.

Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
A discussion of what constitutes plagiarism, examples, and strategies to avoid it.

The Problem of Plagiarism
A discussion of the difference between deliberate and accidental plagiarism.

The Punishable Perils of Plagiarism
A good introduction to plagiarism, this TED video (3:48) is supported by viewing check questions and a 19-page handout on 10 types of plagiarism. Downloadable video resides at YouTube; Adobe Reader required for the handout.

The Shadow Scholar
An article by someone who makes a living writing papers for other people.

Toward a Rational Response to Plagiarism
A college professor puts it succinctly: "Either you can be a teacher or you can be the plagiarism police."

A Way with Words: Exploring Unintentional Plagiarism
"In this lesson, students will examine the case of a particular author accused of stealing another author's work. They then create plagiarized pieces of work and reflect on the writing process."

Consequences of Plagiarism

Army War College revokes Sen. John Walsh's degree
Walsh, 47, was working on a master of strategic studies degree. A review board's report found the plagiarism "egregious."

Ben Carson Apologizes For Plagiarism, Says He's Working To 'Rectify The Situation'
Plagiarism in America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great .

BuzzFeed Politics Writer Is Fired Over Plagiarism
Social media users mentioned instances to the writer's boss.

High school principal resigns after plagiarizing graduation speech
Much of the speech was lifted from bestseller Lean In .

List of Plagiarism Incidents
This list at Wikipedia is regularly updated and includes examples from academia, computer games, journalism, the arts, politics, and more.