Skip to Content

  • Home
  • Study
  • Student life
  • Research
  • About
  • Contact us
Go to the Massey University home page

Massey University

Library | Alumni Portal | Staffroom | MyMassey
Massey University > OWLL > Referencing > Introduction to referencing > Plagiarism

OWLL

  • About OWLL
    • FAQ
    • Search OWLL
    • Contact us
    • Handouts (Printable)
    • Pre-reading Service
    • Workshops
      • StudyUp
      • StudyUp Recordings
      • StudyUp Postgraduate
    • Videos
    • Site map
  • Academic writing
    • Intro to academic writing
      • What is academic writing?
      • Writing objectively
      • Writing concisely
      • 1st vs. 3rd person
      • Inclusive language
      • Te Reo Māori
    • Assignment planning
      • Assignment planning calculator
      • Interpreting the assignment question
      • Command words
      • Organising points
    • Researching
      • Identifying academic sources
      • Evaluating source quality
    • Editing & proofreading
      • Apostrophes
      • Commas
      • Other punctuation
      • Active voice
      • American vs. British spelling
      • Articles
      • Conditionals
      • Prepositions
      • Pronoun Reference
      • Sentence fragments
      • Sentence Structure
      • Subject-verb agreement
      • Verb tense
      • Formatting and layout
      • Word limits and assignment length
      • Commonly confused words
    • How assignments are marked
      • Marking guides
      • Getting an A
      • Levels of assessment
      • Using feedback
    • Professional emails
    • Forum posts
      • Forum netiquette guidelines
      • Sharing personal information
      • Writing about personal experiences
  • Assignment types
    • Essay
      • What is an essay?
      • Essay planning and structure
      • Introduction
      • Thesis statement
      • Body paragraphs
      • Essay flow
      • Conclusion
      • Essay revision
      • Essay writing resources
    • Report
      • What is a report?
      • Report structure
      • Analysing issues for a report
    • Business report
      • What is a business report?
      • Business report structure
      • Inductive vs. deductive reports
      • Other kinds of business communication
      • Business report writing resources
      • Business report format and layout
    • Lab report
      • What is a lab report?
      • Lab report structure
      • Science lab report writing resources
      • Psychology lab report writing resources
      • Lab report body paragraphs
    • Literature review
      • What is a literature review?
      • Writing a literature review
      • Literature review structure
      • Literature review writing resources
    • Research proposal
      • Writing a research proposal
      • Research proposal structure
    • Other types
      • Article critique
      • Book review
      • Annotated bibliography
      • Reflective writing
      • Oral presentation
      • Abstract
      • Thesis / dissertation
      • Article / conference paper
      • Shorter responses
      • Group work
  • Computer skills
    • Microsoft Word
      • Basic formatting
      • Images, tables, & figures
      • Long documents
    • Microsoft Excel
      • Basic spreadsheets
      • Navigating & printing spreadsheets
      • Charts / graphs & formulas
    • Microsoft PowerPoint
      • Basic skills
      • Advanced skills
    • Stream
  • Distance study
    • Getting started
    • How to study
    • Online study techniques
    • Distance support
  • ESOL study
    • Reading & writing
      • Reading strategies
      • Writing strategies
      • Grammar resources
    • Listening & speaking
      • Listening strategies
      • Speaking strategies
  • Maths & statistics
    • Arithmetic
    • Algebra
    • Calculus
    • Trigonometry
    • Statistics
    • Finance formulas
  • Postgraduate study
    • Intro to postgrad study
      • Planning postgrad study
      • Postgrad resources
    • Postgrad assignment types
  • Referencing
    • Intro to referencing
      • What is referencing?
      • Why reference?
      • Plagiarism
      • Turnitin
      • Common knowledge
      • Referencing styles
      • What type of source is this?
      • Reference list vs. bibliography
      • Referencing software
    • Quoting & paraphrasing
      • Quoting
      • Paraphrasing & summarising
      • Paraphrasing techniques
    • APA style
      • APA Interactive
      • In-text citation
      • Reference list
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Headings in APA
      • Tables and Figures
      • Referencing elements
      • 5th vs. 6th edition
      • 6th vs. 7th edition
    • Chicago style
      • Chicago Interactive
      • About notes system
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Notes referencing elements
      • Quoting and paraphrasing
      • Author-date system
    • MLA style
      • MLA Interactive
      • Abbreviations
      • In-text citation
      • List of works cited
      • Books
      • Journals
      • Online material
      • Other material
      • Referencing elements
      • Captions for images
      • 8th vs 9th edition
    • Footnotes
      • Oxford style
      • Chicago style
    • Other styles
      • Harvard style
      • Vancouver style
      • Legal citations
      • Visual material
      • NZVJ style
  • Sample assignments
    • Sample essay 1
    • Sample essay 2
    • Sample annotated bibliography
    • Sample book review
  • Study skills
    • Time management
      • Intro to time management
      • Procrastination & perfectionism
      • Goals & motivation
      • Time management for internal students
      • Time management for distance students
    • Memory skills
      • Principles of good memory
      • Memory strategies
    • Note-taking
      • Note-taking methods
      • Mind maps
      • Note-taking in lectures
      • Note-taking while reading
      • Digital note-taking
    • Reading
      • Reading styles
      • Skimming
      • Scanning
      • In-depth reading
      • Reading comprehension
      • Reading academic material
      • Reading a journal article
      • Reading an academic book
    • Critical thinking
      • What is critical thinking?
      • Constructing an argument
      • Critical reading
      • Logical fallacies
  • Tests & exams
    • Exam & test study
      • Planning exam study
      • Gathering & sorting information
      • Reviewing past exams
      • Phases of revision
      • Last-minute study strategies
    • Question types
      • Essay
      • Short answer
      • Multi-choice
      • Problem / computational
      • Case-study / scenario
      • Oral
      • Open book exam
      • Open web exam or test
      • Take home test
    • In the exam
      • Online exam
      • Physical exam

Plagiarism

Massey University's Student Academic Integrity Policy (AB10/110) defines plagiarism as:

  • Copying of sentences, paragraphs, computer files, research data, creative products that are the works of other persons, without appropriate acknowledgement.
  • Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs or themes without appropriate acknowledgement.
  • Submitting one's own previously assessed or published work for assessment or publication elsewhere, without appropriate acknowledgement and/or approval.
  • Substituting material obtained from internet-based essay depositories (paper mills) or similar sources.
  • Submission of work overly reliant on model answers or sample solutions provided in the course materials.

In the context of an assignment, plagiarism occurs when information from another source is used without being credited correctly. This source can be a book, a journal article, an image, or a website: anything that was written, designed, or created by someone else.

There are several common mistakes that can lead to plagiarism:

  • Copying a series of words without telling the reader where those words came from
  • Copying a series of words without putting them inside quotation marks
  • Paraphrasing (rephrasing) another source, but only changing a few words
  • Using the facts or ideas from another source without telling the reader where they came from
  • Copying images, in whole or part, without including captions or telling the reader where they came from

Plagiarism fits under the broader category of Academic Integrity (AI).

There can be significant academic penalties for plagiarising in an assignment. Because of this, many new students are understandably anxious about accidentally plagiarising.

Avoiding plagiarism

How to avoid plagiarism

This interactive online tutorial will help you learn what plagiarism is, why and how students get in trouble for it and how to use ideas or quotes from your research effectively.

Plagiarism is easy to avoid, by applying two simple rules:

  • If you copy more than about three consecutive words from a source, put the words in quotation marks
  • If you use any words, ideas, opinions, information, or images from a source, cite and reference the source

Examples of plagiarism

The following sentences are taken from Lazar (2006, p. 81):

There are many advantages to using electronic surveys. It's possible that targeted users will respond more quickly to electronic surveys than to paper surveys (because they do not have to worry about finding a stamp and a mailbox).

cross Using the wording of a source without including quotation marks or a citation is plagiarism:

Surveys can be conducted in person, by post, or electronically. It's possible that targeted users will respond more quickly to electronic surveys than to paper surveys (because they do not have to worry about finding a stamp and a mailbox).

cross If you are quoting directly, and a citation is included but not quotation marks, the result is still plagiarism:

Surveys can be conducted in person, by post, or electronically. However, it's possible that targeted users will respond more quickly to electronic surveys than to paper surveys (because they do not have to worry about finding a stamp and a mailbox) (Lazar, 2006, p. 81).

tick If an assignment uses the wording of a source, both quotation marks and a citation must be included:

Surveys can be conducted in person, by post, or electronically. However, “it's possible that targeted users will respond more quickly to electronic surveys than to paper surveys (because they do not have to worry about finding a stamp and a mailbox)” (Lazar, 2006, p. 81).

Plagiarism doesn't just mean copying words from another source, however.

cross Using the ideas of a source you have read, even if you write it in a different way, is still plagiarism:

Paper surveys take longer than those conducted online, because of practical considerations.

tick Quotation marks are not necessary if you have changed the wording (paraphrasing), but an in-text citation is still necessary:

Paper surveys take longer than those conducted online, because of practical considerations (Lazar, 2006).

Plagiarism anxiety

Many new students worry about accidentally plagiarising. This is perfectly natural! The rules of referencing are complex and intimidating at first. Academic study involves a lot of reading, and it can be difficult to keep track of the sources of ideas. Most study guides contain stern warnings about the penalties for plagiarism.

It's actually very difficult to plagiarise accidentally.

  • If you follow the guidelines on this page, plagiarism is easily avoided
  • Keep clear notes while reading for an assignment, so that the source for all ideas is easy to recall
  • If you are unsure whether to reference something or not, err on the side of caution and reference it
  • If you have any doubts, ask your lecturer or tutor or Contact us

Copyright

For information on how copyright affects students, see here:

  • Students and copyright

References and further reading

Gibaldi, J. (2009). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (7th ed.). Modern Language Association of America. [Massey Library link]

Kennedy, M. L., & Smith, H. M. (2001). Reading and writing in the academic community (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall. [Massey Library link]

Summers, J., & Smith, B. (2003). Communication skills handbook: How to succeed in written and oral communication (Rev. ed.). John Wiley & Sons. [Massey Library link]

Wallace, A., Schirato, T., & Bright, P. (1999). Beginning university: Thinking, researching and writing for success. Allen & Unwin. [Massey Library link]

Have a study or assignment writing question? Ask an expert at Academic Q+A forum

Get feedback on your draft assignment at Academic Writing and Learning Support

Need help with your assignment or referencing? Contact a consultant and receive online and/or face-to-face support

Page authorised by Director - Centre for Learner Success
Last updated on 30 September, 2020

Academic Q+A

Have a study or assignment writing question? Ask an expert at Academic Q+A

Live online workshops

  • StudyUp (undergraduate)
  • StudyUp Postgraduate
  • Library

Campus workshops

  • Campus workshops
  • 0800 MASSEY | (+64 6 350 5701)
  • TXT 5222
  • contact@massey.ac.nz
  • Web chat
  • Online form
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North
4442
New Zealand
Site map | A-Z index | Disclaimer | Privacy
Copyright © 1998 - 2010 Massey University. All rights reserved.