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Academic Writing & Plagiarism

Instances are increasing where students are taking entire pages (not only one or two passages) from the web or other, usually electronic, sources and incorporating them into term papers and even theses, without proper citation. This is enough to constitute plagiarism. According to the rules of academic practice, an author has to clearly identify all sources used in the preparation of a piece of academic writing. In order to meet the requirement of verifiability, adequate information pertaining to sources needs to be provided, including:

  • the name of the author cited or quoted,
  • the title of the article, book or online material,
  • in the case of articles and books (also electronic versions) – the page(s) cited or quoted,
  • the date and place of publishing,
  • as well as the date of access for internet sources.


Plagiarism is considered to have been committed when an author:

  • submits ready-made essays and assignments from the internet or works by other students,
  • compiles of parts of several works,
  • makes use of long passages without quotation marks,
  • only slightly reformulates another author’s text without mentioning the source,
  • paraphrases a passage without indicating the source.


Being unaware of referencing rules or lacking substantive experience in academic writing are not excuses for plagiarizing. In case of uncertainty, you are encouraged to consult your instructor for referencing instructions. Plagiarism is harmful. First of all, plagiarism harms students who commit it, since vital academic skills such as critical and analytical reading, thinking and writing remain undeveloped. In addition, plagiarism spoils students’ reputation, a critical asset in one’s studies and career. Plagiarism also harms other students, since they invest more effort into studies and may be disadvantaged compared to students whose plagiarism may go undetected. Finally, plagiarism harms the university, since its reputation depends on the conduct of its students, their ability to assume responsibility and deliver academic work of high standard.

 

YouTube Tutorials:

  • Purdue OWL: specific writing skills explained with examples simple exercises
  • Demarcations: specific writing skills explained with examples & exercises

 

Websites on Academic Writing:

 

MOOCs:

 

Help with referencing, citation management, avoiding plagiarism: