Instruction: Basic Level
A video case and the IU definition of plagiarism
Gina discusses her blog with Grace. Gina does not know what plagiarism is. Grace points out that Gina has plagiarized in her blog post. Click the one-minute video below to view this case.
At the end of the video, Grace mentions that plagiarism is against the code of student conduct. Below is an excerpt from the code of conduct at Indiana University. Your school may have a slightly different definition of plagiarism, but the IU definition (in blue) covers the basics:
Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as the submitting student’s own. A student must not present ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use without fully acknowledging the source, unless the information is common knowledge. What is considered “common knowledge” may differ from course to course.
- A student must give credit to the original source whenever:
- Directly quoting another person’s actual words, whether oral or written;
- Using another person’s ideas, opinions, formulas, or theories;
- Paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others;
- Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material; or
- Submitting materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections.
- A student may not submit or present as their own work materials taken in whole or part from a commercial term paper company, files or papers prepared by other persons or programs, or documents found on the Internet.
Blue text above is quoted from Indiana University's Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct. See especially the section within "Responsibilities: B. Academic Misconduct. Students are expected to uphold and maintain academic and professional honesty and integrity" (Part B.4.c. Plagiarism, 2023).