MLA Guidelines

Plagiarism—What is it?

            Plagiarism is using a person’s ideas,  words, sound files, or graphics without giving credit to the source.  It is equivalent to theft. 

            One example of plagiarism would be to use a direct quote from a source, either print or non-print, without attributing it to the author.  Merely changing a few words in a quote does not make it yours, either.  Even paraphrasing a person’s ideas without giving proper credit is plagiarism.

            Taking copyrighted pictures for your Power Point presentations and reports without citing sources is not only plagiarism, but copyright infringement as well.

            Information found on the Internet on web sites or on electronic databases should likewise be credited to its source.  Copying from web sites and databases is just as much plagiarism as copying from a print source.

            If the information is common knowledge, you do not need to cite it.  For example, if a source lists all of the wonderful talents exhibited by Mozart as a child, you can safely say that Mozart was a child prodigy.

            Many colleges and universities have severe penalties for students who plagiarize.  It can even lead to failing the course and dismissal from the college. 

            The penalties for plagiarizing at Logan Elm include “failure on test or lesson involved, reduced grade, failure for grading period, parent notification” (Logan Elm Student Handbook 24).