When does research end and when does creative thinking start? This is the dilemma most scholars have to face at one time or another; let's face it, you are scholars whether you are an undergraduate freshman or a faculty member.
A definition of plagiarism can not be complete without exploring what scholarship involves. In a nutshell, scholarship entails researching, understanding, and building upon the work of others. By extension and by necessity, it also requires that proper credit be given for any “borrowed” or "used" material; unless the material you are working on is completely original, you have to demonstrate the historicity and the basis of the research you initiated.
Plagiarism, which is a form of cheating has been around since the first caveperson's stick figures were copied endlessly in the next grotto. However, and since the advent of the Internet and more specifically the World Wide Web, it has become increasingly easy to "copy & paste" from a page to a word processor document. The practice of plagiarism proliferated exponentially in the last 10 to 15 years. In other words, why do people plagiarize? Because it is easy to do, and it is also easy to get away with it: most professors think plagiarizing is easy to spot but hard to prove.
What is the difference between academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism? They are related in term of hierarchical significance: both cheating and plagiarism fall under the "academic dishonesty" (or "academic fraud") heading. The latter, which also involves "fabrication", encompasses all activities construed as not playing by the Academic Rules, giving one an unfair advantage. Some scholars define plagiarism as a sub-category of cheating, some as the same level and seriousness as cheating, thus being a direct subset of Academic Dishonesty.
This guide builds upon a previous web guide created by Ingrid Wang and Paul Tremblay. Special thanks to Paul Tremblay for his contributions.
