Library Resources for the USD - Sioux Falls: Plagiarism

According to the South Dakota Board of Regents Policy 3:4 

Plagiarism (which) is defined as, but is not limited to, the following:

• the use, by paraphrase of direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement consistent with accepted practices of the discipline

• the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.

Common knowledge: facts that can be found in numerous places and are likely to be known by a lot of people.

Examples:

This is generally known information or “common knowledge” and therefore, you do not need to document this fact.

Blending

Mixing words or ideas from an unacknowledged source in with your own words or ideas.

Mixing together uncited words and ideas from several sources into a single work.

Mixing together properly cited uses of a source with uncited uses.

Direct Plagiarism

A phrase or passage that is copied word for word, but not quoted.

Insufficient Acknowledgement

Half crediting source; whereby you acknowledge the author’s work the first time, but continue to use the author’s words without giving additional attribution.

Paraphrasing

Rephrasing another person’s work and inserting into your own work without acknowledging the original source.

When to cite:

• Write your own summary without looking at the original text, but remember to cite your sources.

• When taking notes, write down the source information and put it next to the notes so you can easily cite the source.

• Don’t wait until the last minute to write your paper.

• Don’t just copy ideas and words from a source – record your own reactions and thoughts as you do your research. This will give you starting points when you write your paper.