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Plagiarism

What is plagiarism? Why do you need to worry about it?

The Santa Fe Student Conduct Code defines plagiarism as:

"The attempt to represent the work of another as the product of one's own thought, whether the work is published or unpublished. "Plagiarism" includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. This applies to speech and electronic media as well. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling or distributing of term papers or other academic materials."  Santa Fe Student Conduct Code, Article I, O.2.

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty and is a serious offense that may result in failing a class, expulsion from Santa Fe or even denial of credit for classes taken For a complete outline of disciplinary sanctions for academic dishonesty, see the Santa Fe Student Conduct Code, Article IV, page 10.

There are two types of plagiarism: word plagiarism, where you use words and quotes from another source exactly without citing the source, and idea plagiarism, where you use another's ideas without providing credit. When you are using either words or ideas from an external source, you will want to be sure to clearly indicate where each comes from, with citations, quotation marks (as needed), and introductory comments.

Online AI Tools

Online AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Perplexity, can be useful tools for brainstorming concepts and ideas for research. However, you should avoid using them for creating actual content and for your actual research. First, AI tools are notorious for hallucinating information (that is, making things up). This applies both to facts and to sources it may suggest. Second, using AI tools to write any part of assignment and then submitting it is plagiarism. Using AI is specifically listed in the student conduct code as an example of academic dishonesty.

In order to avoid plagiarism, you need to cite all outside information you are incorporating into your paper.

Why Do We Cite?

  • to give credit to others
  • to help our readers find the resources we used to learn more
  • to show off our research skills
  • to avoid plagiarism

When Do I Cite?

Any time you use information or ideas from another person or source you need to cite it. This includes:

  • Direct quotes
  • Paraphrasing
  • Summaries
  • Opinions of others
  • Statistics

How Do I Cite?

To cite, use an in-text citation in your paper (or a note, depending on the citation style), and then a full citation in your bibliography/works cited/list of references, which is at the end of your paper. All direct quotes should be placed in "quotation marks." Remember that in-text citations are essential within your paper to show where each piece of information is coming from; you will need to include these in-text citations to avoid plagiarism, even if you cite the full source at the end of your paper.

Tips on Paraphrasing

Remember, even if you are rephrasing external information in your own words, you will need to cite your sources.

The MLA Handbook has a guide on how to quote and paraphrase in MLA. While it's specific to MLA in-text citations, the general concepts will apply to all writing, regardless of citation style.

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