Mechanics of Academic Integrity

Plagiarism involves using someone else’s work or research as your own.

There are many types of plagiarism, and it doesn’t always happen on purpose. You can plagiarize accidentally, by:

forgetting to cite
losing a citation
unknowingly omitting necessary citations.

Remember, even ideas must be referenced if they come from a source other than you.

Acting with academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism is easier if you have an appreciation for the idea that information has value. What does this mean? Information can have value in a lot of different ways:

Information about a company or stock market trend could have financial value.
Information about a scientific discovery could be valuable to public health.
Information also can have educational value when you are using it for an assignment or research paper.

The idea that information has value often is described as “intellectual property.” Intellectual property is an idea or invention that comes from someone’s mind. Copyright law revolves around this concept.

Another way to respect the value of a piece of information is by using it in proper context. Avoid misusing or altering the information you find. Giving context to your information provides a fuller, more accurate picture of your research and arguments.

Using sources in a responsible and ethical manner and providing credit where credit is due keeps your ideas from being confused with the work of others.

Citing the ideas of professionals enhances your argument and provides support for your ideas. It also allows you to participate in a “conversation” of ideas with your sources. This idea of scholarship as a conversation conveys the importance of being aware of the places from which you gather information and sources.

Tutorial Video Link

Note: The preceding text is adapted from the transcript of the Credo platform's Academic Integrity video (link above).

Visit CWRU's Academic Integrity policies page for more information.