Examples of Plagiarism
You may use another person's words, ideas, or information, but to do so without acknowledgment is plagiarism. Perhaps the most serious form of plagiarism is failure to acknowledge the source of a direct quotation or paraphrase. Whether accidental or deliberate, failure to acknowledge that you have borrowed another's language, ideas, or information constitutes plagiarism.
Understanding the most common forms of plagiarism will help you avoid them. Follow the links below to learn more about each type and how to avoid committing them.
Word-for-word borrowing from an unacknowledged source, whether intentional or not.
Mosaic plagiarism occurs when a writer reuses a mix of word, phrases, and ideas from a source without indicating which words and ideas have been borrowed and/or without properly citing the source.
Direct Plagiarism Examples
Example 1:
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Student Writer A: Long ago, when there was no written history, these islands were the home of millions of happy birds; the resort of a hundred times more millions of fishes, sea lions, and other creatures. Here lived innumerable creatures predestined from the creation of the world to lay up a store of wealth for the British farmer, and a store of quite another sort for an immaculate Republican government. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of happy birds, the resort of a hundred times more millions of fishes, of sea lions, and other creatures whose names are not so common; the marine residence, in fact, of innumerable creatures predestined from the creation of the world to lay up a store of wealth for the British farmer, and a store of quite another sort for an immaculate Republican government." |
Writer A has included a word-for-word passage from his/her source without any indication that it is a direct quotation.
Example 2:
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Student Writer A: Long ago, when there was no written history, these islands were the home of millions of happy birds; the resort of a hundred times more millions of fishes, sea lions, and other creatures. Here lived innumerable creatures predestined from the creation of the world to lay up a store of wealth for the British farmer, and a store of quite another sort for an immaculate Republican government. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of happy birds, the resort of a hundred times more millions of fishes, of sea lions, and other creatures whose names are not so common; the marine residence, in fact, of innumerable creatures predestined from the creation of the world to lay up a store of wealth for the British farmer, and a store of quite another sort for an immaculate Republican government." |
Writer A has included a verbatim passage from his/her source and has failed to indicate it's a direct quotation.
Mosaic Plagiarism Examples
Example 1:
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Student Writer B: Only two years later, all these friendly Sioux were suddenly plunged into new conditions, including starvation, martial law on all their reservations, and constant urging by their friends and relations to join in warfare against the treacherous government that had kept faith with neither friend nor foe. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of "Contrast the condition into which all these friendly Indians are suddenly plunged now, with their condition only two years previous: martial law now in force on all their reservations; themselves in danger of starvation, and constantly exposed to the influence of emissaries from their friends and relations, urging them to join in fighting this treacherous government that had kept faith with nobody--neither with friend nor with foe." |
Writer B has borrowed with slight variations an uncited phrase from his/her source. As it's written, the passage would not constitute a paraphrase (even if Writer B had acknowledged his/her source) because it contains keywords from the original source that do not appear in quotation marks.
Example 2:
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Student Writer B: Only two years later, all these friendly Sioux were suddenly plunged into new conditions, including starvation, martial law on all their reservations, and constant urging by their friends and relations to join in warfare against the treacherous government that had kept faith with neither friend nor foe. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of "Contrast the condition into which all these friendly Indians are suddenly plunged now, with their condition only two years previous: martial law now in force on all their reservations; themselves in danger of starvation, and constantly exposed to the influence of emissaries from their friends and relations, urging them to join in fighting this treacherous government that had kept faith with nobody--neither with friend nor with foe." |
Writer B has borrowed an unacknowledged key word from his/her source, and has not indicated the omission of words with an ellipsis.
Example 3:
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Student Writer B: Only two years later, all these friendly Sioux were suddenly plunged into new conditions, including starvation, martial law on all their reservations, and constant urging by their friends and relations to join in warfare against the treacherous government that had kept faith with neither friend nor foe. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of "Contrast the condition into which all these friendly Indians are suddenly plunged now, with their condition only two years previous: martial law now in force on all their reservations; themselves in danger of starvation, and constantly exposed to the influence of emissaries from their friends and relations, urging them to join in fighting this treacherous government that had kept faith with nobody--neither with friend nor with foe." |
Writer B has borrowed an unacknowledged phrase from Jackson and has not indicated with brackets that words have been added to the original.
Example 4:
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Student Writer B: Only two years later, all these friendly Sioux were suddenly plunged into new conditions, including starvation, martial law on all their reservations, and constant urging by their friends and relations to join in warfare against the treacherous government that had kept faith with neither friend nor foe. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of "Contrast the condition into which all these friendly Indians are suddenly plunged now, with their condition only two years previous: martial law now in force on all their reservations; themselves in danger of starvation, and constantly exposed to the influence of emissaries from their friends and relations, urging them to join in fighting this treacherous government that had kept faith with nobody--neither with friend nor with foe." |
Writer B has borrowed an unacknowledged phrase from Jackson without indicating changes he/she has made, including the omission of material and changes in grammar and word choice.
Example 5:
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Student Writer B: Only two years later, all these friendly Sioux were suddenly plunged into new conditions, including starvation, martial law on all their reservations, and constant urging by their friends and relations to join in warfare against the treacherous government that had kept faith with neither friend nor foe. |
Source: "In ages which have no record these islands were the home of millions of "Contrast the condition into which all these friendly Indians are suddenly plunged now, with their condition only two years previous: martial law now in force on all their reservations; themselves in danger of starvation, and constantly exposed to the influence of emissaries from their friends and relations, urging them to join in fighting this treacherous government that had kept faith with nobody--neither with friend nor with foe." |
Writer B has borrowed a phrase from Jackson without acknowledging the source or changes to the original text, including substituting or inserting words without indicating he/she has done so.