A presentation on plagiarism aimed at undergraduates, featuring the unicorn.

1. PLAGIARISM
By Vicky Ludas Orlofsky What It Is, Why It's Bad, and How To Avoid It

2. What is Plagiarism?
The uncredited copying of another person's words or ideas.
Plagiarism = theft.

3. How much have you really
learned if you’re just
copying someone else?

4. Plagiarism: An Example
Original text: "The unicorn, one of the most fabulous of all
hybrid creatures, has appealed to the imagination as much
as the dragon, from the early days of civilization to our own
time. Not as old as the dragon, its features are not as ugly
or repulsive. ... Its most significant attributes include, first of
all, the single horn, which is frequently spiralled, the speed
of its action, its solitary habits and the colors ascribed to its
body and horn. Like the dragon it is ambivalent in
character: it can be very gentle and bestow a number of
benefits; it can also be the most ferocious of adversaries." Image from:
http://thinkprettythoughts.com/storage/Unic
orn.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION
=1286026372497
Suhr, E.G. (1964, Summer). An interpretation of the unicorn. Folklore 75(2), 91-109.

5. Copying Without Quoting
Plagiarized: The unicorn is as much a part of cultural
history as the dragon, but its features are not as
ugly or repulsive. Though its physical
characteristics remain relatively stable, the single
horn being the most obvious, it is ambivalent in
character; it can be very gentle or it can be
ferocious.

6. How to Fix It
Fixed: The unicorn is as much a part of cultural
history as the dragon, but Suhr (1964) notes that
"its features are not as ugly or repulsive" (91).
Though its physical characteristics remain relatively
stable, the single horn being the most obvious, "it
is ambivalent in character; it can be very gentle
or it can be ferocious" (Suhr 1964, 91).

7. Back to the Unicorn
Original text: "The unicorn, one of the most fabulous of all
hybrid creatures, has appealed to the imagination as much
as the dragon, from the early days of civilization to our own
time. Not as old as the dragon, its features are not as ugly
or repulsive. ... Its most significant attributes include, first of
all, the single horn, which is frequently spiralled, the speed
of its action, its solitary habits and the colors ascribed to its
body and horn. Like the dragon it is ambivalent in
character: it can be very gentle and bestow a number of
benefits; it can also be the most ferocious of adversaries." Image from:
http://thinkprettythoughts.com/storage/Unic
orn.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION
=1286026372497
Suhr, E.G. (1964, Summer). An interpretation of the unicorn. Folklore 75(2), 91-109.

8. Copying Ideas or Organization
Plagiarized: The unicorn, a wondrous beast, has
been as fascinating as the dragon, from ancient
times to the present. Though the idea of the
unicorn is younger than that of the dragon, it is
much more appealing in looks, especially the
single horn, which is usually a spiral. Similar
todragons, it can be either friend or foe.

9. How to Fix It
Fixed: Suhr describes how the mythical unicorn has
been as fascinating to people as the dragon since
it was first devised. Though the idea of the unicorn
is younger than that of the dragon, he notes that it
has been seen as much more appealing in looks,
especially the single, usually spiral horn. He also
cites the unicorn's ambivalence, similar to that of
the dragon, in that it can be either friend or foe
(Suhr 1964, 91).

10. Consequences
• Mild  Written warning
• Severe  Immediate interim suspension, suspension,
expulsion, or revocation of a degree

11. Don’t Let This Be You!
2006: KaavyaViswanathan, Harvard sophomore, 2-book deal from Little, Brown
Plagiarized!
Opal Mehta (2006), page 14: "Priscilla was
my age and lived two blocks away. For the Sloppy Firsts (2001), page 7: "Bridget is my age and
first fifteen years of my life, those were the lives across the street. For the first twelve years of my
only qualifications I needed in a best friend. life, these qualifications were all I needed in a best
… But that was before freshman year, when friend. But that was before Bridget's braces came off
Priscilla's glasses came off, and the first in a and her boyfriend Burke got on, before Hope and I met
long string of boyfriends got on” (quoted in in our seventh grade Honors classes” (quoted in Zhou
Zhou 2006a). 2006a).
“an act of literary identity theft”
(Steve Ross, quoted in Zhou 2006b)

12. Self-Test
Ask yourself:
Am I deliberately recalling any particular source
of information as I write this paper?
Am I consulting any source as I write this paper?
(Pratt Institute Student Handbook 2012, 137)

13. How to Avoid It
Cite it!
• Put quotation marks around exact wording with the author, year, and page
number in parentheses: “My cat is furry” (Smith 1999, 23).
• Paraphrase ideas while attributing them to their original author, and include
the year in parentheses: Smith (1999) said his cat was furry.
• Include everything you read or were influenced by in the list of references:
Smith, M. (1999). My cat. Journal of Feline Felicities 43(2), 19-34.
Chunk it!
• "As a general rule, you should not have more than two or three direct quotes
per page of writing, and these quotes should be less than four lines of text
each." (Plagiarism and the internet, Strayer University 2012)
• Do a block quotation for long quotations more than 40 words, but these should
be minimal!
• Anything more than that should be summarized and paraphrased, and the
original source cited.
Use Turnitin!

14. References
Pratt Institute (2012). Student Handbook 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012 from
http://www.pratt.edu/uploads/5445_student_handbook_2012.pdf.
Strayer University (n.d.). Consequences of plagiarism. Retrieved 20 October 2012 from
https://icampus.strayer.edu/lrc/plagiarism/consequences.
Strayer University (n.d.). Plagiarism. Retrieved 20 October 2012 from
https://icampus.strayer.edu/lrc/plagiarism.
Suhr, E.G. (1964, Summer). An interpretation of the unicorn. Folklore 75(2), 91-109.
Zhou, D. (2006, April 23). Examples of similar passages between Viswanathan’s book and
McCafferty’s two novels. Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 22 October 2012 from
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/4/23/examples-of-similar-passages-between-
viswanathans/.
Zhou, D. (2006, April 26). Publisher rejects Soph’s apology. Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 22 October
2012 from http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/4/26/publisher-rejects-sophs-apology-
the-publisher/.