Plagiarism can refer to a wide range of academic integrity issues both inside and outside of academic writing. The Writing Center’s plagiarism prevention modules focus specifically on the appropriate ways writers should incorporate and cite sources they use in their writing.

In these modules you will:

  • Explore examples of plagiarism,
  • Practice the appropriate way to cite sources to avoid plagiarism, and
  • Learn about possible writing habits that might encourage or contribute to a writer plagiarizing.

Because there are different types of plagiarism, the Writing Center has created two plagiarism modules: Avoiding Overt Plagiarism and Avoiding Passive Plagiarism. Review the information about each module and watch the module preview below before choosing which one best fits your needs and will help you develop your writing and citing skills. 

Avoiding Overt Plagiarism

Overt plagiarism is one type of plagiarism, often called “copy and paste” plagiarism. Writers exhibit overt plagiarism when they include direct quotes (word-for-word repetitions) of sources without proper attribution of that source: quotation marks and a citation.

This module might be appropriate for you to complete if you

  • Are unsure how to include and properly cite quotations of sources in your writing, get help from the best
  • Are unfamiliar with U.S. academic conventions for incorporating quotations of sources in your writing.
  • Have received feedback from your faculty or the Writing Center that you need to incorporate more quotation marks and citations for quotations in your writing.

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Avoiding Passive Plagiarism

Passive plagiarism is another type of plagiarism, often called “patchwork paraphrasing.” This type of plagiarism most often occurs when writers do not properly paraphrase sources or include enough citations for their sources.

This module might be appropriate for you to complete if you

  • Are unsure how to properly paraphrase sources or are new to APA, citing sources, or paraphrasing.
  • Are unfamiliar with U.S. academic conventions for paraphrasing sources.
  • Have received feedback from your faculty or the Writing Center that you (a) need to use your own word choice or sentence structure when paraphrasing or (b) need to add more citations of sources in your writing.
  • Its important to note that instance of plagiarism will result to harsh action especially for your capstone projects. So let us handle your capstone projects for the best outcomes

Why do I need to make sure that my sources are cited?

There is a possibility that you have the notion that plagiarism is a concept that cannot be changed or that it is a legitimate construct that is founded on facts and laws; nevertheless, the truth is somewhat different.

Plagiarism is a societal expectation. While there are regulations that protect intellectual property, plagiarism in academic settings is more often the result of cultural values and expectations. These values and expectations have formed the manner in which students, instructors, and researchers are expected to use sources. A lot of cultures have very different ideas about what constitutes polite behavior, and source usage is very similar. From this point of view, it is essential to keep in mind that the ways in which various cultures approach the utilization of sources are not erroneous or improper just because they contrast with the academic expectations of the West about the avoidance of plagiarism.

If you are enrolled in an academic program that is based on Western academic principles, then it is simply a fact that you will be culturally expected to participate in avoiding plagiarism based on the cultural context in which you are taking courses. This is due to the fact that Western academic principles are the standard for academic programs. This is somewhat similar to how you might practice different greetings or interaction conventions depending on where you visit or where you call your nation of residence. In the same way that you might give a hearty handshake with direct eye contact in Germany, but you might bow of varying lengths depending on the person you are seeing in Japan, we shall mention our references in Western academic institutions.