To maintain academic integrity, avoiding plagiarism is crucial to producing work with a proper citation and credit to the original source. Plagiarism is when someone presents someone else's words, ideas, and work as their own without crediting the source. Improper paraphrasing can sometimes lead to a violation of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism.
It is crucial for students, especially those planning to study abroad, to learn about plagiarism since international universities/colleges are serious about academic dishonesty. Like other universities, Parami University does not tolerate any forms of plagiarism. The most common consequences of plagiarism in the university include failing a course, academic suspension or probation, and even expulsion in a worse case.
How do you know if you plagiarize? Now, let's explore different forms of plagiarism, which can be done intentionally and unintentionally. These examples are drawn from the academic integrity policy developed by the Academic Affairs of Parami University.
Cloning and Mashup:
Copying others' words without explicit acknowledgment and proper citation.
Mashup is copying and pasting materials from multiple sources without clear acknowledgment. The difference with cloning is that various sources are combined.
All sources should be quoted and referenced appropriately.
Paraphrasing and Remix:
The work of others is used by changing a few words and/or the order of words.
While putting things in one's own words is encouraged, the source should be cited appropriately when paraphrasing.
A remix is paraphrasing in one's own words without appropriate referencing.
Inaccurate Citation:
All citations must be correct, according to the conventions of the discipline.
This applies to in-text references and reference lists/bibliography.
In principle, primary texts should be studied and cited; however, if a secondary text is consulted, this should become clear, and the citation should follow the discipline's conventions.
Self-plagiarism:
It is recycling or reusing one's own words from work submitted previously as course assignments or assessments.
If the earlier work is published, it should be cited as a standard reference.
If not published but used previously, the student needs to check specific policies for using past work and seek the professor's permission.
Group Work and Collaboration:
In line with the principles of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility, responsible academic behavior with group work means engaging in authorized collaboration only, credit assistance if received, and following exact regulations of the group project.
Responsibility also refers to the obligation to ensure which part of the group work should be one's own.
Adapting and submitting work from other students as one's own is plagiarism.
"Upholding the principles of academic integrity is a way of protecting the integrity of the community as a whole, but it is also about your own learning and development process as a student or a professional academic. Academically dishonest behavior hurts the community, just as it damages your learning path."⸺Dr. Romina de Jong, Dean of Academic Affairs at Parami University.