Plagiarism

According to Merriam-Webster, to plagiarize, one must ...

• steal (ideas and words of another) and pass it off as one's own
• use (another's production) without crediting the source
• commit literary theft
• present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

Plagiarism is an act of fraud.  It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

Fayetteville Technical Community College defines plagiarism as...

"taking credit for another's ideas or works as if they were your own".  

                                                                                                                        pg. 51 of FTCC Student Handbook 2021 -2022

Types of Plagiarism

• Direct Plagiarism: word-for-word transcription of the source material with no citation.
• Mosaic/Structure: choosing synonyms or borrowing phrases from a source without using proper citations or quoting the original source while keeping the basic structure. Sometimes called "patch writing" or what some consider paraphrasing.  
• Self: Using information from a previous paper, or turning in a previously-written paper.  Talk to your professor, who may allow you to either cite yourself, or add more to the original paper including new ideas &/ or expanding on the original.
• Accidental: generally when someone forgets to go back and insert a citation.
• Authorship: when a student purchases a paper to turn in rather than writing their own. Also when someone else writes your paper for you at no cost.  Either way: It Is Not Your Work.

Consequences for Plagiarism at Fayetteville Technical Community College

Violation for academic dishonesty such as cheating or plagiarism will be addressed through the chain of command within the academic area.

• Penalties for academic offenses are imposed by your instructor.  Ignorance or carelessness about plagiarism is not an excuse. Penalties imposed by the instructor may include, but are not limited to the following:
  • Re-writing the assignment
  • Receiving a "0" on the assignment
  • Failing the course in which the assignment was submitted
• Penalties for plagiarism and cheating that may be recommended by your instructor include but are not limited to the following:
  • Academic probation
  • Academic suspension
  • Expulsion from the college

                                                                                                                                                                       pgs. 52-53 of FTCC Student Handbook 2021-2022

Always Cite Your Sources!

Contact one of the FTCC librarians for further information on avoiding plagiarism and citation assistance.