1st years - Plagiarism

• Pd
• Higher Education (non-degree)

What does plagiarism mean?

Plagiarism

To put this simply, plagiarism means copying work or parts of work which have been done by someone else and presenting the work as your own.

Plagiarism

What examples of plagiarism can you think of?

• Copying from a fellow student
• Copying from a text book
• Copying from the internet

Plagiarism

It is fine to discuss assignments with others in your group, in fact we would encourage you to share your ideas and knowledge. 

However, when it comes to written assignments, these must be done in your own words.

Why does it matter?

We are encouraged to share our thoughts, ideas and knowledge in class so, why does it matter if we collaborate to complete assignments? 

Watch this video and consider whether you think this plumber is competent.

You will be assessed in a variety of ways including:

• Online assessments
• Practical assessments 
• Multi- choice tests
• Written assignments

Written assignments

You may not encounter many written assignments, however, if there is a need for a written assignment to take place, you need to know the rules regarding the use of information sources elsewhere. 

This will be particularly important when you progress to a higher level.

Where can you find information for your work?

Sourcing information

You are likely to access the following to find information: 

• Internet
• Textbook
• Manuals
• Research documents

Avoiding plagiarism

You will use these to develop your knowledge and understanding ahead of completing your assignments. 

How can you use this knowledge in your written work and aviod plagiarism (copying)?  

What's new?

Artificial intelligence: 

• What is it?
• What can it do?

What's new?

Artificial intelligence can provide lots of information; for example, if you were to put in an assignment question, then it could write an answer BUT if you submitted this as your own work it would be plagiarism.

AI

• You may use AI tools to collect and analyse data, provided that you appropriately cite your sources and verify the accuracy of the AI-generated content.
  
• Language assistance: You may use AI tools to improve your writing, grammar, and spelling. However, you should ensure that you still demonstrate a good understanding of the subject matter and do not rely solely on the AI-generated content.
  
• Creative writing: You may use AI tools to generate ideas or inspiration for creative writing projects. However, the final work should still be your own original content.
  

Where you take information from another source, you need to acknowledge this in your work.

• If you are required to complete written assignments your tutor will show you how to acknowledge your sources (where you got your information)
• This is called referencing; it ensures that you acknowledge where information has been written by somebody else rather than presenting it as your own work
• It is important that you are able to show that you have researched your topic but also important to reference
• If you are in any doubt, talk to your tutor
  

Want to know more?

Resource 1