August 1989 defines plagiarism as the submission of another s work, whether published or unpublished, or ideas by claiming them as one s own and not giving proper reference to that work. Plagiarism is presenting another person s words or ideas as if they are your own. Some writers plagiarize deliberately, copying passages word for word or even presenting another person s entire work as their own. Other writers do so accidentally because they are not aware of what constitutes plagiarism or because they forget that a note they jotted down is really a direct quotation or that an idea they are using is actually someone else s. Even so, accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism, and it is not taken lightly in education, business, or anyplace else.
Plagiarism is theft .
In general, you must provide documentation for all direct quotations, opinions, judgments, and insights of others that you summarize or paraphrase. You must also document information that is not well known, is open to dispute, or is not commonly accepted. Finally, document tables, graphs, charts, and statistics taken from a source. At the U.S. Naval Academy, the least severe consequence of detected plagiarism is a failing mark on the paper containing the violation. Since plagiarism is a combination of lying, cheating, and stealing, and as such it constitutes a violation of the honor concept, plagiarism could result in your dismissal from the Academy.