Plagiarism Report: Understanding Citation, Punishments, and Prevention

This report, prepared for CMNS 1140, delves into the critical topic of plagiarism, defining it as the act of representing another's work as one's own. It underscores the severity of plagiarism, particularly in academic contexts, where it can lead to failing grades or disciplinary actions. The report outlines various citation methods, including mentioning authors at the start or end of sentences, and highlights the importance of proper referencing to give weight to the work and demonstrate thorough research. It details the potential punishments for plagiarism, such as damage to professional and student reputations, legal repercussions, and copyright infringement issues. Furthermore, the report introduces different citation styles, including APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, and Vancouver, emphasizing the importance of adhering to these styles to avoid plagiarism. The report aims to guide students in understanding and preventing plagiarism, contributing to their academic integrity.

PLAGIARISM

Key Points
 What is plagiarism?
 Citation methods
 Punishments
 Citation styles

What is Plagiarism?
 Plagiarism is an immoral and a criminal
act.
 An act of representation of another writer
or researcher’s work as one’s own.
 Can lead to copyright infringement issues.
 In reference to the academic context, it is
when students do not quote the articles or
work by the authors, while including the
information from the sources.
 A serious offence in academic context.
 Can lead to failing grade or other
disciplinary actions.

Citation Methods
 Gives more weightage to the work.
 Shows how well researched a subject is.
 Broadly two methods of citation.
 1) Mentioning the name of the authors at the start of
the sentence.
 For example: “According to Robinson and Smith (2013),
there are various methods of project evaluation…….”
 2) Mentioning the name of the authors at the end of
the information in a sentence.
 For example: “The International Monetary Fund has
189 member countries (IMF, 2020).”

Punishments
 Destroyed professional
reputation.
 Destroyed student reputation.
 Legal repercussions such as
copyright infringement,
payment of damages and even
imprisonment in extreme
cases.

Citation Styles
 Two major styles: Notes and Bibliography,
and author date system.
 APA (American Psychological Association)
 Harvard
 MLA (Modern Language Association)
 Chicago
 IEEE
 Vancouver
 Footnotes, and others