Plagiarism

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is defined by the College to be the use of any other person’s words, ideas, research, images etc. as though they were your own, without giving appropriate credit to the original source.

If a student uses another person’s research, images, words or ideas they must give credit to the original source through proper citation, usually according to a particular style like MLA or APA. Credit must be given for both direct quotes as well as ideas from others that are incorporated into their own work (NECC Academic Ethics and Plagiarism Policy, 2021). The is the official policy that should be used as a guideline when submitting any work at NECC. 

Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional but can have serious academic consequences either way. Check out the links on the left for the full policies about academic honesty and plagiarism here at NECC. 

Why is plagiarism a big deal?

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty, which means you are not respecting the integrity of someone else's work. When you plagiarize, you are presenting someone else's work as your own without giving them credit for the work they put in. Imagine if you discovered someone was using something you wrote or drew or created without acknowledging you as the creator. 

Academic scholarship is built from the collaborative sharing of ideas. Using someone else's idea to illustrate a point is common practice, as it demonstrates that other people have researched the same idea. BUT you must give them credit so that anyone reading your work will know who originally came up with the idea and did that work. Your credibility as a college student is on the line if you are caught plagiarizing.

Plagiarism isn't something that happens only in school.  Some well-known people have been caught plagiarizing in the following examples.

Jane Goodall

The famous primatologist's book Seeds of Hope contained several plagiarized passages.  Goodall said she did not do it intentionally and placed the blame on sloppy notetaking. Read more here.

Joe Biden

The current President/former Vice President plagiarized parts of his speeches during the 1988 presidential race and plagiarized a paper in law school. Read more here and here.

Fareed Zakaria

The columnist has been accused of plagiarism involving several columns he wrote for major publications, including the Washington Post and Newsweek. Read more here and here.