BMME 5600 Training in Standard Molecular Biology Methods: Plagiarism

The primary goal of this course is to provide hands on experience in carrying out basic molecular biology/genetics protocols. Proper manipulation of nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) precedes sophisticated in-depth analyses such as genome sequencing, qPCR or cloni

Plagiarism: A Definition

Plagiarism is:

The adoption or reproduction of ideas, words or statements of another person as one’s own without proper acknowledgement (NSU Student Handbook, 2012, p. 23).
Having someone else complete your assignments
Paying someone to complete your assignments
A form of cheating
In violation of federal copyright law (To learn more about copyright, click here.)

Students who would never think of stealing a car or even copying another student's test answers may think nothing of "borrowing" the ideas or wording from another author. Writers must always document the ideas and information which are outside the realm of common knowledge. (See below for more information about common knowledge.)

Be aware that you can also plagiarize from yourself by submitting your own previous work for a new assignment.

Plagiarism: Facts & Online Resources

What about stuff everyone knows?
Every academic discipline has its own set of commonly known facts. A good test of “common knowledge” is to ask yourself, “Did I know this before I started this course?” If you can’t definitively say yes, you need to cite your source.

What about stuff on the Internet?
Text and graphics found online should be treated just like other resources and must be cited. Consult a style manual for proper formatting guidelines for various types of online resources.

Plagiarism: Prevention

Fine…What can I do to prevent plagiarizing?
Properly citing your sources is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you are not plagiarizing material.

APA is the most frequently used citation style at Nova Southeastern University, but there are others such as MLA, Chicago, and AMA. Check with your program or professor to make sure you know which one to use and check out these online resources for help:

Writing & Citation Style Guides

Australian Help

Plagiarism: What Not to Do

Source: someecards.com

Plagiarism: Real Life Examples

Unfortunately plagiarism isn't unique to academic settings. Learn from these individuals' experiences with plagiarism:

The Individual	What Happened	Consequence
Jayson Blair	From 1999-2003, almost half of the articles written by Blair during his tenure at the New York Times included made up quotes or quotes plagiarized from wire services.	Blair was forced to resign. More information from the New York Times.
Doris Kearns Goodwin	The Weekly Standard accused historian Goodwin of plagiarizing content in her bestselling 1987 book, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. She took respon- sibility for the plagiarism, which she said was accidental, and had any unsold copies removed from bookstore shelves so that a corrected version could be printed.	In addition to the negative publicity, Simon & Schuster, the book's publisher, was forced to reach a financial settlement with one of Goodwin's sources after the book's publication in 1987. More information from Forbes.
Sen. Rand Paul	Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been accused of plagiarizing Wikipedia in a speech he made, an essay from The Week in an op-ed he wrote for The Washington Times and Hertiage Foundation study in his book.	Although he emphasized no one would be fired, Paul's office was "restructured" to "prevent future occurrences."
Fareed Zakaria	After it was determined Zakaria plagiarized material from an article in the New Yorker for his own August 2012 column in Time, another instance of plagiarism was found in Zakaria's 2008 best-selling book, "Post-American World."	Zakaria was suspended from both Time and CNN, where he had a weekly program. More from The Washington Post.

What are Professors & Instructors Doing to Prevent Plagiarism?

Professors and instructors often use plagiarism checking software such as turnitin.com to check students' work for similarities to web pages, other student papers and published articles.

If your professor requires you to use turnitin.com, they will provide you with log in code.

Watch this video for more information about how turnitin.com works and how you can prevent plagiarism.

Learn more about plagiarism at plagiarism.org, hosted by iParadigms, the maker of turnitin.com.