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essay about plagiarism and copyright

The Difference Between Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

Paper with Infringement on it and a gavel

Photo Credit:  iStock/Olivier Le Moal

There are many differences between plagiarism and copyright infringement, yet it can be easy to confuse these concepts. While both plagiarism and copyright infringement can be characterized as the improper use of someone else’s work, they are distinctly different improper uses of someone else’s work. The biggest difference is that copyright infringement is illegal, while plagiarism is not. This blog post discusses additional differences between the two and provides examples of each type of improper use.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism occurs when a party attempts to pass someone else’s work or ideas off as their own, without properly giving credit to the original source. Plagiarism, while not against the law, is an ethical construct most commonly enforced by academic intuitions. Consequences of academic plagiarism may range from receiving a failing grade all the way to the revocation of a degree.

Plagiarism is not just limited to the academic setting. In the professional world, plagiarism has its own set of consequences, which may include sullying the plagiarizer’s reputation and in some instances termination and difficulty finding new employment. For example, in 2014 CNN fired a London-based news editor for repeated plagiarism offenses over a six month period, involving a total of 128 separate instances of plagiarism, mostly taken from Reuters.

What is Copyright Infringement?

Copyright, at its core, is the set of rights belonging to the creator or owner of a work of authorship that is original and fixed in a tangible medium of expression . This set of rights automatically vests to someone who creates an original work of authorship like a song, literary work, movie, or photograph. These rights allow a copyright owner to control who, when, where, and how their work is used, such as through the right to reproduce the work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies, and to perform and display the work publicly.

Copyright infringement occurs when a party takes an action that implicates one or more of the rights listed above without authorization from the copyright owner or an applicable exception or limitation in the copyright law, such as fair use . There can be significant legal consequences for copyright infringement, including injunctions, monetary damages, and in extreme instances criminal penalties.

Comparing Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement: Examples

The examples below illustrate some of the differences between plagiarism and copyright infringement.

Plagiarism But Not Copyright Infringement: A student copies a few sentences of a 20-page book illustrating and describing species of birds to use in article on evolution submitted for her high school newspaper but fails to provide a citation or footnote explaining that the information came from the book. This student may have committed plagiarism by not properly attributing the information and making it seem like the information originated from the student. However, the student will most likely not be found to have committed copyright infringement because such an inconsequential amount was used in an educational setting in a manner that is unlikely to harm the authors market for the work that the use is likely a fair use.

Copyright Infringement but Not Plagiarism: This time, the high school student copies the entire bird species book that she includes in several article published in the paper, but she puts a citation at the bottom of each article that includes the author’s name, the title of the book, and how the entire article is taken directly from the book. While the student properly attributed the author and did not try to pass the article off as her own work, she copied the entire work without permission, which likely infringes the author’s rights under copyright law.

Both Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement: A young writer, hoping to be published, copies line for line a popular wizard book series. The young writer sends the work to her publisher and says she wrote it. This author has committed plagiarism by submitting someone else’s work as her own and, in addition, has committed copyright infringement by copying someone else’s protected work without permission.

So, What’s the Difference Between Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement?

While it can be difficult to discern the differences between plagiarism and copyright infringement, in short, plagiarism is an ethical violation that occurs most often in academic situations when a party takes credits for work that was not of their own authorship while copyright infringements occur when a party copies, reproduces, distributes, displays or performs, or makes a derivate version of a protected work without permission of the copyright owner or the law. As noted above, there are also instances where an act can be both plagiarism and infringement. For more information about copyright protection, fair use, or any of the other topics discussed above, please visit the Copyright Alliance’s FAQ pages .

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Copyright vs. Plagiarism – What’s the Difference?

  • Posted on July 21, 2023

Copyright and plagiarism are terms often used interchangeably, but they refer to very different concepts. While they are both related to the unauthorized use of someone else’s work, the consequences of each can vary significantly. 

We’ll explore the distinctions between these concepts, the legal implications of not doing your own work, how it affects academia, and other ethical considerations.

Whether you are a student, a writer, or simply someone who uses content created by others, understanding copyright vs. plagiarism is crucial to ensuring that you are not infringing on someone else’s rights or reputation.

What Is Plagiarism?

In a nutshell, the definition of plagiarism is using another individual’s work without proper attribution or permission. It is a form of intellectual theft and is punished equally in both the professional and academic worlds. Note that plagiarism is unethical but not illegal. 

Plagiarism can take many different forms, such as copying someone else’s writing word-for-word without using quotation marks, trying to paraphrase their work without giving them proper credit, or even using their ideas without acknowledging them.

Plagiarism is not limited to just written work but can also include passing off someone else’s images, videos, music, or any other creative content. 

It is important to note that unintentional plagiarism is still considered plagiarism and is not an excuse for failing to utilize proper citations. 

Therefore, it is essential to understand the different types of plagiarism, such as self-plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism , and accidental plagiarism, and take steps to avoid them.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is taken seriously, regardless of who commits the act. In schools, plagiarism can result in disciplinary action, which may include failing the assignment or even the course. Repeated plagiarism offenses may lead to suspension or expulsion from school. 

In the workplace, depending on the severity of the offense, an employee may receive a warning, be demoted, or even be fired from their job. Therefore, employees need to respect intellectual property rights and avoid any actions that can harm their reputation or their company’s reputation.

One of the most significant consequences of plagiarism affects the original author whose work is stolen. For example, if the author’s content is plagiarized, they may lose potential revenue or royalties from the unauthorized use of their original work. 

Moreover, plagiarism can damage the author’s reputation and make it challenging for them to sell their work or secure future writing opportunities. So, though there aren’t legal consequences, it’s not a victimless offense . 

What Is Copyright Infringement?

Ultimately, the copyright vs. plagiarism difference comes down to legality. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of another person’s original creative works, which includes literary, artistic, musical, or other types of content protected by copyright law. 

It is the violation of the exclusive rights granted to a copyright owner, which are reproduction, distribution, performance, and display of the work. The concept of copyright laws is to protect the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. 

Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, or concepts; it only covers the original expression of those ideas. This means you cannot use someone’s exact words or images without permission, but you can use the same ideas in your own words or images.

Creators of original works are granted exclusive control over how their work is used, distributed, and displayed. Copyright owners have the right to sell, license, or otherwise exploit their work, as well as prevent others from doing so without their permission. This control allows creators to protect the value of their work and earn a living from it.

Fair use is an exception to the exclusive rights granted to copyright owners. It allows for limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.

Consequences of Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement is not only unethical but also illegal. When someone uses or reproduces a copyrighted work without permission, they break the law. The consequences of copyright infringement can be severe, and legal action can be pursued by the original author. 

In some cases, a cease and desist letter may be sent to the infringing party to demand they stop using the copyrighted material. If the issue cannot be resolved through a cease and desist letter, the copyright owner may decide to take the matter to court. If found guilty, the infringing party may have to pay damages to the copyright holder, which can be substantial. 

The infringing party may be ordered to stop using the copyrighted material and destroy all existing copies. In extreme cases, criminal charges may also be pursued.

Examples of Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

In case it’s still hard to understand copyright infringement vs. plagiarism, here are a few examples that cover the key differences between copyright violation, plagiarism of original work, and also both occurring simultaneously. 

Plagiarism But Not Copyright Infringement

Let’s say a student writes a research paper and includes a paragraph from an article they found online. Instead of properly citing the source and crediting the original author, the student copies and pastes the paragraph into their paper as if it were their work. This is an act of plagiarism because the student is presenting someone else’s work as their own without proper attribution.

However, in this scenario, it may not be copyright infringement because the student is not reproducing the entire article or a significant portion of it but rather just a single paragraph. Additionally, the student may be able to claim fair use depending on how they incorporated the content.

Copyright Infringement But Not Plagiarism

An example of copyright infringement but not plagiarism could be a scenario where a person creates a website that features articles written by someone else without getting their permission. 

In this case, the content may have been appropriately cited or attributed. Still, the website owner did not obtain the necessary permissions to use the content, which violates the owner’s exclusive right to control the distribution of their work. 

This would be a case of copyright infringement but not plagiarism since the original source of the content was properly acknowledged.

Both Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

Suppose a student copies and pastes a large section of text from a website into their research paper without citing the source. It is plagiarism because they are presenting someone else’s work as their own without giving credit.

But let’s also say that the website they copied from was protected by copyright, and the student did not have permission to use that text. 

This situation presents copyright issues because the student used the original author’s work without their permission, violating their legal rights as the owner of the work. So in this scenario, the student has committed both plagiarism and copyright infringement.

How To Avoid Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism

It’s crucial to know the difference between copyright vs. plagiarism, though they both have consequences. 

One of the most effective ways to avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement is to use a plagiarism checker. With so many online options, it can be challenging to know which one to choose. However, one tool that stands out is our plagiarism checker.

Here at Quetext, we offer a comprehensive tool designed to quickly and accurately scan your work for any instances of plagiarism. The tool checks against an extensive database of published works and websites, making it highly effective at identifying any matches to existing content.

We can help verify your writing (or that of your students or hired copywriters) for originality, as well as efficiently add MLA/APA/Chicago-style citations where needed. Overall, our tool is a valuable resource for anyone who takes their writing seriously.

Sign Up for Quetext Today!

Click below to find a pricing plan that fits your needs.

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WGTC Policy on Plagiarism

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Wiregrass Georgia Technical College's definition of plagiarism according to the Student Handbook:

4. Plagiarism

  • Submitting another’s published or unpublished work in whole, in part or in paraphrase, as one’s own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, quotation marks, citations, or bibliographical reference.
  • Submitting as one’s own original work, material obtained from an individual or agency without reference to the person or agency as the source of the material.
  • Submitting as one’s own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others without release in writing from collaborators.

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College: Student handbook  

essay about plagiarism and copyright

Citing your source MLA

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essay about plagiarism and copyright

Copyright & Fair use

Copyright law, as defined in  Title 17 of the United States Code , protects "original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression" for a limited period.

Copyright protection includes, for instance, the legal right to publish and sell literary, artistic, or musical work, and copyright protects authors, publishers and producers, and the public.

Copyright applies both to traditional media (books, records, etc.) and to digital media (electronic journals, Web sites, etc.).

Copyright protects the following eight categories of works:

  • literary works
  • musical works
  • dramatic works
  • pantomimes and choreographic works
  • pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
  • motion pictures and other audiovisual works
  • sound recordings
  • architectural works

Ownership of a copyrighted work includes the right to control the use of that work.

Use of such work by others during the term of the copyright requires either permission from the author or reliance on the doctrine of  fair use . Failure to do one or the other will expose the user to a claim of copyright infringement for which the law provides remedies including payment of money damages to the copyright owner.

What is Plagiarism?

Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to "plagiarize" means:

  • to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
  • to use (another's production) without crediting the source
  • to commit literary theft
  • to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

But can words and ideas really be stolen?

According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

  • turning in someone else's work as your own
  • copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
  • failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
  • giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
  • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
  • copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our section on  citation  for more information on how to cite sources properly.

What about images, videos, and music?

Using an image, video or piece of music in a work you have produced without receiving proper permission or providing appropriate citation is plagiarism. The following activities are very common in today’s society. Despite their popularity, they still count as plagiarism.

  • Copying media (especially images) from other websites to paste them into your own papers or websites.
  • Making a video using footage from others’ videos or using copyrighted music as part of the soundtrack.
  • Performing another person’s copyrighted music (i.e., playing a cover).
  • Composing a piece of music that borrows heavily from another composition.

Certainly, these media pose situations in which it can be challenging to determine whether or not the copyrights of a work are being violated. For example:

  • A photograph or scan of a copyrighted image (for example: using a photograph of a book cover to represent that book on one’s website)
  • Recording audio or video in which copyrighted music or video is playing in the background.
  • Re-creating a visual work in the same medium. (for example: shooting a photograph that uses the same composition and subject matter as someone else’s photograph)
  • Re-creating a visual work in a different medium (for example: making a painting that closely resembles another person’s photograph).
  • Re-mixing or altering copyrighted images, video or audio, even if done so in an original way.

The legality of these situations, and others, would be dependent upon the intent and context within which they are produced. The two safest approaches to take in regards to these situations is: 1) Avoid them altogether or 2) Confirm the works’ usage permissions and cite them properly.

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Copyright and Fair Use: Copyright Infringement vs. Plagiarism

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Copyright Infringement vs. Plagiarism

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Plagiarism is using creative work without  attribution  (giving proper credit). Plagiarism is using someone else's words (or other creative output) and not giving them proper credit, suggesting that the words are your own. We cite sources to avoid plagiarism and provide attribution for quotations and paraphrasing in our work.

Copyright infringement is using creative work without  permission.  Copyright infringement happens whenever we use someone else's creative work without their permission. Does that mean that, every time we quote someone in our papers, we need to ask for their permission?  No.  This is because the copyright law has a concept called  fair use  built into it. More information is provided about fair use through this guide, but the kind of quoting that you would do in a paper would nearly always be a fair use.

So, it is possible to plagiarize without infringing copyright. It is also possible to infringe copyright without plagiarizing. 

CC-BY-SA: McHenry County College Library

How is copyright related to plagiarism?

Plagiarism is best defined as the unacknowledged use of another person’s work. It is an ethical issue involving a claim of credit for work that the claimant did not create. One can plagiarize someone else’s work regardless of the copyright status of that work. For example, it is nonetheless plagiarism to copy from a book or article that is too old to still be under copyright. It is also plagiarism to use data taken from an unacknowledged source, even though factual material like data may not be protected by copyright. Plagiarism, however, is easily cured – proper citation to the original source of the material.

Copyright infringement, on the other hand, is the unauthorized use of another’s work. This is a legal issue that depends on whether or not the work is protected by copyright in the first place, as well as on specifics like how much is used and the purpose of the use. If one copies too much of a protected work, or copies for an unauthorized purpose, simply acknowledging the original source will not solve the problem. Only by seeking prior permission from the copyright holder does one avoid the risk of an infringement charge.

What if I just take an idea from another source but do not copy the words?

Copyright does not protect ideas, only the specific expression of an idea. For example, a court decided that Dan Brown did not infringe the copyright of an earlier book when he wrote The Da Vinci Code because all he borrowed from the earlier work were the basic ideas, not the specifics of plot or dialogue. Since copyright is intended to encourage creative production, using someone else’s ideas to craft a new and original work upholds the purpose of copyright, it does not violate it. Only if one copies another’s expression without permission is copyright potentially infringed.

To avoid plagiarism, on the other hand, one must acknowledge the source even of ideas that are borrowed from someone else, regardless of whether the expression of those ideas is borrowed with them. Thus a paraphrase requires citation, even though it seldom raises any copyright problem.

CC-BY-NC-SA: Duke University Libraries

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Avoiding Plagiarism: Copyright Vs. Plagiarism

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Plagiarism vs. Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement includes the unauthorized or unlicensed copying of a work subject to copyright.  ( Tech Law Journal )

Plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas without giving proper credit.  In other words, because you are not giving attribution to the owner of the original work or idea -- you are presenting the idea or thought as your own.

  • Plagiarism is a violation of academic norms but not illegal; copyright violation is illegal but quite common in academia. 
  • Plagiarism is an offense against the author; copyright violation is an offense against the copyright holder. In traditional academic publishing, they are usually not the same person, because copyright transfer agreements (CTAs) are so common.
  • Plagiarism applies when ideas are copied; copyright violation occurs only when a specific fixed expression (e.g., sequence of words, use of an image) is copied.
  • Avoiding plagiarism is about properly apportioning intellectual credit; copyright is about maintaining revenue streams.

Adapted from Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week  by  Mike Taylor, Matt Wedel, Darren Naish  is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License .

Examples of Plagiarism   ( from Jamie Dendy )

  • Quoting someone's words from the Internet, a printed article, or an interview, without acknowledging the author.
  • Copying part of the content of a work into one's own paper without citing the source.
  • Copying or buying a paper and handing it in as one's own.
  • Falsely creating a citation that doesn't exist.
  • Failing to credit and cite someone else's thoughts or ideas when paraphrasing.
  • Paraphrasing in a way that relies too heavily on another's language or syntax.

Learn About Ways to Avoid Plagiarism

See Avoiding Plagiarism   

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Copyright Resources to Support Publishing and Teaching

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What is plagiarism, and how is it different from copyright infringement?

  • Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct that occurs when you represent the work and/or ideas of another person as your own, original work.
  • Copyright infringement is the unlawful use of work that is subject to copyright protection in a way that violates the exclusive rights of the copyright holder.
  • Even if a work is properly cited and credited to the original author, it can still rise to the level of copyright infringement if your use is not a fair use, or you do not have the permission of the rights-holder to use the work.
  • Plagiarism and copyright infringement can overlap, for example reproducing large passages of texts, verbatim, from an in-copyright work without crediting your original source, can constitute both copyright infringement and plagiarism. 

How can I check for plagarism in student work?

The Libraries provide faculty with access to the TurnItIn or iThenticate plagiarism prevention service through Canvas.  Explanations of how this tool works and how to utilize it can be found online within the Penn Canvas Information website .

Common misconceptions about detecting plagiarism :

  • Online distribution of materials in itself is not necessarily plagiarism
  • Online distribution of content does not necessarily contribute to plagiarism
  • Rather, online distribution helps to prevent plagiarism by making it easier to detect when someone does not attribute ideas
  • By putting materials online (and searchable) plagiarism detection software can more easily detect theft

For further assistance with copyright issues, you can begin with your subject specialist .

For questions about use of materials on reserve, contact Van Pelt Reserves or the librarian at your  reserve location .

Additional Resources

  • Penn's Plagiarism Policy (Code of Academic Integrity )
  • Penn LibGuide on Citation Practices and Avoiding Plagiarism
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  • Penn Computing Policy on Unauthorized Copying of Copyrighted Media
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  • “Research and Citation Resources,” Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab
  • Anytime you rely on a source for an idea, that source should be attributed to the original author
  • Changing a word or two in a sentence does not avert the need to cite the work of the original author
  • If a source is copied without proper attribution, it is considered plagiarism
  • When incorporating the in-copyright work of another into your own work, consider whether the use you are making is a Fair Use , or whether it is necessary to seek further permission from the rights-holder to use the work
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Copyright vs. plagiarism.

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Copyright infringement and plagiarism are two different, but related, actions. Understanding the difference between the two and how they can affect your work can be incredibly useful. 

To begin with, the definitions for Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement have clear differences: 

The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft.

Copyright Infringement

When a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the legal permission of the copyright owner.

Additional Information

  • Copyright and Plagiarism - Duke University Libraries While primarily focused on explaining plagiarism to students, this site does give a good idea of the relationship between plagiarism and copyright infringement.

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  • What Constitutes Plagiarism?

In academic writing, it is considered plagiarism to draw any idea or any language from someone else without adequately crediting that source in your paper. It doesn't matter whether the source is a published author, another student, a website without clear authorship, a website that sells academic papers, or any other person: Taking credit for anyone else's work is stealing, and it is unacceptable in all academic situations, whether you do it intentionally or by accident.

The ease with which you can find information of all kinds online means that you need to be extra vigilant about keeping track of where you are getting information and ideas and about giving proper credit to the authors of the sources you use. If you cut and paste from an electronic document into your notes and forget to clearly label the document in your notes, or if you draw information from a series of websites without taking careful notes, you may end up taking credit for ideas that aren't yours, whether you mean to or not.

It's important to remember that every website is a document with an author, and therefore every website must be cited properly in your paper. For example, while it may seem obvious to you that an idea drawn from Professor Steven Pinker's book The Language Instinct should only appear in your paper if you include a clear citation, it might be less clear that information you glean about language acquisition from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy website warrants a similar citation. Even though the authorship of this encyclopedia entry is less obvious than it might be if it were a print article (you need to scroll down the page to see the author's name, and if you don't do so you might mistakenly think an author isn't listed), you are still responsible for citing this material correctly. Similarly, if you consult a website that has no clear authorship, you are still responsible for citing the website as a source for your paper. The kind of source you use, or the absence of an author linked to that source, does not change the fact that you always need to cite your sources (see Evaluating Web Sources ).

Verbatim Plagiarism

If you copy language word for word from another source and use that language in your paper, you are plagiarizing verbatim . Even if you write down your own ideas in your own words and place them around text that you've drawn directly from a source, you must give credit to the author of the source material, either by placing the source material in quotation marks and providing a clear citation, or by paraphrasing the source material and providing a clear citation.

The passage below comes from Ellora Derenoncourt’s article, “Can You Move to Opportunity? Evidence from the Great Migration.”

Here is the article citation in APA style:

Derenoncourt, E. (2022). Can you move to opportunity? Evidence from the Great Migration. The American Economic Review , 112(2), 369–408. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20200002

Source material

Why did urban Black populations in the North increase so dramatically between 1940 and 1970? After a period of reduced mobility during the Great Depression, Black out-migration from the South resumed at an accelerated pace after 1940. Wartime jobs in the defense industry and in naval shipyards led to substantial Black migration to California and other Pacific states for the first time since the Migration began. Migration continued apace to midwestern cities in the 1950s and1960s, as the booming automobile industry attracted millions more Black southerners to the North, particularly to cities like Detroit or Cleveland. Of the six million Black migrants who left the South during the Great Migration, four million of them migrated between 1940 and 1970 alone.

Plagiarized version

While this student has written her own sentence introducing the topic, she has copied the italicized sentences directly from the source material. She has left out two sentences from Derenoncourt’s paragraph, but has reproduced the rest verbatim:

But things changed mid-century. After a period of reduced mobility during the Great Depression, Black out-migration from the South resumed at an accelerated pace after 1940. Wartime jobs in the defense industry and in naval shipyards led to substantial Black migration to California and other Pacific states for the first time since the Migration began. Migration continued apace to midwestern cities in the 1950s and1960s, as the booming automobile industry attracted millions more Black southerners to the North, particularly to cities like Detroit or Cleveland.

Acceptable version #1: Paraphrase with citation

In this version the student has paraphrased Derenoncourt’s passage, making it clear that these ideas come from a source by introducing the section with a clear signal phrase ("as Derenoncourt explains…") and citing the publication date, as APA style requires.

But things changed mid-century. In fact, as Derenoncourt (2022) explains, the wartime increase in jobs in both defense and naval shipyards marked the first time during the Great Migration that Black southerners went to California and other west coast states. After the war, the increase in jobs in the car industry led to Black southerners choosing cities in the midwest, including Detroit and Cleveland.

Acceptable version #2 : Direct quotation with citation or direct quotation and paraphrase with citation

If you quote directly from an author and cite the quoted material, you are giving credit to the author. But you should keep in mind that quoting long passages of text is only the best option if the particular language used by the author is important to your paper. Social scientists and STEM scholars rarely quote in their writing, paraphrasing their sources instead. If you are writing in the humanities, you should make sure that you only quote directly when you think it is important for your readers to see the original language.

In the example below, the student quotes part of the passage and paraphrases the rest.

But things changed mid-century. In fact, as Derenoncourt (2022) explains, “after a period of reduced mobility during the Great Depression, Black out-migration from the South resumed at an accelerated pace after 1940” (p. 379). Derenoncourt notes that after the war, the increase in jobs in the car industry led to Black southerners choosing cities in the midwest, including Detroit and Cleveland.

Mosaic Plagiarism

If you copy bits and pieces from a source (or several sources), changing a few words here and there without either adequately paraphrasing or quoting directly, the result is mosaic plagiarism . Even if you don't intend to copy the source, you may end up with this type of plagiarism as a result of careless note-taking and confusion over where your source's ideas end and your own ideas begin. You may think that you've paraphrased sufficiently or quoted relevant passages, but if you haven't taken careful notes along the way, or if you've cut and pasted from your sources, you can lose track of the boundaries between your own ideas and those of your sources. It's not enough to have good intentions and to cite some of the material you use. You are responsible for making clear distinctions between your ideas and the ideas of the scholars who have informed your work. If you keep track of the ideas that come from your sources and have a clear understanding of how your own ideas differ from those ideas, and you follow the correct citation style, you will avoid mosaic plagiarism.

Indeed, of the more than 3500 hours of instruction during medical school, an average of less than 60 hours are devoted to all of bioethics, health law and health economics combined . Most of the instruction is during the preclinical courses, leaving very little instructional time when students are experiencing bioethical or legal challenges during their hands-on, clinical training. More than 60 percent of the instructors in bioethics, health law, and health economics have not published since 1990 on the topic they are teaching.

--Persad, G.C., Elder, L., Sedig,L., Flores, L., & Emanuel, E. (2008). The current state of medical school education in bioethics, health law, and health economics. Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics 36 , 89-94.

Students can absorb the educational messages in medical dramas when they view them for entertainment. In fact, even though they were not created specifically for education, these programs can be seen as an entertainment-education tool [43, 44]. In entertainment-education shows, viewers are exposed to educational content in entertainment contexts, using visual language that is easy to understand and triggers emotional engagement [45]. The enhanced emotional engagement and cognitive development [5] and moral imagination make students more sensitive to training [22].

--Cambra-Badii, I., Moyano, E., Ortega, I., Josep-E Baños, & Sentí, M. (2021). TV medical dramas: Health sciences students’ viewing habits and potential for teaching issues related to bioethics and professionalism. BMC Medical Education, 21 , 1-11. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02947-7

Paragraph #1.

All of the ideas in this paragraph after the first sentence are drawn directly from Persad. But because the student has placed the citation mid-paragraph, the final two sentences wrongly appear to be the student’s own idea:

In order to advocate for the use of medical television shows in the medical education system, it is also important to look at the current bioethical curriculum. In the more than 3500 hours of training that students undergo in medical school, only about 60 hours are focused on bioethics, health law, and health economics (Persad et al, 2008). It is also problematic that students receive this training before they actually have spent time treating patients in the clinical setting. Most of these hours are taught by instructors without current publications in the field.

Paragraph #2.

All of the italicized ideas in this paragraph are either paraphrased or taken verbatim from Cambra-Badii, et al., but the student does not cite the source at all. As a result, readers will assume that the student has come up with these ideas himself:

Students can absorb the educational messages in medical dramas when they view them for entertainment. It doesn’t matter if the shows were designed for medical students; they can still be a tool for education. In these hybrid entertainment-education shows, viewers are exposed to educational content that triggers an emotional reaction. By allowing for this emotional, cognitive, and moral engagement, the shows make students more sensitive to training . There may be further applications to this type of education: the role of entertainment as a way of encouraging students to consider ethical situations could be extended to other professions, including law or even education.

The student has come up with the final idea in the paragraph (that this type of ethical training could apply to other professions), but because nothing in the paragraph is cited, it reads as if it is part of a whole paragraph of his own ideas, rather than the point that he is building to after using the ideas from the article without crediting the authors.

Acceptable version

In the first paragraph, the student uses signal phrases in nearly every sentence to reference the authors (“According to Persad et al.,” “As the researchers argue,” “They also note”), which makes it clear throughout the paragraph that all of the paragraph’s information has been drawn from Persad et al. The student also uses a clear APA in-text citation to point the reader to the original article. In the second paragraph, the student paraphrases and cites the source’s ideas and creates a clear boundary behind those ideas and his own, which appear in the final paragraph.

In order to advocate for the use of medical television shows in the medical education system, it is also important to look at the current bioethical curriculum. According to Persad et al. (2008), only about one percent of teaching time throughout the four years of medical school is spent on ethics. As the researchers argue, this presents a problem because the students are being taught about ethical issues before they have a chance to experience those issues themselves. They also note that more than sixty percent of instructors teaching bioethics to medical students have no recent publications in the subject.

The research suggests that medical dramas may be a promising source for discussions of medical ethics. Cambra-Badii et al. (2021) explain that even when watched for entertainment, medical shows can help viewers engage emotionally with the characters and may prime them to be more receptive to training in medical ethics. There may be further applications to this type of education: the role of entertainment as a way of encouraging students to consider ethical situations could be extended to other professions, including law or even education.

Inadequate Paraphrase

When you paraphrase, your task is to distill the source's ideas in your own words. It's not enough to change a few words here and there and leave the rest; instead, you must completely restate the ideas in the passage in your own words. If your own language is too close to the original, then you are plagiarizing, even if you do provide a citation.

In order to make sure that you are using your own words, it's a good idea to put away the source material while you write your paraphrase of it. This way, you will force yourself to distill the point you think the author is making and articulate it in a new way. Once you have done this, you should look back at the original and make sure that you have represented the source’s ideas accurately and that you have not used the same words or sentence structure. If you do want to use some of the author's words for emphasis or clarity, you must put those words in quotation marks and provide a citation.

The passage below comes from Michael Sandel’s article, “The Case Against Perfection.” Here’s the article citation in MLA style:

Sandel, Michael. “The Case Against Perfection.” The Atlantic , April 2004, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/04/the-case-against-pe... .

Though there is much to be said for this argument, I do not think the main problem with enhancement and genetic engineering is that they undermine effort and erode human agency. The deeper danger is that they represent a kind of hyperagency—a Promethean aspiration to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifted character of human powers and achievements.

The version below is an inadequate paraphrase because the student has only cut or replaced a few words: “I do not think the main problem” became “the main problem is not”; “deeper danger” became “bigger problem”; “aspiration” became “desire”; “the gifted character of human powers and achievements” became “the gifts that make our achievements possible.”

The main problem with enhancement and genetic engineering is not that they undermine effort and erode human agency. The bigger problem is that they represent a kind of hyperagency—a Promethean desire to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifts that make our achievements possible (Sandel).

Acceptable version #1: Adequate paraphrase with citation

In this version, the student communicates Sandel’s ideas but does not borrow language from Sandel. Because the student uses Sandel’s name in the first sentence and has consulted an online version of the article without page numbers, there is no need for a parenthetical citation.

Michael Sandel disagrees with the argument that genetic engineering is a problem because it replaces the need for humans to work hard and make their own choices. Instead, he argues that we should be more concerned that the decision to use genetic enhancement is motivated by a desire to take control of nature and bend it to our will instead of appreciating its gifts.

Acceptable version #2: Direct quotation with citation

In this version, the student uses Sandel’s words in quotation marks and provides a clear MLA in-text citation. In cases where you are going to talk about the exact language that an author uses, it is acceptable to quote longer passages of text. If you are not going to discuss the exact language, you should paraphrase rather than quoting extensively.

The author argues that “the main problem with enhancement and genetic engineering is not that they undermine effort and erode human agency,” but, rather that “they represent a kind of hyperagency—a Promethean desire to remake nature, including human nature, to serve our purposes and satisfy our desires. The problem is not the drift to mechanism but the drive to mastery. And what the drive to mastery misses and may even destroy is an appreciation of the gifts that make our achievements possible” (Sandel).

Uncited Paraphrase

When you use your own language to describe someone else's idea, that idea still belongs to the author of the original material. Therefore, it's not enough to paraphrase the source material responsibly; you also need to cite the source, even if you have changed the wording significantly. As with quoting, when you paraphrase you are offering your reader a glimpse of someone else's work on your chosen topic, and you should also provide enough information for your reader to trace that work back to its original form. The rule of thumb here is simple: Whenever you use ideas that you did not think up yourself, you need to give credit to the source in which you found them, whether you quote directly from that material or provide a responsible paraphrase.

The passage below comes from C. Thi Nguyen’s article, “Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles.”

Here’s the citation for the article, in APA style:

Nguyen, C. (2020). Echo chambers and epistemic bubbles. Episteme, 17 (2), 141-161. doi:10.1017/epi.2018.32

Epistemic bubbles can easily form accidentally. But the most plausible explanation for the particular features of echo chambers is something more malicious. Echo chambers are excellent tools to maintain, reinforce, and expand power through epistemic control. Thus, it is likely (though not necessary) that echo chambers are set up intentionally, or at least maintained, for this functionality (Nguyen, 2020).

The student who wrote the paraphrase below has drawn these ideas directly from Nguyen’s article but has not credited the author. Although she paraphrased adequately, she is still responsible for citing Nguyen as the source of this information.

Echo chambers and epistemic bubbles have different origins. While epistemic bubbles can be created organically, it’s more likely that echo chambers will be formed by those who wish to keep or even grow their control over the information that people hear and understand.

In this version, the student eliminates any possible ambiguity about the source of the ideas in the paragraph. By using a signal phrase to name the author whenever the source of the ideas could be unclear, the student clearly attributes these ideas to Nguyen.

According to Nguyen (2020), echo chambers and epistemic bubbles have different origins. Nguyen argues that while epistemic bubbles can be created organically, it’s more likely that echo chambers will be formed by those who wish to keep or even grow their control over the information that people hear and understand.

Uncited Quotation

When you put source material in quotation marks in your essay, you are telling your reader that you have drawn that material from somewhere else. But it's not enough to indicate that the material in quotation marks is not the product of your own thinking or experimentation: You must also credit the author of that material and provide a trail for your reader to follow back to the original document. This way, your reader will know who did the original work and will also be able to go back and consult that work if they are interested in learning more about the topic. Citations should always go directly after quotations.

The passage below comes from Deirdre Mask’s nonfiction book, The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power.

Here is the MLA citation for the book:

Mask, Deirdre. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2021.

In New York, even addresses are for sale. The city allows a developer, for the bargain price of $11,000 (as of 2019), to apply to change the street address to something more attractive.

It’s not enough for the student to indicate that these words come from a source; the source must be cited:

After all, “in New York, even addresses are for sale. The city allows a developer, for the bargain price of $11,000 (as of 2019), to apply to change the street address to something more attractive.”

Here, the student has cited the source of the quotation using an MLA in-text citation:

After all, “in New York, even addresses are for sale. The city allows a developer, for the bargain price of $11,000 (as of 2019), to apply to change the street address to something more attractive” (Mask 229).

Using Material from Another Student's Work

In some courses you will be allowed or encouraged to form study groups, to work together in class generating ideas, or to collaborate on your thinking in other ways. Even in those cases, it's imperative that you understand whether all of your writing must be done independently, or whether group authorship is permitted. Most often, even in courses that allow some collaborative discussion, the writing or calculations that you do must be your own. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't collect feedback on your writing from a classmate or a writing tutor; rather, it means that the argument you make (and the ideas you rely on to make it) should either be your own or you should give credit to the source of those ideas.

So what does this mean for the ideas that emerge from class discussion or peer review exercises? Unlike the ideas that your professor offers in lecture (you should always cite these), ideas that come up in the course of class discussion or peer review are collaborative, and often not just the product of one individual's thinking. If, however, you see a clear moment in discussion when a particular student comes up with an idea, you should cite that student. In any case, when your work is informed by class discussions, it's courteous and collegial to include a discursive footnote in your paper that lets your readers know about that discussion. So, for example, if you were writing a paper about the narrator in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and you came up with your idea during a discussion in class, you might place a footnote in your paper that states the following: "I am indebted to the members of my Expos 20 section for sparking my thoughts about the role of the narrator as Greek Chorus in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried ."

It is important to note that collaboration policies can vary by course, even within the same department, and you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with each course's expectation about collaboration. Collaboration policies are often stated in the syllabus, but if you are not sure whether it is appropriate to collaborate on work for any course, you should always consult your instructor.

  • The Exception: Common Knowledge
  • Other Scenarios to Avoid
  • Why Does it Matter if You Plagiarize?
  • How to Avoid Plagiarism
  • Harvard University Plagiarism Policy

PDFs for This Section

  • Avoiding Plagiarism
  • Online Library and Citation Tools

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Handout: Copyright and Plagiarism

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These resources provide lesson plans and handouts for teachers interested in teaching students how to understand plagiarism. The lesson plans in this section include activities that help students define plagiarism, assess their attitude toward plagiarism, and create a class plagiarism policy. The resources with titles that include "Handout" provide handouts that are free to print for your students by using the print option in your web browser. The "Handout" resources correspond with the resource listed above it.

Jeff uses ideas and phrases from a very old book, one that no longer has any copyright, in his essay. He doesn’t cite the information, because the book isn’t legally protected by copyright. Is this plagiarism or copyright violation? Marco decides that his sister’s blog has some good information on it, so he borrows some for use in his own blog. He doesn’t bother to cite her. Is this plagiarism or copyright violation?

Danielle writes an essay that’s she worked very hard on and sends it off to an academic journal after she finishes it. The journal sends her comments on the essay, including one that claims her research has already been done and that she can’t publish her work, because another person already has. If she does publish it, would it fall under plagiarism or copyright violation?

Christina is in an R&B group that often samples other artists in their work. They make a demo CD for a record company and sell copies at their concerts and on their website. That CD includes songs with pieces of other artists’ material, but only small samples. They credit the other artists in their liner notes. Is this plagiarism or copyright violation?

Giselle is writing an essay and decides that she needs some sources that she can’t find. Because no one will get hurt if she makes up some sources and their contents, she does so and uses those fictional sources in her essay. Is this plagiarism or copyright violation?

Copyright RPM

Copyright and Plagiarism Explained: What You Need to Know

In the world of content creation, dealing with plagiarism and copyright infringement issues can happen to anyone. This is especially true in today’s digital age, where it’s easy to take something from the internet, make small changes, and claim it as your own.

Although plagiarism and copyright infringement are different concepts, people often get confused as both involve presenting someone else’s work as your own. Whether you’re using the internet or the library for research, understanding copyright and plagiarism is essential to steer clear of trouble.

This guide breaks down the differences between the two, explores their nuances, discusses consequences, and provides practical tips to avoid them. We’ll also touch briefly on how AI relates to copyright and plagiarism, offering a forward-looking perspective on these critical issues.

  • Copyright is a legal concept designed to protect the rights of creators for their original works.

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s ideas, words, or work as your own without giving them proper credit.

  • It’s important to always provide accurate and complete citations for any information or ideas borrowed from other sources.

Table of Contents

What Are The Differences Between Copyright and Plagiarism?

When you create something, whether it’s an article, image, or video, copyright automatically protects it. Picture it as a safety net that grants you exclusive rights over your creation.

These rights, however, are not eternal and they only offer protection for a specific timeframe. After that, your work enters the public domain for everyone to use.

On the flip side, there’s plagiarism, the less desirable counterpart. Plagiarism occurs when someone presents another’s work as their own.

Not only is plagiarism frowned upon in the digital community, but it can also lead to legal consequences. In essence, plagiarism undermines the principles of authenticity and originality.

To make the distinctions clear, let’s examine the key differences through a comparison table:

An infographic highlighting various aspects that differentiate copyright and plagiarism.

Copyright serves as more than mere rules, it acts as a tool, granting you authority over the future of your content. On the other hand, plagiarism is like a shortcut that inevitably leads to a professional dead end.

Steer clear of plagiarism, and allow your work to stand as a testament to your professional honesty. Keep it genuine, and your professional integrity will resonate strongly.

What is Copyright?

Copyright is a legal concept designed to protect the rights of creators for their original works. It provides creators with exclusive rights to control the use, distribution, and reproduction of their creations. 

Copyright helps with creativity, encourages new ideas, and makes sure people who put effort into making things get to keep their rights.

In the United States, the legal foundation for copyright is deeply rooted in the U.S. Constitution, which empowers Congress to grant authors and inventors exclusive rights for a limited time. The details of copyright law are further outlined in the Copyright Act, providing a comprehensive framework for the protection of various forms of creative expression.

Balancing the rights of creators and the public is essential in copyright. Instead of being like an impenetrable fortress, copyright aims for a fair middle ground.

One important thing to note is that copyright doesn’t last forever. It has a time limit, so creative works don’t stay under control forever. 

This intentional limit means that eventually, these works become available to everyone in the public domain. It’s like opening the door to let society freely enjoy and benefit from these creations.

The main idea behind this is to find a balance where creators are protected during their active years, giving them credit for their hard work and promoting continuous innovation. As time goes on, their works eventually become available to the public, becoming part of our shared cultural heritage.

This process acknowledges two goals: supporting creativity and making sure the benefits of creativity are shared with everyone. 

Now, let’s unpack the various types of works that fall under the protective umbrella of copyright, each with its considerations.

Literary Works

This category blankets a wide array of written content, including books, articles, and textual compositions. Authors wield copyright protection here, securing their exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and showcase their written creations.

Visual Arts

Moving to the visual arts, this category spans paintings, drawings, and photographs. Visual artists enjoy copyright protection, safeguarding their right to manage the reproduction and public display of their visual expressions, preserving the authenticity of their creative output.

Performing Arts

Next is the performing arts, which includes both live and recorded performances. This broad category ensures performers and creators retain control over the reproduction and public dissemination of their live or recorded acts, emphasizing the significance of their creative contributions.

Sound Recordings

Sound recordings, involving the protection of recorded sounds and music, form another important facet of copyright. Musicians and record producers find strength in copyright protection, allowing them to govern the use and distribution of their recorded musical creations.

Architectural Works

Lastly, architectural works cover the design and structure of buildings. Architects, as copyright holders, maintain authority over the reproduction and distribution of their architectural designs, affirming the respect owed to their creative pursuits. 

What is Plagiarism?

The image depicts plagiarism, portraying the act of presenting someone else's work as your own.

Plagiarism is a breach of academic and ethical integrity. This includes various forms such as direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, mosaic or patchwork plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and even unintentional plagiarism.

Understanding and avoiding plagiarism is important in maintaining honesty and upholding ethical standards in academic and professional settings.

Now, let’s explore the various forms of plagiarism to understand its implications. 

Copy-and-Paste Plagiarism

This is the straightforward act of copying someone else’s work and presenting it as your own. It can involve entire paragraphs, sentences, or even just a few words.

Paraphrasing Plagiarism

Changing the words of a source while retaining the original meaning is still considered plagiarism if proper credit is not given. It’s not just about swapping words but understanding and presenting the ideas in your own unique way.

Mosaic or Patchwork Plagiarism

This sneaky form involves combining bits and pieces from various sources to create a seemingly original piece. It can be a mix of copied text and slightly modified content, creating a mosaic of information without proper attribution.

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism involves the reuse of your previously published content or portions of it, presented as new and original work. While not illegal, self-plagiarism is considered unprofessional and unethical and includes actions like submitting entire papers that have been previously published.

Accidental Unintentional Plagiarism

Unintentional plagiarism occurs when proper citation practices are not followed due to a lack of understanding rather than an intentional effort to deceive. It’s important to educate oneself on proper citation methods to avoid accidental unintentional plagiarism.

How Do You Prevent Copyright and Plagiarism Violations?

Maintaining integrity in content creation involves being proactive in preventing both copyright infringement and plagiarism. Here are practical tips and tools to ensure you steer clear of both.

How to Avoid Infringing Copyright?

Before sharing prevention tips, let’s address a common question: Is infringing copyright the same as theft? While copyright infringement and theft share similarities in depriving the owner of the benefits of their creation, they differ in legal terms.

Copyright infringement pertains specifically to the unauthorized use of copyrighted material, whereas theft typically involves physical deprivation of property.

Now, let’s explore ways to sidestep copyright infringement:

  • Understand Fair Use : Familiarize yourself with fair use guidelines and respect the limitations and exceptions for using copyrighted material.
  • Use Licensed Content : Choose content with proper licensing, ensuring you have the right to use and share it in your work.
  • Seek Permission : When uncertain, obtain explicit permission from the copyright owner before using their material.
  • Utilize Creative Commons Licenses : Leverage content under Creative Commons licenses, which provide clear guidelines for usage.
  • Explore Public Domain Works : Incorporate works that are in the public domain, as they are free from copyright restrictions.

How to Avoid Committing Plagiarism?

Now, moving to plagiarism prevention, let’s ensure that the ideas and words you use are rightfully attributed to their origin. Here’s a guide to avoiding plagiarism:

  • Proper Citation : Always provide accurate and complete citations for any information or ideas borrowed from other sources.
  • Effective Paraphrasing : Practice effective paraphrasing to convey ideas in your own words while retaining the original meaning.
  • Use Plagiarism Detection Tools : Employ plagiarism detection tools to check your work for potential instances of unintentional plagiarism.
  • Educate Yourself : Stay informed about the principles of plagiarism. Many educational institutions offer resources and tutorials to help you understand and avoid plagiarism.

By adhering to these preventive measures, you can ensure your creative and academic endeavors are both ethically sound and legally compliant. 

How Do You Resolve Copyright and Plagiarism Violations?

Encountering copyright and plagiarism violations requires a thoughtful and strategic approach to address the issues responsibly. Here are steps and strategies for resolving these matters while considering both legal and ethical considerations.

Resolving Copyright Violations

  • Cease Unauthorized Use : Immediately stop using the copyrighted material without proper authorization. Stopping unauthorized use is the first step toward rectification.
  • Open Communication : If possible, reach out to the copyright owner or creator. Explain the situation, acknowledge the infringement, and express a commitment to resolving the issue.
  • Obtain Permission : Seek permission from the copyright owner for the continued use of the material. This may involve negotiating a licensing agreement or obtaining explicit consent.
  • Comply with DMCA Takedown Notices : If a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice has been issued, comply with the request promptly. Remove the infringing content from online platforms to avoid legal consequences.
  • Provide Proper Attribution : If attribution was lacking or incorrect, rectify this by providing proper credit to the original creator. Acknowledging the source is an essential step in addressing copyright violations.

Resolving Plagiarism Violations

  • Acknowledge the Plagiarism : Acknowledge the act of plagiarism. Understand that it is a serious ethical breach and take responsibility for the improper use of someone else’s work.
  • Offer Open Communication : Offer to communicate openly with the affected parties. Explain the circumstances, apologize for the plagiarism, and express a commitment to resolving the concern.
  • Rectify the Issue : Immediately rectify the issue by providing proper attribution to the original source. Clearly indicate where the borrowed material begins and ends.
  • Learn and Educate: Educate yourself about proper citation practices and academic integrity. Use the experience as an opportunity to grow and ensure that future work adheres to ethical standards.
  • Follow Institutional Procedures : In an academic setting, follow the established procedures outlined by the institution for addressing plagiarism. This may involve reporting the incident to professors, academic boards, or other relevant authorities.
  • Face Academic Consequences : If there are academic consequences, such as failing grades, work collaboratively with instructors or academic advisors. Follow any recommended steps for academic redemption.

For both copyright infringement and plagiarism issues, if legal consequences are looming, consult with legal professionals to understand the potential implications and explore options for resolution.

Taking immediate action, demonstrating genuine remorse, and actively working to resolve the violation are essential steps if you find yourself in violation of copyright or guilty of plagiarism. Open communication and a commitment to learning from the experience can also contribute to a more constructive resolution.

Consequences of Copyright and Plagiarism Violations

Understanding the consequences of copyright infringement and plagiarism is essential to promoting ethical behavior and upholding legal standards in creative and academic endeavors. Adhering to proper practices not only protects individual reputations but also contributes to a culture of integrity and respect for intellectual property.

Consequences of Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement carries significant legal implications. Individuals or entities found guilty of this offense may face financial penalties, including fines and damages awarded to the copyright owner.

Courts have the authority to issue injunctions, restraining the infringing party from further using or distributing the copyrighted material without proper authorization. In severe cases, copyright infringement can escalate to criminal charges, potentially leading to imprisonment for the violators.

Additionally, online platforms may swiftly respond to a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice by removing infringing content, thereby impacting the violator’s online presence.

These legal consequences emphasize the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and adhering to copyright laws to avoid severe penalties and legal actions.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Plagiarism has multifaceted implications, primarily rooted in ethical, academic, and professional settings.

Ethically, engaging in plagiarism can inflict substantial damage on one’s personal and professional reputation. It destroys trust and gives rise to questions about an individual’s integrity.

Plagiarism also carries severe consequences within academic settings, including the potential for failure in assignments, and courses, or even expulsion from educational institutions. Academic disciplinary actions, such as notations on transcripts, further underscore the gravity of this ethical breach and can leave lasting marks on an individual’s academic record.

Committing plagiarism can hinder your professional progress, as employers may view it as a significant breach of trust. This perception could result in job loss or missed career opportunities, stopping your growth in your chosen field.

Moreover, in professions with strict ethical standards, plagiarism might lead to legal action or professional penalties.

What is the Impact of AI on Copyright and Plagiarism?

An illustration highlighting the intersection of 'AI-powered detection & creation' and 'protecting originality & ethics'.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the realms of copyright and plagiarism has ushered in transformative changes, showcasing a dual-edged nature that both challenges and enhances the landscape.

Let’s get into the finer details of this matter.

Detection of Plagiarism

AI in plagiarism detection has significantly improved efficiency and accuracy. These tools analyze large amounts of data with precision, accelerating the identification process for educators, publishers, and content creators.

AI is adept at cross-language detection, enhancing plagiarism prevention by addressing challenges in identifying copied content within translated materials. This boosts the overall reliability of plagiarism detection.

Additionally, AI enables real-time monitoring of digital content, providing instant feedback to key stakeholders. This proactive approach intervenes promptly and prevents potential plagiarism issues, creating a responsive system.

However, integrating AI into plagiarism detection has challenges.

Dependence on automated tools may yield false positives due to AI’s struggle with understanding context and intent. Human oversight is still essential, emphasizing the need for a balanced and collaborative approach.

As AI evolves, plagiarists adapt to these algorithms, employing sophisticated techniques to evade detection. This ongoing dynamic underscores the importance of vigilance and continuous refinement of both AI tools and human oversight to preserve the integrity of content creation and academic pursuits.

Content Creation and Copyright

AI can have a positive impact on content creation and copyright by helping creators, including writers and journalists, to efficiently produce original content. This streamlining of the creative process contributes to diverse and dynamic content across platforms.

AI also supports data-driven decision-making for content creators by analyzing trends, audience behavior, and market preferences. This approach enhances the creation of content aligned with audience interests, providing a more personalized user experience.

However, the integration of AI in content creation poses challenges, particularly regarding ownership and attribution. Questions arise about rightful ownership and proper attribution of content generated by AI, leading to potential copyright issues and requiring careful consideration of legal frameworks.

Additionally, there is a challenge of automated plagiarism in AI-generated content. When AI-generated content is repurposed without proper attribution, ethical concerns arise.

Addressing this challenge involves maintaining a balance between innovation and ensuring ethical use, emphasizing the need for ongoing discussions and guidelines in the evolving landscape of AI-driven content creation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between copyright and plagiarism.

Copyright pertains to legal ownership and exclusive rights over creative works, while plagiarism involves presenting someone else’s ideas or work as your own without proper attribution.

How can you prevent copyright infringement?

Preventing copyright infringement requires an understanding of fair use guidelines, using licensed content, seeking permission when necessary, and respecting copyright laws and regulations.

What are the consequences of committing plagiarism?

Consequences of plagiarism include damage to personal and professional reputation, academic penalties such as failing grades or expulsion, and potential legal and professional repercussions.

How can you avoid committing plagiarism in your work?

To avoid plagiarism, make sure you provide proper citations of sources, practice effective paraphrasing, utilize plagiarism detection tools, manage your time effectively, and stay informed about plagiarism guidelines and principles.

What steps can you take to resolve copyright and plagiarism violations?

Steps to resolve violations include acknowledging the issue, seeking legal advice if necessary, addressing the violation ethically and responsibly, and taking corrective actions to rectify the situation.

Rae Marie Manar

Department of Health & Human Services

Copyright Infringement, Fair Use, and Plagiarism

The use of relatively short direct quotes from a published work does not usually require permission from the copyright holder as it typically falls under the “fair use” provision. However, extensive quoting of text from a copyrighted source can constitute copyright infringement, whether the appropriated text is properly enclosed in quotation marks or correctly paraphrased, even if a citation is provided according to established scholarly conventions. Obviously, the same applies if the material is plagiarized outright. Moreover, the reader should note that intellectual or artistic work does not need to be published in order to be copyrighted. In fact, the moment the work becomes final it is automatically copyrighted. Thus, instances of plagiarism, whether from a published article or even an unpublished manuscript, can also constitute copyright infringement, though, of course, copyright infringement does not always constitute plagiarism. For example, if I were to quote extensively and with proper citation beyond the limit dictated by the publisher of the work from which I quoted, I would be in violation of that publisher’s copyright, but the infraction would not constitute plagiarism as I am letting the reader know, by my use of quotations and a citation, that the material being used is not mine.

Iverson, et al., (2007) cautions the reader that the amount of text that can be taken from a copyrighted source without permission depends on its proportion to the entire work. However, the reader should also note that some publishers, such as the APA, have established word limits for borrowing text. Given the above considerations, it should then be clear that extensive plagiarism and self-plagiarism may also qualify as copyright infringement because the copyright of the plagiarized or self-plagiarized content may be held by the publisher; not by the author. This would certainly be the case if the original article were published in a journal owned by one publisher and the second article were to appear in a journal owned by a different publisher both of which require that authors transfer the copyright of their papers to the publishers. One should note that not all publishers require that authors transfer their copyright to them.

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Copyright: Why copyright matters and important concepts related to copyright

  • Why copyright matters and important concepts related to copyright
  • Irish Copyright Licensing Agency
  • Copyright for Students
  • Copyright for Lecturers
  • Copyright for Researchers
  • Referencing This link opens in a new window
  • Library 101 This link opens in a new window

What is this guide about?

This guide is a brief introduction to copyright relevant to students, researchers and lecturers. It introduces the basic concepts of copyright, including Copyright, Creative Commons licensing and Fair Dealing. It will also provide some quick guidelines on how to avoid infringing copyright law.

Following correct copyright law is closely linked to avoiding plagiarism and referencing correctly, which the library has guides on. 

How long does copyright last?

Literary works - 70 years after the author's death. 

Film - 70 years after the death of the last of the major creators of the film, which include director, scriptwriter and music composer.

Computer-generated works: 70 years after they were first created and distributed. 

What is copyright?

essay about plagiarism and copyright

Copyright refers to the legal rights given to the originator of the created material. For example an artist has this right over his painting, to print, publish, reproduce, film etc this material over a period of years, though they may give this right to others at their discretion or by allowing others to reuse it when other people ask for the owners permission. 

Remember however,  that most journals ask you to hand the copyright of your writing over to them. This is important to take this into account if you later wish to deposit the article in an Institutional Repository. Consult the publisher website for more information. 

 An author who publishes via an open access route will usually retain copyright.

Though it focuses mainly on the USA context, the above video gives a concise introduction to the copyright concept. 

Why is copyright important?

The importance of copyright is an essential component of the modern educational experience. Copyright is important as it helps to protect the value of an author/academic/researchers work, by giving the originator of the work the ability to protect it from unlicensed or uncredited usage. This leads to the prevention of their work being copied to the degree where they cannot sell it effectively or receive credit for it.  In this way, copyright fosters intellectual creativity as it provides an incentive for a creator to work freely, allowing them to gain recognition for their work as well as protecting their livelihood.

What is Creative Commons

Wanna Work Together? from Creative Commons on Vimeo .

What can I copy?

You can copy a work :

  • Whose copyright has expired
  • You own the copyright to the work
  • The copyright holder has given you permission to copy the work
  • The work is governed by a license granted the copyright holder
  • Your copying is permitted by fair use/fair dealing

Library and electronic resources

IADT library subscribes to a range of electronic resources and copying restrictions which are governed by a license.

Staff and students can:

  • Search and retrieve items
  • Print and download for personal use

They do not allow:

  • Downloading a significant part of a database or the entire contents of a publication e.g. a full journal.  
  • Multiple copying of single items
  • Distributing copies
  • Removing any marking or copyright statement from copies made
  • Using them for commercial purposes

Copyright in Ireland

Copyright in Ireland is enshrined in law by the   Copyright & Related Rights Act, 2000 and its amendments. The  Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Law Provisions Act 2019 is expected to replace the older act but has yet to be fully enacted. The 2000 act is still the law in relation to copyright at the time of writing. Students and lecturers should familiarize themselves with these laws. 

  • Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Law Provisions Act 2019

Updated 2019 act

The 2019 act has updated the provisions of the educational exceptions to include: 

- That both copying and communicating the copy falls under the exceptions for education produced by the act.

- The replacement of reproduction rather than  reprogramming  of documents including digital forms of copying. 

- Provisions for distance-learning that allows the  institution  to communicate needed works to distance-learing students. Those students are allowed to make copies of those works. 

- That as long as sufficient acknowledgement is given, copies can be made of works available through the internet.  

Disclaimer: This guide should be used as a reference to copyright law only and should not replace legal advice. The advice given is to be used as a guide only. 

Fair Dealing

Fair dealing refers to instances when you do not need to ask permission from the creator of a copyrighted work to use their content. It applies in circumstances when: 

1. The copied work is not infringing on the profits of the originators of the work. 

2. It is used for academic, education, criticism, review or reporting on currents events purposes. 

3.  A satisfactory attribution is given to the originator of the copyrighted work. 

However defense on a case on case basis and fault for a case is based on four aspects: the purpose of the work; how much is copied; the purpose of your use and whether it  infringes on the right or profits of the original works owners.

This usually only applies to individual copies. Multiple copies cannot be made and distributed unless covered by the ICLA  license. ICLA approved work can be copied and distributed to students.

Contact Us!

Please feel free to contact us about any question you have - about this subject or anything else you need help with. Library staff are available to provide help and answer queries online/remotely and in-person on Level 1 of the Library.

Live chat: www.library.iadt.ie

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @iadtlibrary

Twitter: @IADTlibrary

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We would love feedback if this page was useful to you! If you have additional questions please reach out to us and we can try our best to help.

IADT LibGuides are licenced under a  Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License  (CC-BY-NC 4.0) 

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Plagiarism and Copyright

Plagiarism is absolutely not a new concept, it is a term synonymous with academics and different fields such as research. Many people would agree that plagiarism is copying or using other people’s work with true accrediting them for the work. In this case, the person accused of plagiarism presents other people’s work as personal. Moreover, the very use of the phrases “borrowing” of “copying” can disguise the seriousness of the offense of plagiarism. In this light, the best way to describe plagiarism is as a fraud action which entails stealing someone’s work or thoughts and presenting them as yours. The implication of plagiarism is copyright infringement and loss of originality. And although many people think of plagiarism as something that happens in schools, in the outside world cases of plagiarism have been reported. One such case scenario is that of Melania Trump and Michele Obama’s speech. Juxtaposing Melania and Stanton in how they present their idea, it is evident that Trump, like Stanton in relation to Jefferson, changes words in Obama’s sentences. However, unlike Stanton, these changes do not allow her to express her own thoughts, but instead, she merely restates Obama’s ideas.

The opening statement Stanton is a complete replicate of Jefferson with a word to word representation of the speech. Stanton fails to accredit that she is quoting Jefferson; thus, it becomes clear she can be accused of plagiarizing Jefferson’s work. However, at second paragraph she digresses to her own ideas. She states “We hold these truths…men and women are created equal…” (Stanton paragraph 2). This differs totally with Jefferson’s idea who argues that “We hold these truths…that all men are created equally…” (Jefferson paragraph 2). This shows that despite the similarities of the words used in the two speeches, Stanton clearly brings out her idea different from that of Jefferson. In this case, Stanton cannot be accused of plagiarizing the work of Jefferson because she was talking about a different idea. The choice of words could be similar, but the meaning and the ideas are far different which evokes the idea that she has not stolen or copied another person work.

In the case of Trump, she started her speech “From young age…values that you work hard…” which simply change of words from those of Obama who states “Barack and I were raised… that you work hard…” (Krieg, “CNN Politics”). It is evident that Melania does not change the idea brought forth by Michelle and neither does she change how the idea is presented. Only a few words are changed perhaps to imply that she is the original composer of the speech. Moreover, the arrangements of the thoughts are similar in all aspects which clearly show that she is not presenting her own ideas but those of another person. This is a clear demonstration of plagiarizing another person’s work and disregarding to accredit their input in the original work.

The case of Trump and Stanton are different as noted above in that the representation of ideas. While Trump represents Obama’s ideas with a few changes of words, Stanton represents her own ideas borrowing her style of representation from that of Jefferson. Trump restates Obama’s ideas with very minimal changes which make her liable to plagiarism as opposed to Stanton who represents her own ideas following an example of Jefferson.

Furthermore, Stanton's work though not so unique, the whole ideas are her own. She is talking about women’s equal rights to those of men as opposed to Jefferson talk on liberation and freedom for all American Colonies from the British government. Stanton believes that women should be given same opportunities as men as opposed to having men enjoy more rights just because they are men. In her time the American society did not value much the input of women as that of men. And in her speech, she tries to address the concerns of having gender superiority and how women suffer for no good reason. On his side, Jefferson addresses the issue of the British monarch and how he had failed to protect the rights of the ordinary American. He called all the elected leaders to vote for the United States of America to be liberated from the colonial chains. Clearly, the two speakers are addressing two different concerns, but they represent ideas the same way. And as earlier noted, plagiarism only occurs when a person represents another person works as theirs. Which in this case, Stanton is representing her own work using Jefferson’s words; hence, she is not liable to have plagiarized Jefferson’s work.

On the other hand, Trump says “We need to pass…lessons…willingness to work…” which is directly replicated from Obama’s 2008s speech where she says “…pas them…generation…want our children… to work for them…” (Krieg, Gregory, Scott, and Erick “CNN”). This part of the speech presented by Trump lacks originality because it is fully copied from Obama yet it fails to acknowledge Mrs. Obama as the owner of the words. The ideas presented are the same and words are also the same, and by failing to change the meaning, then Trump proves that she has plagiarized the work of Obama.

Additionally, McCarthy and Jacobs notes that a significant portion of Trump’s speech at the Republican convention was lifted verbatim form Obama’s speech delivered in 2008 (“The Guardian”). Trump failed to differentiate her ideas from those of Obama, and she ended up presenting Obama’s ideas in all aspects. In addition to presenting Obama’s ideas, she changed some words to make the speech appears as though it was hers’. This was an act of fraud that was supported by changing of words yet retaining all the whole idea of the speech. If Trump had changed the concept of the meaning brought forth, then despite borrowing words from Obama then she would not have plagiarized the speech.

In the Declaration of Independence and Declaration of Sentiments, the ideas are presented the same, but the meaning is different. The same happening with different cases as represented in the modern society. For example, Facebook and Twitter and many other Social Medias use the same concept of bridging the gap of communication between people. However, their originality is in how they present their ideas and concepts. Furthermore, films such as Olympus has Fallen 2013, and White House Down 2013 borrow the same storyline, but they present the ideas differently which makes them to have different originalities. In this light, Stanton presents her ideas like Jefferson, but she does not retell the idea of Jefferson in her own words. She uses partly Jefferson’s words to talk about her own ideas like it happens in most cases in life. Unlike Stanton, Trump represents Obamas’s ideas without changing the meaning but simply by changing very few parts of the words to make the speech look like her’s. In this case, Trump does not present original ideas but copied work as hers.

It is evident that by using the word to word to represent Michelle Obama’s ideas, Trump plagiarized her work. For instance, Trump replicates Obama’s speech when she says “Their…my love for family and America.” Obama in 2008 argued that “her integrity…compassion…intelligence reflected my daughters…” (Healy, and Martin, New York Times). This is just a change of a couple of words, but the meaning is retained. Furthermore, more than eighty percent of the words is retained which shows that Trump plagiarized the speech of Mrs. Obama. This contradicts the work of Stanton who uses the words of Jefferson to represent her own ideas. Thus, the case of Trump and Stanton are different in how work is presented and ideas are argued, and the meaning presented. Stanton presents and original case, but Trump presents someone else’ work.

In conclusion, plagiarism is not something new, it has existed for many years, but it is wrong. Using other people’s work without original permission and failing to credit them for the work is makes a person liable for content infringement. The case of Stanton and Jefferson presents different ideas thus make the work of Stanton original. However, the case of Trump is different because she fails to present her ideas and through changes some words she ends up presenting the ideas of Mrs. Obama. This makes Trump liable to plagiarism unlike Stanton who presents her own ideas borrowing from the words of Jefferson.

Works Cited

Haberman, Alan Rappeport, Patrick Healy and Jonathan Martin, Maggie, Alan Rappeport,

Jefferson, Thomas, and Sam Fink. The declaration of independence. Scholastic Inc., 2002. Print.

Krieg, Gregory, Eugene Scott, and Erick Bradner. "No one to be fired after Melania Trump speech plagiarism episode." CNN. Cable News Network, 19 July 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. < http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/19/politics/melania-trump-michelle-obama-speech/>

McCarthy, Tom, and Ben Jacobs. "Melania Trump convention speech seems to plagiarise Michelle Obama." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 19 July 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/19/melania-trump-republican-convention-plagiarism-michelle-obama>.

Patrick Healy, and Jonathan Martin. "Questions Over Melania Trump's Speech Set Off Finger-Pointing." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 July 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.< https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/melania-trump-speech.html?_r=0>

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, Susan B. Anthony, and M.J. Cage. A History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 1 (Rochester, N.Y.: Fowler and Wells, 1889).

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How Does Plagiarism Checker Work?

  • If you already have a completed text, all you need is just to copy-paste the whole thing in the special box of the chosen plagiarism tool or website, choose suitable settings (if any), then press “check for plagiarism”. It is quite simple and takes just a few moments.
  • Once you have pressed “check for plagiarism”, the system will analyze your text and compare it with different sources to find similarities. As a rule, the duration depends on the text’s length. A standard free online plagiarism checker with percentage can give you the result within five minutes or less.
  • When the system finishes the work you will be transmitted to the reporting page – it contains the comprehensive report on your work, a percentage of its uniqueness, and a list of sources on which similarities were detected. Often, such tools also highlight the overlaps that were found.

As you can see, it is simple. However, for the best and reliable result you have to be careful. There are tons of programs and online tools that can be used but keep in mind that many of them work differently and not all are good for you. To be confident in the truthfulness of the received result, you need to select the best plagiarism checker because only a professional and high-quality software can detect all similarities and give you a reasoned assessment.

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Advantages Of Plagiarism Checker By PapersOwl

Why choose us? Our service offers a professional online plagiarism checker with report that will provide you with a comprehensive report to make you confident in the 100% uniqueness of your paper. Our free plagiarism checker for students guarantees the best check and here are the key advantages of using our tool that prove this:

You don’t need to pay anything to check your paper for plagiarism because we know the value of original and unique works.

One of the main benefits of our antiplagiat checker online is that it works so fast that you will not even have enough time to make yourself a cup of coffee while it analyzes your text, and it is safe!

We use the latest and the best algorithms and software in order to provide you with an advanced check and help you receive the high-quality papers.

It is simple in use and won’t take much time!

Many students have already confirmed that our free tool is a great and convenient feature that helped them detect and fix errors that could lead to a failure. With us, you will no longer need to look for a different scanner!

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Personalized Writing Help When You Need it

Unintentional plagiarism, grammar mistakes, and uncited sources  can turn what you thought was a good paper into a poor one. When you’re writing a paper the last thing you want is for your message to get lost due to incorrect punctuation or confusing sentence structure. You know that the great ideas in your head would make for a standout paper, if only you could get them written clearly on the page. If this struggle sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Great ideas may be an essential part of high-quality writing, but they’re not the only component. Excellent papers and essays clearly express strong ideas with good grammar, proper punctuation, spot-on spelling, and thorough, careful citations. While this may sound like a lot, your teachers and professors are grading you on your skills as both a writer and a researcher, which means your assignments will require an ethical and attentive approach. Luckily, there is no shortage of available tools to help you along your way.

You could use a plagiarism checker free, though, these tools often lack grammatical support. Given the high stakes and rigorous requirements, the aid of a plagiarism checker without the needed support of a grammar checker could mean the difference between an “A” paper and a “C” or even “D” paper.

Thankfully, the EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool provides all-in-one support to cover all your bases. Our premium essay checker is convenient, easy to use, and includes access to a grammar and spell checker, plus a plagiarism checker. With a single scan, you’ll receive personalized feedback to help identify potentially missing citations and help improve your sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and more.

Not sure if that noun is spelled correctly, or if the preposition at the end of your sentence is grammatically correct? The EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool is your one-stop shop to help check plagiarism, get grammatical suggestions, correct spelling and punctuation errors, and help create polished papers you can be proud to turn in. And, we haven’t told you the best part yet: you can try our tool free and scan your work for grammar suggestions right now!

Access all the tools today!

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A Grammar Check for Peace of Mind

You know that grammar plays a significant role in your assignments. Not only does it factor into your overall grade, but without clear and precise language, your ideas can lose their impact or might even be misunderstood entirely. Still, with so many different parts of speech and rules to learn and apply, it’s not uncommon to get them mixed up and find yourself questioning your knowledge now and again:

Can you use an adverb to modify a noun? (No. You need an adjective for that.)

Well, can you use it to modify a pronoun ? (Still no.)

What do they modify, then? (Almost everything else. Fun, right?)

Ugh. (That was an interjection .)

Does this have to be so difficult? (Nope!)

Scanning your paper with the EasyBib Plus writing tool delivers more than the basic punctuation and spell check functions that come standard in word processing programs. You’ll receive immediate, targeted feedback that can help improve the sentence structure and style of your writing. Not only can this help ensure that you don’t lose points off your grade for grammatical errors such as mismatched verb tense, but it can also help to clarify your meaning and strengthen your arguments by eliminating confusing punctuation and run-on sentences that confuse readers.

Reviewing your work to correct errors and refine the flow of your writing is a critical part of the revision process for novices and novelists alike. Even the most conscientious of wordsmiths might make mistakes, such as using a conjunctive adverb in place of a coordinating conjunction or pairing a plural determiner with an uncountable word. They likely appreciate a subscription-based or free grammar check as much as a beginning writer. That’s why the EasyBib Plus writing tool is designed for all writers, from students who are still learning the fundamentals to published professionals who get paid by the word.

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides quick, targeted feedback that you can use to help improve your writing immediately. Also, our free resource library is available 24/7, just like the rest of our tools, to help you brush up on the areas that challenge you the most (Conjunctive what? Uncountable who?) That means you can continue to sharpen your skills and improve your writing over time, which will help make finishing your next project easier.

Ready to give your paper a boost? Sign up for EasyBib Plus or scan a paper right now for a free spell check—it’s easy!Just upload or copy and paste your paper to the online grammar check tool and, in a matter of seconds, you’ll be able to receive up to 5 feedback cards so you can begin polishing your draft.

To learn more about proofreading tools, you can find more info here. Or, for more tips on grammar, punctuation, and style, check out this useful reference .

Why is Grammar So Important, Anyway?

Why is grammar important? As long as others know what you mean, does it really matter if you use proper grammar? These are age-old questions, but the answers remain unchanged. Grammar is important for many reasons:

Communication:  Communication is about more than merely listening and talking. We communicate in myriad ways: with our voices, our mannerisms, our facial expressions, our actions, and frequently, our written words. Written communication is just as important as all the other ways we broadcast our thoughts and feelings. Unlike our other communication methods, though, written communication leaves a record. While most of us relax our style when talking to or texting friends, the fact remains that more formal venues require a more formal tone. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a necessary element of professional and academic writing, so running your work through a spelling and grammar check before you submit it is an absolute must.

Clarity:  Expressing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions is an uphill battle when you communicate them with less-than-stellar punctuation, spelling, and grammar. A missing or misplaced comma, for example, can entirely change your meaning:

  • Call me Ishmael = My name is Ishmael.
  • Call me, Ishmael = I want Ishmael to call me.

Spelling errors can result in similarly muddled meaning:

  • Her shoes perfectly complemented her dress. = Her shoes and dress go well together.
  • Her shoes perfectly complimented her dress. = Her shoes can both speak and engage in flattery.

Grammar deficiencies such as a dangling modifier yield similarly confusing results:

  • I saw the girl’s purple backpack in the library. = The purple backpack belonging to the girl is in the library; I saw it.
  • I saw the purple girl’s backpack in the library. = You know the girl who mysteriously turned purple? I saw her backpack in the library. This week has not been easy on her.

Credibility: Establishing your credibility is critical whether you’re writing for school or business. Proving that you can reliably communicate using proper grammar is essential to establishing and maintaining the trust of your teachers, professors, readers, customers, and colleagues.

To learn even more about the importance of English grammar in writing, check here .

What Happens After I Upload My Paper?

Once you upload a paper, the EasyBib Plus grammar checker scans your text and highlights grammar issues within your document so you can see it in context. For users running a grammar check and spell check using the grammar check free tool, up to the first 5 issues are shown. For subscription subscribers, all of the areas that require your review will be highlighted once the scan is complete.

No matter which version of the tool you’re using, your feedback will include detailed explanations so you can understand why the text was flagged. Other highlighted areas will include examples of how the issues can be fixed. Some will include a detailed explanation as to why the issue was flagged. This personalized feedback allows you to make an educated decision about whether to edit your text or dismiss the suggestion, so you’re always in control of your final draft.

Subscription users also have the plagiarism checker at their disposal when scanning their papers for style and grammar suggestions. Just as with our other writing tools, when you use the tool to check plagiarism, changes are never made without your review, so you are always in the driver’s seat. You can review each highlighted area as well as the sources of matching text and will always be given a choice to either accept or ignore both citation and grammar suggestions.

Whether you are a student or a professional, the EasyBib Plus tools are powerful allies that can help you improve your paper, establish credibility as a writer, and maintain an ethical writing process.

Try our checker free for 3 days to see what you think*. Trust us; you’ll wonder how you got along so far without it!

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Check for Unintentional Plagiarism

Persistent use of the best grammar checker and spell checker you can find will help to shape up the style and substance of your composition. However, to ensure the integrity of your work and root out unintentional instances of academic dishonesty, you’ll also need to incorporate a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker for students.

The ability to scan your paper and check plagiarism and grammar before submitting your work is an invaluable tool for students. It’s so valuable, in fact, that students are not the only ones who consistently use this type of software.

Many teachers and professors use a service to ensure that student papers are original and include properly formatted and sourced citations for all reference materials. For some, this may be a consistent element of their grading process, while others may utilize one only when they feel there is a reason to do so.

What Exactly Does a Plagiarism Checker Do?

If you’ve used an online plagiarism checker before, you may be familiar with the process that these tools employ. For those who have never used one, it can be helpful to understand how these tools work and what you should expect as a result of using one.

The most basic free tools will scan your paper and provide you with a percentage that indicates how much of your work is original. This feature can be useful to a point, as some instructors and institutions set a percentage for the amount of similar text that is considered acceptable. This policy does not mean that they are lenient about academic dishonesty but, instead, that they recognize that similar or even matching word choice is not always an indicator of copying.

However, some schools do not tolerate any form of incremental plagiarism, period. In these institutions, “check paper for plagiarism” is likely a standard action when grading all papers.

With a free plagiarism checker, the percentage of word-for-word plagiarism in your text may be the only feedback you receive. Moreover, some of these providers may wade in unethical waters, and offer essay writing services in conjunction with their checking services. This is why many students and teachers prefer subscription-based checkers that focus on integrity, such as the EasyBib writing tools.

With our premium tools, you get more than just supporting proof that your paper is original and in your own words. Your writing is scanned for potentially matching text and areas that needs your attention is highlighted. We’ll provide you with the source of the matching text so you can review it and decide how to proceed. If you agree that a citation is needed, our citation tools and resources will provide you with the information you need to help format and insert the new sources in your text as well as your works cited page.

How Does the EasyBib Plus Online Plagiarism Checker Work?

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides an all-in-one spell check, grammar review, and plagiarism checker that not only helps you with the paper you’re writing now but enables you to gain new knowledge and improve your writing for the future, too.

Our essay checker searches online for phrases, sentences, or passages that are similar to those in your paper. If it returns matching text, this may indicate that you have passages that are missing citations.

Just as with many checkers, our tool will tell you how many instances of matching text it finds in your paper. Our plagiarism tool is designed to do more than most free tools, however.

When a portion of your paper is flagged for review, we provide you with the source that it matches. As with our online spell check tool, you have the power to review each area and choose how to proceed. If you decide to cite the flagged text, you can review the suggested source and access our citation tools to help create a proper citation and start building a bibliography for your paper. Or, you may determine that no citation is needed, in which case it’s simple to dismiss the suggestion and continue to the next section.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed, our library of resources can help you learn more and make an educated decision. In this way, you gain more than just the ability to correct your work; over time, you can learn how to avoid plagiarism altogether.

Reasons Your Teacher May Run Your Paper Through a Plagiarism Detector

As stated previously, your teachers and professors grade papers with a fixed process that includes “check paper for plagiarism” as a standard, across-the-board action. Others may check for plagiarism only when they feel there is cause to do so. There are a few red flags that may stand out to them while reviewing a paper that would lead to their running a plagiarism check, including:

Style/Voice:  Most teachers are familiar with the style and voice that you use in your writing. While most will hope that the feedback they provide when grading your work will help you to improve problem areas over time, a paper or essay that has a dramatically different style or voice than the work you’ve previously submitted can be a red flag.

Inconsistency:  Changes in the font, font size, formality, formatting, and more may indicate that portions of a paper have been copied and pasted. If these inconsistent passages are not presented as quotations or don’t include citations, this may further indicate to your teacher that there’s plagiarism in the paper.

Old References:  Part of a well-researched paper is verifying the legitimacy and relevance of your sources. While some older references may be acceptable depending on the topic, if all of your sources are outdated, it may lead your teacher to believe that you’ve recycled your own work or someone else’s.

Looking for a checker to try? With EasyBib Plus you get unlimited checks to give you peace of mind when turning in your papers!

What is Plagiarism?

If you’re looking for a free online plagiarism checker , you’re already aware that it’s not something you want to be found in your papers. However, you may still be wondering: what does plagiarism mean? It’s a reasonable question and one that merits exploring. After all, some of the actions and circumstances that fall within the plagiarism definition come as a surprise to those who only learn that they’ve committed them after it’s too late.

So what is plagiarism? To define plagiarism in the most basic sense, you might say that it is taking someone else’s ideas and words and passing them off as your own.

If your goal is avoiding plagiarism entirely, you’ll need to go beyond the basics to thoroughly define plagiarism, recognize it, and keep clear of it. Some examples of plagiarism that students find surprising include forgotten citations, poor paraphrasing, and re-submitting your own work in whole or in part for more than one assignment. This useful article provides more help in recognizing and understanding the different forms that academic dishonesty can take.

Of course, using your own words and ideas does not count as plagiarism, nor does using common knowledge . Basically, common knowledge is information that is well known by the average person. Examples of common knowledge:

  • there are 12 months in a year
  • the freezing point of Celsius is zero degrees
  • Socrates was a Greek philosopher

So should you only include your original thoughts and common knowledge in your papers? Of course not! Research-based assignments are meant to demonstrate your skills as a researcher, after all, as well as your ability to build upon the work of others to formulate new ideas. To avoid accidentally committing an act that falls within the plagiarism definition when you’re using another person’s words or ideas, though, you need to give them proper credit. This means you’ll need to clearly identify direct quotations or properly paraphrase them when including them in your paper.

Regardless of your approach, you’ll also need to cite your sources according to the style your professor specifies. Generally, you will use MLA format for the arts and humanities and APA format for the sciences, but it’s always best to check with your instructor when you’re unsure.

If you know what style to use but still aren’t sure how to create your citations, don’t fret! Our library of resources includes free guides to help you learn about various styles so you can properly structure and place them. And our premium tools not only help you check grammar, spelling, and originality in your papers, but subscribers also enjoy access to our citation creation tools!

What are the Different Types of Plagiarism?

In addition to the question “what is plagiarism,” you may also be wondering, “why do students plagiarize?” While some students do intentionally plagiarize because they believe they can pass off someone else’s work as their own to avoid spending time on their assignments, many others do so accidentally. They may not understand how broad the plagiarism definition is or they haven’t learned how to research and cite their sources properly. That is why it is vital to recognize plagiarism in all of its forms if you wish to ensure the integrity of your work.

Examples of plagiarism & How to prevent it

Direct plagiarism:

Intentionally copying another person’s work without including a citation that gives credit to the source. When most students are asked to identify potential plagiarism examples and behaviors, this direct and deliberate act is what they think of first.

  • Prevention: If you use an idea or quote from another source, cite it in the text. Make it clear that it was not your own words. 

Incremental plagiarism:

Copying parts of another person’s work, such as phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without crediting the source. When deciding which tools to use to check a paper for plagiarism , instructors often seek out those that will identify incremental forms as well as instances of direct copying and similar phrasing.

  • Prevention : Decide to either directly quote the phrases or sentences you want to use, or write a good paraphrase. In both cases, be sure to add a citation. Using a plagiarism checker could also help you identify problematic passages.

Self-plagiarism:

Academic self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits the same paper or parts of a paper for more than one assignment. When your instructors are grading your papers, they’re assessing your research and writing skills in the present. When you submit work that you completed in the past, they are both unable to evaluate your current skills and unaware that you haven’t completed the assignment.

  • Prevention: Write a new paper for each assignment you’re assigned. If you feel strongly that your past work could enhance your new paper, speak to your instructor and ask for permission first.

Misleading citations:

Including a citation for a quote or idea that misrepresents the source material. This can occur if a student does not understand the reference they are citing; if a student includes a citation for a disreputable source; or the source material simply does not align with the idea or argument that the student has attributed to it.

  • Prevention: Carefully review your assignment to understand it. As you research, take the time to evaluate each source notes . Remember, it’s better to have quality citations over an abundance of citations.

Invented sources:

If a reference in a student’s bibliography is found not to exist, it is considered an invented source. This may occur if a student couldn’t find a reputable source to back their argument, or if they needed to include additional references to meet the requirements of the assignment and chose to take an unethical shortcut rather than completing the required amount of research. No matter the reason, this behavior ultimately hurts them in the long run. Not only will they fail to gain the experience they need to conduct research in the future properly, but they’ll also experience significant consequences if they’re caught.

  • Prevention: Set aside time to do proper research so you can find enough sources. Start creating a list of sources as you’re researching and take good notes. This will help you keep track of your sources so none are forgotten. If you do end up forgetting where a quote came from, a paper checker could help you pinpoint the original source. 

Patchwriting/Spinning:

Patchwriting is often confused with paraphrasing, but there’s a significant difference. When you paraphrase, you demonstrate that you understand the topic well enough to restate it in your own words. When you patchwrite or spin, it is more akin to a word-swapping game; there’s no need to understand the subject, merely to have access to a thesaurus so you can substitute enough synonyms to mask the source material. This can be intentional, but it may also be a result of having a poor understanding of how to paraphrase.

  • Prevention: Using your own words, write down the key points of the phrase or idea, and put them together in a sentence. Be sure to include a citation as well. 

A good way to test if you’re patchwriting or paraphrasing is to remove your sources from view. If you can write about what you’ve read without looking at the source material, you likely understand it well enough to paraphrase it. If you have to review the source material with each new sentence or consult a thesaurus while writing about it (except when you’re adding direct quotations), you may be spinning your sources instead of paraphrasing them.

Academic Integrity Policies and Statements

If you’re still uncertain about what counts as plagiarism, look for your school’s/ organization’s policies on academic integrity and plagiarism. The policies of academic institutions usually cover what is considered plagiarism, the consequences of committing it, and how to avoid it. One great example is Purdue University’s Academic Integrity statement .

What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?

No matter the setting, plagiarism is not taken lightly, and the consequences can be significant. For a good reason, too! Whether in an academic or professional setting, the plagiarism consequences reflect the seriousness of the act, which is ultimately a form of theft that hurts everyone involved.

Just as with the theft of a tangible object, there can be legal punishments for plagiarism. It is, after all, a form of copyright infringement in many instances. A quick search for plagiarism articles will reveal that professional instances of intellectual theft have resulted in civil lawsuits and can even be criminally prosecuted under rare circumstances. In addition to the possible legal consequences, professionals may lose their jobs or have to start over in a new field after their acts of fraud are uncovered.

As a student, you’re likely to wonder what happens if you plagiarize in college or high school. While there will almost always be consequences for this behavior, there is no one-size-fits-all plagiarism sentence. Depending on the circumstances, academic dishonesty could result in outcomes such as:

  • You might get a zero for the assignment in which the infringement occurred.
  • You may receive a failing grade for the class. If it is a required course, this could leave you without enough credits to move on to the next level until you can repeat it and, in some instances, postpone graduation.
  • You may be expelled from your school or university.

The academic dishonesty may be noted on your transcript, which can lead to you not getting into your preferred college, graduate school, or Ph.D. program in the future.

Nobody wants to be known as a fraud or to have a reputation for dishonesty follow them through their career. And, given the consequences that can extend beyond just their reputation, it’s no wonder that professional and academic writers who wish to avoid them take the time to understand the complete definition of plagiarism and run their work through a plagiarism checker before sending it out into the world.

Even the vigilant can fall prey to inferior tools, unfortunately. Before selecting a plagiarism checker, you should understand how they work and what they can (and cannot) detect.

How We Check for Plagiarism

When exploring how to check for plagiarism, most students and professionals conclude that including a checking tool in their revision process is not only helpful but necessary. When you consider the Herculean task of checking each line of your paper against the text of each of your resources, the benefits of a checker are clear. Moreover, this manual approach would only alert you to matching text in the sources you’re aware of, after all, and leaves the sources you haven’t reviewed untouched.

But, hang on. Why would sources you haven’t reviewed factor into your review? The answer to this lies in the plagiarism definition you learned above. What is plagiarism? It’s presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, intentionally or otherwise. It is not uncommon to uncover an idea while you’re researching a topic and later misremember it as your own. This might even occur years after you originally came across it.

You might wonder: how can plagiarism be avoided if you have to account for the source of every thought you include in your work? A few exceptions minimize the scope of this. Common knowledge about your topic does not need to be supported by a citation, nor does knowledge that you gained through your personal experience. Using a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker will help you locate any passages that may fall into these categories so you can review them and decide for yourself whether a citation is needed.

EasyBib Plus writing tools provide easy, convenient, and reliable support to help you find potentially missed citations and can help you improve your paper into a high-quality paper with integrity. Simply upload your paper, select the checker, then sit back and relax as the site scans your document. In mere moments, we’ll search the web for passages of similar text and highlight duplicate content for your review.

Regardless of the tools you use to help you revise and polish your work, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you’re writing and submitting ethical work. That’s why our tools go beyond the basics and require your participation. The tool never automatically makes changes to your paper, but only flags sections that may need your attention and provides you with the matching source so you can to make an educated decision.

If you find that a citation is needed, our citation tools can help you create properly formatted citations and develop a complete bibliography. And, if you review the passage and determine that the match is coincidental, you can dismiss the alert and move on to the next.

Seamless Citation Creation

Professional writers and students alike can find creating citations incredibly confusing. Nevertheless, they are an integral part of a well-written and researched paper and a requirement in almost all academic settings. But, have you ever wondered why they are so important? Citations really do have a purpose—other than driving us crazy— that make it necessary always to cite our sources.

We cite our sources for a few important reasons:

We need to give credit where credit is due. When you use a quote from someone else’s work, you need to give credit for using their words and ideas. Research is often based on the works and ideas of others. However, to include the words and ideas of another without giving them proper credit is to plagiarize, even if the act was unintentional.

In addition, showing that you’ve done proper research by including in text & parenthetical citations and a comprehensive list of sources to back up your arguments gives your work a layer of credibility that can help you earn the trust of your reader or teacher.

Readers can find the sources you used.  When you’re writing high school or undergraduate papers, your only readers may be your instructors and peers. However, including citations at every level of writing helps to ensure that anyone who reads your work can access your sources to check their accuracy, learn more about your topic, and further their own research.

Sources can take your research and learning to the next level, too. When you are conducting research on a topic, checking the works cited or annotated bibliographies prepared by your sources can lead you down new avenues in your research to further develop your ideas and help you write your papers.

Correctly utilizing citations gives strength to your thoughts and opinions. Understanding the value of citations does not, unfortunately, make them any easier to create. We know how confusing it can be, but don’t throw in the towel on learning how to cite websites in MLA , create your APA citation website references, or format your works cited —this is where we come in!

While a free online plagiarism detector may tell you how much of your work is unoriginal and may even identify the passages that meet their plagiarize definition, a premium EasyBib Plus plagiarism checker account also gives you access to our powerful citation resources and generator so you can:

Scan your papers with the plagiarism tool to check for plagiarism-free work before you submit.

Review flagged passages to determine if they meet the plagiarism definition and create unlimited citations in APA format and MLA format for anything fitting the plagiarism meaning. Need more styles ? Check out our regular citation generator for thousands of choices and free resources to help you learn how to create an APA parenthetical citation , APA book citation , APA works cited , and so much more!

Build a full bibliography for your paper right along with your parenthetical or in-text citations, which can save you hours of work along the way compared to manually creating and formatting them.

How Else Do We Help You Improve Your Paper?

The EasyBib Plus plagiarism detector helps you check your content or paper for text that may be missing a citation—which may fall within the definition of plagiarism—to help ensure you don’t accidentally plagiarize. It also includes grammar check and spelling check tools to help identify errors and suggest grammatical tweaks that could help to elevate the level of your writing.

Running a plagiarism check couldn’t be easier! Just upload your paper to the online proofreader, and in a few moments we’ll have your writing and citing suggestions. And, there’s no need to worry about your paper after it’s been scanned.

Run a Grammar and Spell Check for Free!

There’s no denying that your schoolwork can be challenging at times, and your assignments can lead to some late nights even when you’ve started them early. The last thing you want is to submit assignments that don’t reflect your best effort, but it can occasionally be quite the juggling act to get everything done on time.

Why not let our plagiarism checker free up space on your calendar by helping you revise your papers quickly and efficiently? The EasyBib Plus paper checker is your one-stop shop to check for plagiarism, create citations, spot spelling mistakes, and receive feedback on your grammar and style.

When you proofread and do a manual spelling check on work that you’ve written, you’re more likely to overlook mistakes. This is even more likely if you’re pressed for time or trying to complete several different assignments at once. There are tricks to help minimize this, such as reading your work aloud to identify poor grammar or reading each sentence backward to find spelling errors. When time is of the essence, though, these solutions aren’t the most convenient or useful options. That’s why many students seek the assistance of online tools that will run a grammar and plagiarism check on their work.

Are you asking yourself, “ How do I check my grammar online ?” We’ve got the perfect checker for you! Our advanced tools help you find and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Our targeted feedback and free writing and citing resources help you learn as you go to improve your writing over time.

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Published February 3, 2019. Updated April 9, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Melissa DeVrieze Meyer . Michele is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Melissa is a professional writer and editor based in New Jersey. She writes for academic brands and independent publishers about writing, grammar, and literature, and creates study and curriculum materials for ESL learners. You can find her on Twitter .

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

Essay Contest: Nappert Prize in International Arbitration 2024

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Thanks to the generosity of Sophie Nappert (BCL’86, LLB’86), the Nappert Prize in International Arbitration is celebrating 10 years since its inauguration in 2014. The prize will be awarded by McGill University for the sixth time in 2024.

Eligibility Requirements:

The competition is open to law students, junior scholars and junior practitioners from around the world. To be eligible for the prize, the authors must:

  • be either currently enrolled in a B.C.L, LL.B., J.D., LL.M., D.C.L., or Ph.D. program (or their local equivalents), or
  • have taken their most recent law degree within the last three years; or
  • have been admitted to the practice of law for no more than three years.

Co-authored submissions are permissible, but each author must meet the eligibility criteria. (Kindly note that only one author will be flown to Montreal for the symposium.)

Previous winners of the Nappert Prize (2020 and 2022) are not eligible to submit their essays for this edition.

  • First place: CAN $4,000
  • Second place: CAN $2,000
  • Third place: CAN $1,000

Winners of all three awards will be required to present their essays at a symposium to be held at McGill University’s Faculty of Law in Autumn 2024 (the expenses of the winners for attending the symposium will be covered).

The best oralist will receive an award of CAN $1,000.

The precise date of the symposium will be announced in the coming months.

Deadline and Submission Mode:

All essays must be submitted by 30 th April 2024 11:59PM Eastern Time. Essays can be submitted using this form .

Submission Requirements:

Essays for the prize can be submitted in English, French or Spanish.

Please make sure that your essay:

  • must relate to commercial or investment arbitration;
  • must be unpublished (not yet submitted for publication) as of April 30 th ;
  • must be a maximum of 15,000 words (including footnotes);
  • must be formatted to Times New Roman Size 12 with 1.5 line spacing.
  • should use OSCOLA or any other well-established legal citation guide (e.g. McGill Red Book; Bluebook);
  • should be in MS Word format;
  • should not contain your name or other information about your identity.

Submitted essays should not contain any text generated through advanced automated tools (artificial intelligence or machine learning tools such as ChatGPT), unless specifically required because of the subject matter of the essay and cited as mentioned below. Use of AI-generated text will be considered plagiarism, and any essay containing such text will be disqualified.

If the subject matter of the essay necessitates it, any AI-generated text in the submission should be properly cited. For example, text generated using ChatGPT-3 should include a citation such as:

Chat-GPT-3. (YYYY, Month DD of query). “Text of your query.” Generated using OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/

Material generated using other tools should follow a similar citation format.

Jurors for the 2024 will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

For more information, kindly email Ms. Tanya Oberoi at nappertprize.law [at] mcgill.ca .

Faculty of Law

Department and university information.

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  3. PLAGIARISM & COPYRIGHT LAW

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  5. COPYRIGHT AND PLAGIARISM

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  1. Plagiarism vs Copyright Infringement

    June 22, 2021 Education The Difference Between Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement by Mike Arnold and Samantha Levin Photo Credit: iStock/Olivier Le Moal There are many differences between plagiarism and copyright infringement, yet it can be easy to confuse these concepts.

  2. Copyright vs. Plagiarism

    What Is Copyright Infringement? Ultimately, the copyright vs. plagiarism difference comes down to legality. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of another person's original creative works, which includes literary, artistic, musical, or other types of content protected by copyright law.

  3. What Is Plagiarism?

    Home Knowledge Base Plagiarism What Is Plagiarism? | Definition & Examples Plagiarism means using someone else's work without giving them proper credit. In academic writing, plagiarizing involves using words, ideas, or information from a source without citing it correctly. In practice, this can mean a few different things. Table of contents

  4. LibGuides: Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay: Copyright, Plagiarism

    Wiregrass Georgia Technical College's definition of plagiarism according to the Student Handbook: 4. Plagiarism. Submitting another's published or unpublished work in whole, in part or in paraphrase, as one's own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, quotation marks, citations, or bibliographical reference.

  5. Copyright and Fair Use: Copyright Infringement vs. Plagiarism

    Plagiarism is best defined as the unacknowledged use of another person's work. It is an ethical issue involving a claim of credit for work that the claimant did not create. One can plagiarize someone else's work regardless of the copyright status of that work. For example, it is nonetheless plagiarism to copy from a book or article that is ...

  6. Copyright Vs. Plagiarism

    Avoiding Plagiarism: Copyright Vs. Plagiarism Dissertation / Thesis FAQ re: Copyright Copyright Vs. Plagiarism

  7. What Is Plagiarism?

    Common misconceptions about detecting plagiarism: Online distribution of materials in itself is not necessarily plagiarism; Online distribution of content does not necessarily contribute to plagiarism; Rather, online distribution helps to prevent plagiarism by making it easier to detect when someone does not attribute ideas

  8. Examples of Plagiarism & Tips for Avoiding It

    Published on November 1, 2021 by Tegan George . Revised on July 15, 2022. Plagiarism means using someone else's words or ideas without properly crediting the original author. Some common examples of plagiarism include: Paraphrasing a source too closely Including a direct quote without quotation marks

  9. How to Avoid Plagiarism

    To avoid plagiarism, you need to correctly incorporate these sources into your text. You can avoid plagiarism by: Keeping track of the sources you consult in your research. Paraphrasing or quoting from your sources (by using a paraphrasing tool and adding your own ideas) Crediting the original author in an in-text citation and in your reference ...

  10. Copyright vs. Plagiarism

    This guide serves as an introduction to U.S. copyright issues including definitions, fair use, research and classroom use, and related topics. How do copyright and plagiarism differ?

  11. What Constitutes Plagiarism?

    What Constitutes Plagiarism? | Harvard Guide to Using Sources HOME / AVOIDING PLAGIARISM / What Constitutes Plagiarism? In academic writing, it is considered plagiarism to draw any idea or any language from someone else without adequately crediting that source in your paper.

  12. Handout: Copyright and Plagiarism

    Marco decides that his sister's blog has some good information on it, so he borrows some for use in his own blog. He doesn't bother to cite her. Is this plagiarism or copyright violation? Scenario 2. Danielle writes an essay that's she worked very hard on and sends it off to an academic journal after she finishes it.

  13. Copyright and Plagiarism Explained: What You Need to Know

    February 12, 2024 by Rae Marie Manar 8 min read In the world of content creation, dealing with plagiarism and copyright infringement issues can happen to anyone. This is especially true in today's digital age, where it's easy to take something from the internet, make small changes, and claim it as your own.

  14. Copyright Infringement, Fair Use, and Plagiarism

    Guideline 14: Because some instances of plagiarism, self- plagiarism, and even some writing practices that might otherwise be acceptable (e.g., extensive paraphrasing or quoting of key elements of a book) can constitute copyright infringement, authors are strongly encouraged to become familiar with basic elements of copyright law.

  15. Plagiarism and copyright: Best practices for classroom education

    Plagiarism and copyright infringement are terms that most students are familiar with, and when asked, most students will readily express the sentiment that plagiarizing the work of others or committing copyright infringement is wrong. Despite students' basic understanding of these concepts, many struggle to put them into practice. ...

  16. Why copyright matters and important concepts related to copyright

    This guide will provide information on copyright for students, staff and researchers ... Following correct copyright law is closely linked to avoiding plagiarism and referencing correctly, which the library has guides ... Creative Commons refers to a set of licenses that allows authors of papers and other works decide exactly how people may use ...

  17. Plagiarism and Copyright

    The implication of plagiarism is copyright infringement and loss of originality. And although many people think of plagiarism as something that happens in schools, in the outside world cases of plagiarism have been reported. One such case scenario is that of Melania Trump and Michele Obama's speech.

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    0 / 10000 Plagiarism Checking Catch plagiarism from ProQuest databases and billions of web pages. Our free plagiarism check will tell you whether or not your text contains duplicate content. Our Premium plagiarism check highlights passages that require citations and gives you the resources you need to properly credit your sources.

  19. The 5 Types of Plagiarism

    Table of contents. Global plagiarism: Plagiarizing an entire text. Verbatim plagiarism: Copying words directly. Paraphrasing plagiarism: Rephrasing ideas. Patchwork plagiarism: Stitching together sources. Self-plagiarism: Plagiarizing your own work. Frequently asked questions about plagiarism.

  20. Essay On Copyright And Plagiarism

    When reading the essay "Something Borrowed," Malcolm Gladwell gave insight into the flaws of plagiarism that writers may not have thought about before. The first being that plagiarism is never acceptable (927). The second issue with plagiarism is recognizing the differences that can or cannot "inhibit creativity" (931).

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  23. Essay Contest: Nappert Prize in International Arbitration 2024

    Use of AI-generated text will be considered plagiarism, and any essay containing such text will be disqualified. If the subject matter of the essay necessitates it, any AI-generated text in the submission should be properly cited. For example, text generated using ChatGPT-3 should include a citation such as: Chat-GPT-3. (YYYY, Month DD of query).

  24. Free Plagiarism Checker in Partnership with Turnitin

    3,475 reviews on What you get with a premium plagiarism check Plagiarism Checker Catch accidental plagiarism with high accuracy with Scribbr's Plagiarism Checker in partnership with Turnitin. AI Detector Detect AI-generated content, like ChatGPT3.5 and GPT4, with Scribbr's AI Detector in partnership with Turnitin.

  25. New report: 60% of OpenAI model's responses contain plagiarism

    A new report from plagiarism detector Copyleaks found that 60% of OpenAI's GPT-3.5 outputs contained some form of plagiarism. Why it matters: Content creators from authors and songwriters to The New York Times are arguing in court that generative AI trained on copyrighted material ends up spitting out exact copies. Copyleaks is an AI-based text analysis company that began selling plagiarism ...