Warning!

Plagiarism is a serious offence. If you are found guilty of plagiarism you may be suspended from the University, criminally charged, or a civil claim may be brought against you.

What is Plagiarism?

You commit plagiarism when you present someone else's ideas – published or unpublished – as if they were your own. People's ideas may be contained in:

written text - articles, books, dissertations, theses, newspapers, magazines, notes, course material, co-students' projects, e-mail messages, data, computer code, everything on the Internet, etc.

visual text - fine art, graphic art, photographs, etc.

multimedia products- websites, video productions, films, CDs, etc.

music - compositions, lyrics, CDs, music or sound bytes on the Internet, etc.

spoken text - speeches, audio recordings, lectures, interviews, etc.

What are the consequences of plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a serious offence.
Firstly, plagiarism is ILLEGAL. It may be regarded as a criminal offence in terms of the Copyright Act 98 of 1978. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism

• by a Disciplinary Committee of the University, he/she may be expelled from the University;
• by a Court of Law, a fine or imprisonment may be imposed.

Secondly, plagiarism is UNETHICAL.

• It is in conflict with our values of trust and academic integrity (respecting the work of others and expecting them to respect yours).
• It is dishonest (a form of theft).
• It shows disrespect for the rights of the original author, and for the knowledge community of which both the author and the plagiarist are members.
• It may tarnish the University's reputation, and thereby diminish the value of its qualifications.
• It casts suspicion on the honest work of other students.

Please note: UP uses software and other mechanisms that are capable of detecting plagiarism in all kinds of electronic texts, and acts against offenders through its Committee for Discipline (Students).

How can you avoid plagiarism?

The don'ts

• Don't hide behind ignorance. A criminal offence is punishable, irrespective of whether it was committed wittingly or unwittingly.
• Don't commit plagiarism intentionally (e.g. if you are pressed for time). It could spell the end of your study career.
• Don't cut and paste information from electronic sources such as web pages.

The do's

• Learn to think independently and critically. Read what others have said about a topic, acknowledge the source, and then formulate your own viewpoint.
• Get acquainted with the correct method of reference, and apply it to assignments, reports, essays, dissertations and theses. This entails, inter alia, the following:
  • 
    If you quote the exact words of another person:
    • Put the quotation between inverted commas if it forms part of a paragraph you have written.
    • Indent the quotation from the left-hand margin or use a different/smaller font if it stands in a new paragraph.
    • Acknowledge the source according to the method prescribed by the department or subject field.
  • If you make use of other people's ideas but prefer to formulate them in your own words:
    • Change the formulation to blend with your personal style of writing, or translate the citation into the language you are using.
    • Make sure that you do not misrepresent the author's words to suit your personal opinion.
    • Acknowledge the source according to the method prescribed by the department or subject field.

Referencing (Citation) guidelines are available online at http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/create/reference.htm

What can you gain by using the correct referencing method and being honest?

• Proper referencing demonstrates that you are familiar with developments in your field of study, that you have read widely, and know who the leading subject-field specialists are.
• Proper referencing shows that your ideas are related to those of experts, adding authority to your arguments.
• Proper referencing helps your audience to locate the sources you have used.

More comprehensive information on plagiarism and its prevention is available online at
http://upetd.up.ac.za/authors/create/plagiarism.htm

© University of Pretoria: Academic Information Service 2003