Source: Plagiarism by Shmoop
Plagiarism is passing off the work of others as your own and a person found guilty of such a transgression can be legally prosecuted. In addition, it also constitutes academic theft and is a serious matter which will have serious consequences in assignment assessment.
Anglia Ruskin University. 2007. Using the Cochrane Library. [Leaflet]. August 2007 edition. Cambridge: [Anglia Ruskin University].
Publishers’ Association of South Africa. (2007). Copyright information guide. Available from: http://www.dalro.co.za/
Copyright is the right to copy. It is a legal device that provides the creator of a work of art or literature, or a work that conveys information or ideas, the right to control how the work is used. It is a property right given to authors or creators of ‘works’, e.g literary works, artistic works, musical works, sound recordings, films and broadcasts or computer programs, to control the copying or exploitation of their work (Publishers' Association of South Africa, 2007).