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FEBE - Quality and Operations Management: Plagiarism and Copyright

Information Resources for Quality and Operations Management

Plagiarism definition

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

Plagiarism Policy

Why do people plagiarise ?

People plagiarize as a result of the following:

  • Not knowing any better
  • Pressure/competition
  • Lack of confidence
  • Work perceived as too difficult
  • Lack of consequences
  • Lack of interest or laziness
  • Arrogance

 What are the consequences of plagiarism?

  • Plagiarism is unethical becuase it is intellectual theft
  • It is in conflict with the UJ Values of trust and academic integrity
  • It shows disrespect for the rights of the original author
  • It tarnishes the Universities reputation, and diminishes the value of your qualifications
  • It casts suspicion on the honest work of the students

How to avoid Plagiarism

To Avoid Plagiarism:

  • Never Copy Directly
  • Never Print Directly
  • Never Copy From Other Students

 To Quote a Source:

  • Always Use “Quotation Marks” 
  • Always Give Credit to the Source (Citing & Referencing)

To Paraphrase:

  • Always Use Your Own Words 
  • Give Credit to the Source

 To Use Common Knowledge:

  • Always Use Facts Known by Many People 
  • No Citations Needed

TurnItIn

Turnitin can be defined as an originality checking and plagiarism prevention service that checks your writing for citation mistakes or inappropriate copying.  When you submit your paper, Turnitin compares it to text in its massive database of student work, websites, books, articles, etc.    

Turnitin is integrated into the Assignments tool, this means that when you upload your paper to your classroom for grading, it will automatically be sent through Turnitin's repository, with no need to log in separately at Turnitin.com.  The Similarity Report that it generates will  help identify possible instances of plagiarism.

Copyright

What is copyright?

Copyright can be defined as a form of Intellectual Property aimed at preventing unauthorized persons from copying certain types of works. 

Why the concern about copyright?

It is the University’s policy to comply with the Copyright Act and Regulations and in so doing to respect the rights of the authors and publishers and to pay reasonable license fees where required by law. Infringement of copyright by the Universities, Heads of Departments or lecturers, and students could result in legal action and possible awards of damages.       

The Copyright Act currently protects literary, artistic, and musical works, sound recordings, cinematograph films, sound and television broadcasts as well as published editions and computer programs.  

How to obtain permission 

In order to assist staff, the University has a Copyright Administrator, Mr. Thapelo Mashishi. All requests for copyright permission should be routed through the Copyright Administration Office. Lecturers can download the DALRO form to be used for all copyright permission requests.

Plagiarism Test Online

Click and Play our Plagiarism GAME and LEARN how to avoid PLAGIARISM