As Process Advisor for Academic Integrity, I often see cases involving misuse of source material. Instances include inadequate paraphrasing, quotations missing references, and direct use of entire passages without attribution. Speaking with students, it becomes clear that many of them have a poor understanding of what constitutes plagiarism, despite the integrity statements they see in their syllabi. This short article from Faculty Focus highlights the value of plagiarism education. It gives some quick case scenarios (example below) that you can use to spark discussion of what plagiarism is, as well as how and why to avoid it in the future. These exercises can help clarify confusion and misunderstandings and ultimately help students avoid a visit with the Academic Integrity Board.
Scenario Example 1: Carla is preparing a draft for her research essay. She includes research from a study she found online, and she uses two of the sentences from the research study word for word in her submission. She does not cite these two sentences.
Is Carla engaging in plagiarism?
a. Yes
b. No
c. I am unsure