Which of the following is NOT an example of plagiarism.
A. Copying and pasting directly from a website and using the words as your own.
(This also includes pictures)
B. Not citing sources within the paper or using a works cited page.
C. Summarizing information from a source and including it to support my ideas and
citing the source.
D. Taking words from a website and rearranging them into your own words without
citing a source.
E. Using a quote and not saying where you pulled it from.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is C. Summarizing information from a source and including it to support my ideas and citing the source.
Explanation
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work, ideas, or intellectual property without proper acknowledgment, thus presenting it as your own. It can take various forms, including direct copying, paraphrasing without credit, and failing to cite sources appropriately.
Option A describes outright copying and pasting text or images from a website and claiming it as one’s own work. This is a clear example of plagiarism because it involves using another person’s intellectual property without giving credit.
Option B involves not citing sources within a paper or neglecting to include a works cited page. This omission can mislead readers into believing the ideas and information presented are original when they are not, thus constituting plagiarism.
Option C, however, is distinct from the other options because it describes a legitimate academic practice. Summarizing information from a source, as long as the source is properly cited, is not plagiarism. In fact, summarizing demonstrates comprehension of the material and can enhance the credibility of your own arguments by showing that they are informed by existing literature. Proper citation allows readers to trace the origin of the ideas and assess the reliability of the source, thus maintaining academic integrity.
Option D presents another form of plagiarism, as rearranging words from a source without proper citation still constitutes taking someone else’s ideas without acknowledgment, despite altering the original wording.
Option E refers to using a quote without citing the source, which is also plagiarism since it presents the words of another as if they were one’s own.
In summary, the only option that does not represent plagiarism is C, because it involves ethical academic practices by summarizing and citing the original source.