Original Source Material Student Version Attributes Of Rigorous Research Can Be Shared Across Subjects Of Study. For Example, Collins And Porras (2002) Highlight The Importance Of Having A Control Group When Comparing Companies In Any Effort To Identify What Specific Company Characteristics Are Able To Distinguish The Successful From The Ordinary Suppose You
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Explanation
The student version of the text represents paraphrasing plagiarism. This occurs when a writer rewords the original material without sufficiently changing the structure or wording and fails to appropriately cite the original ideas, even if a citation is present.
In this case, the student did include a citation to Collins & Porras (2002), which is good academic practice. However, the core issue is that the student has closely followed the original source’s ideas and structure without demonstrating original thought or sufficiently transforming the language.
The original passage from Built to Last stresses the importance of using a control group to distinguish successful companies from others. The student version reiterates this central point almost directly:
- Original: “How do you know that you’ve discovered something that distinguishes the successful companies from other companies? You don’t know. You can’t know—not unless you have a control set, a comparison group.”
- Student: “…highlight the importance of having a control group when comparing companies in any effort to identify what specific company characteristics are able to distinguish the successful from the ordinary.”
This student version:
- Keeps the same line of reasoning and conclusions as the original text.
- Uses similar phrases such as “control group,” “comparing companies,” and “distinguish the successful.”
- Does not offer substantial rewording or synthesis.
Despite having a citation, it still counts as plagiarism because it lacks originality and too closely mimics the source’s logic and structure. Proper paraphrasing involves restating the idea in your own words and style, often with a more significant transformation of the content, while still crediting the original source.
To avoid paraphrasing plagiarism, students should aim to fully internalize the idea, restate it independently, and ensure they aren’t relying on the source’s original phrasing or syntax.
