Plagiarism 2.0: Information Ethics in the Digital Age

For a generation raised on the ideology of “open source” and the ability to quickly cut and paste, the concept of plagiarism may seem foreign or passé. And that, of course, can lead to trouble. This video examines the behaviors that constitute plagiarism, their consequences, and the best ways to avoid them.

Showing how accidental copying as well as willful plagiarism can occur, the program lays out the dangers of cheating, then illustrates the pitfalls of nonattribution and patch writing while showing how to properly attribute and paraphrase a lengthy quotation. Copyright, trademark, and intellectual property concepts are clearly discussed, in addition to potential sources of noncopyrighted material. Common citation formats (APA, MLA, Bluebook, etc.) are listed along with the suggestion that the student confer with his or her instructor about them.

1. Plagiarism Using someone else's words without crediting the source is plagiarism. Writing on the Internet is so prolific that many people think it's free for the taking. Viewers learn about different types of plagiarism.

2. Avoiding Plagiarism The pressure to succeed can drive a person to cheat in order to get higher grades or even a promotion at work. Solutions to plagiarism include paraphrasing (examples provided) and quotes. Procrastination leads to desperation and often to plagiarism.

3. Protected Content: Copyright and Fair Use Copyright is a form of protection on original created content. Registration of copyright is very important. Once copyright expires, the material becomes part of the public domain. A trademark indicates the provider of a product and to distinguish it from other products.

4. Protected Content: Fair Use Using material that is copyright protected is allowed under circumstances called fair use. Rules for fair use are broad for students.

5. Preventing Plagiarism Preventing plagiarism is the responsibility of teachers and students. Citing sources usually follows one of three established formats: APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual of Style. Citations are included in the text itself and on the references or works cited page(s).

6. Fast Facts and Terms to Remember Terms and concepts that are reviewed include plagiarism, avoiding plagiarism, copyright, trademarks, public domain and fair use.

Grade: 6-8, 9-12

Plagiarism 2.0: Information Ethics in the Digital Age (DVD)
© 2011
Time: 19 Minutes