1. Plagiarism
or,
How Not to Steal from Other Writers
Ann P. Linder, Ph.D.
The Montgomery Academy

3. Word Origins:
Latin: plagiarius, a kidnapper; also, as used by the
Roman author Martial, a literary thief.
French, 16th century: plagiaire, a plagiarist
The word first appears in English in 1681, in
Diatribe 23 of Montagu: “Were you afraid to bee
challenged for plagiarisme?”
Oxford English Dictionary, p. 932

4. Why do we document
sources?

5. Why do we document
sources?
• Published--and in some cases, unpublished--work
is intellectual property. Using a source without
crediting the author and publisher is theft. A
writer can be sued for stealing from another
writer’s work.
• We all stand on the shoulders of giants. We owe
our predecessors credit for their work.
• Documentation keeps us honest. It allows other
researchers to check the validity of an argument.

6. Plagiarism in modern America:
The sad case of Kaavya Viswanathan

7. Spring 2006
• After accusations that she had plagiarized
passages in her novel from authors Megan
McCafferty and Meg Cabot, Viswanathan, a
student at Harvard, apologized for similarities,
and promised changes for future print runs.
• Not good enough, responded publisher Little,
Brown and Company.
• Opal Mehta was permanently withdrawn, and
Viswanathan’s two-book deal cancelled.

8. Other famous authors who
have been accused of
plagiariam:
• Alex Haley, Roots
• Stephen Ambrose, The Wild Blue
• Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

9. Using Sources

10. Source: “In all these movements. . . the post-war
theme is similar: abandon tradition,
experiment with the unknown, change the
rules, dare to be different, innovate, and
above all, expose the sham of western
civilization. . .”
Example:

11. Source: “In all these movements. . . the post-war
theme is similar: abandon tradition,
experiment with the unknown, change the
rules, dare to be different, innovate, and
above all, expose the sham of western
civilization. . .”
Example: It is clear that in all these movements the
post-war theme is similar: abandon
tradition, experiment with the unknown,
change the rules, dare to be different,
innovate, and above all, expose the sham
of western civilization.

12. Source: “In all these movements. . . the post-war
theme is similar: abandon tradition,
experiment with the unknown, change the
rules, dare to be different, innovate, and
above all, expose the sham of western
civilization. . .”
Example:

13. Source: “In all these movements. . . the post-war
theme is similar: abandon tradition,
experiment with the unknown, change the
rules, dare to be different, innovate, and
above all, expose the sham of western
civilization. . .”
Example: All these movements have thoughts in
common: abandon tradition, experiment
with the unknown, change the rules, dare
to be different, and expose the sham of
western civilization.

14. Source: “In all these movements. . . the post-war
theme is similar: abandon tradition,
experiment with the unknown, change the
rules, dare to be different, innovate, and
above all, expose the sham of western
civilization. . .”
Example:

15. Source: “In all these movements. . . the post-war
theme is similar: abandon tradition,
experiment with the unknown, change the
rules, dare to be different, innovate, and
above all, expose the sham of western
civilization. . .”
Example: You can see similar ideas in all the art
movements after World War I. Artists
were supposed to avoid tradition and
rules, try new and different stuff, and
show that their own civilization was fake.

16. The Golden Rule of Documentation:
When in doubt, cite!
Unless the idea that you are
expressing is entirely yours in every
detail, credit your sources!

17. How do we document
sources?
• All sources--books, magazines, newspapers,
recordings, interviews, television and radio
programs and websites--must be documented.
• There are a number of respected style manuals.
MA uses the Modern Language Association
(MLA) style.
• Follow your teacher’s guides and
recommendations.

19. The Internet
• Free access does not mean free
material!
• Most internet sources are
copyrighted!
• Material from the internet is the
same as material from a book--
it’s just a screen instead of a page.

20. “In all these movements. . . the post-war theme is
similar: abandon tradition, experiment with the
unknown, change the rules, dare to be different,
innovate, and above all, expose the sham of
western civilization. . .” (Kreis 9).
Works Cited
Kreis, Steven. “The Age of Anxiety:
Europe in the 1920s (1).” The History
Guide. 28 Feb 2006. 3 July 2006. <http://
historyguide.org/europe/lecture8/html>

22. Yes, dead authors get credit, too!

23. Helpful Hints
• Include your documentation in your first draft. It’s easy to
lose track of what you have used. Documenting as you go
will help you to keep everything in order.
• When you are writing your outline, include the names of
your sources in the margin. When you write your first
draft, it will be easier to find that terrific quotation you
wanted to use.
• Recheck your documentation with the sources before
finalizing your last draft.

24. Remember:
You are responsible for your paper!

25. Remember:
You are responsible for your paper!
Don’t be careless!

26. Remember:
You are responsible for your paper!
Don’t be careless!
Don’t be lazy!

27. Remember:
You are responsible for your paper!
Don’t be careless!
Don’t be lazy!
Don’t be late!

28. Remember:
You are responsible for your paper!
Don’t be careless!
Don’t be lazy!
Don’t be late!
Be an honest and careful scholar!
Give credit where credit is due!

29. Useless Excuses
• I forgot
• I lost my list
• I didn’t think I had to turn in my sources
• I meant to turn it in
• My computer crashed
• My printer ate it

30. Plagiarism and the Honor
Code
• When a case of plagiarism is reported, the Honor
Council Faculty Advisor examines the evidence,
and the Advisor, the president of the HC and the
school director together determine whether the
case should be passed on to the HC.
• The HC conducts a hearing, during which the
members examine the evidence and hear from the
defendant and any pertinent witnesses.

31. • If the defendant is found guilty of plagiarism by a
unanimous vote, the HC recommends
punishment.
• The Headmaster determines all punishments .
• The punishment for plagiarism, as mandated in
the Constitution of the Honor Code, is a zero on
the work.

32. Don’t Be A Thief!
Be An Honest Scholar!