>> MARK: What do you mean? My paper was good.

>> TULSACCPROF: The plagiarism detection software showed multiple passages that were similar

to text found on the Internet.

>> MARK: I don't know what you are talking about. I typed the paper myself.

>> TULSACCPROF: You may have typed the paper yourself, but you used words and ideas from

other people without giving them credit. You presented the ideas as your own. That is plagiarism.

>> MARK: I don't understand. How am I supposed to learn if I don't read what other people

think?

>> TULSACCPROF: That is part of learning, but you cannot pass of the words and ideas

of others as your own.

>> MARK: This is confusing.

>> TULSACCPROF: Let me help. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to

plagiarize means to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own, or

to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. In

other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work

and lying about it afterward.

>> MARK: Wow! I had no idea! But, can words and ideas really be stolen?

>> TULSACCPROF: According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original

ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like

original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as

they are recorded in some way, such as a book or a computer file.

>> MARK: So, would turning in someone else's work as your own be considered plagiarism?

>> TULSACCPROF: Yes.

>> MARK: How about copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit?

>> TULSACCPROF: Yes.

>> MARK: Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation?

>> TULSACCPROF: Yes.

>> MARK: Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit?

>> TULSACCPROF: Yes.

>> MARK: What if I give credit to sources, but still use so many words or ideas from

a source that it makes up the majority of my work. Is that considered plagiarism?

>> TULSACCPROF: Yes. That falls under fair use. It is still plagiarism. The majority

of your work should be your words and ideas.

>> MARK: I had no idea so many things were considered plagiarism! I will work to make

sure I do not plagiarize in my work.

>> TULSACCPROF: That is great Mark! By the way, all of this plagiarism information came

from the plagiarism.org website.