Full question:
I am being accused of plagiarism by this extremely horrible teacher who I believe is out to get me. I basically did a 30 slide presentation that included the physiological affects of the accident that occurred to the human body. In the presentation, I spoke freely using my own words but on the slides I had a about seven short sections all about two to three sentences that were not in quotation marks but were cited on the works cited page that was part of the presentation. My legal issue is that I think it is more of a public domain/ generally known knowledge that I quoted that would not be the individual property of the author of the e medicine article. For instance 'Shock is when there is a lack of oxygen to your cells and your brain' or 'Shock is when you your body is forced to use anaerobic oxygen for your metabolism instead of aerobic oxygen' Although I used these words directly how they were placed on the website, without quotations.... I referenced the websites and articles where I got the information from and I feel that because this is general knowledge about the workings of the human body it is not someone's intellectual property. Also it seems that because this is in a class setting I wouldn't be using this for my own benefit or publishing it, so I wouldn't be accused of passing this work off as my own. Is there any specific plagiarism lawyers I can bring with to my school meeting?
- Category: Misc
- Date:
- State: Arizona
Answer:
Plagiarism is taking the writings or literary ideas of another and selling and/or publishing them as one's own writing. Brief quotes or use of cited sources do not constitute plagiarism. The original author can bring a lawsuit for appropriation of his/her work against the plagiarist and recover the profits. Although not normally a crime, a person who plagiarizes is subject to being sued for fraud or copyright infringement if prior creation can be proved. Penalties vary depending on jurisdiction, the charges brought, and are determined on a case by case basis.
The Internet has made plagiarism easier than ever before. From elementary schools to the highest levels of academia, the ease of downloading and copying "untraceable" online information has led to an epidemic of digital plagiarism. Plagiarism detection software now exists and is used in schools to monitor student's work. If you adopt someone else's language, provide quotation marks and a reference to the source, either in the text or in a footnote, as prescribed by such publications as Format, The MLA Style Sheet, or another manual of style. Students who commit plagiarism may be subject to grade or disciplinary penalties, which vary by institution.
Intentional or unintentional use of another's words or ideas without acknowledging this use constitutes plagiarism: There are four common forms of plagiarism:
The duplication of an author's words without quotation marks and accurate references or footnotes.
The duplication of author's words or phrases with footnotes or accurate references, but without quotation marks.
The use of an author's ideas in paraphrase without accurate references or footnotes.
Submitting a paper in which exact words are merely rearranged even though footnoted.
The following is an example of a state statute dealing with plagiarism:
"Works to be submitted by students without substantial alteration."
The law does not make a distinct between oral plagiarism and written. Nor does it become an issue of "general" knowledge. Proper references to the source are the best defense.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
