Plagiarism & how it is detected
Here at HyperionDev, the fundamental and professional values that we strive to uphold such as, integrity, originality and ethical behaviour are undermined once plagiarism is discovered and compromises the trust that is essential to learning.
This article breaks down the types of plagiarism and what could be considered as plagiarism in your work, and ways to prevent plagiarism.
In layman’s terms plagiarism is an act of using another’s work or ideas without acknowledgement or referencing their work, claiming or presenting it as your own.
There are many forms of plagiarism, which we should be aware of and deal with accordingly, to name a few types :
Direct Plagiarism
This is also known as verbatim plagiarism, where a portion of text or code is copied word for word, line for line from whatever source and does not include any proper citation or reference.
In coding this is achieved by not providing where you got the information to create a function or how you managed to implement a particular line of code. An example would be as follows :
There are ways we can reduce the likelihood of being flagged for direct plagiarism such as citing our resources properly, paraphrasing the resources whilst also citing it, and utilising quotation marks, should we find ourselves taking the exact wording from the resource.
Self-Plagiarism
Reusing or recycling your own previous work without correct citing or acknowledgment is referred to as self-plagiarism. Although it may seem a bit redundant to acknowledge your own work, it is deemed unethical as it is a misrepresentation of your original work.
An example of this form of plagiarism within the programming space would be something like submitting the same project for different tasks multiple times, or even taking a section of code from one project for use in another, without proper referencing.
Mosaic Plagiarism
Mosaic plagiarism might at first glance seem similar to direct plagiarism, however the differences are made obvious when the plagiarised content is taken from different sources, makes minor phrasing or word changes and combines them without proper referencing or citation.
While this is not all that common in coding, it can occur with some of the more theoretical aspects of programming, where the plagiarised content would seem “patched together”. This is problematic since the work is deceptive in its nature, because it would seem original at the first look, however upon thorough investigation one could see that the work is indeed plagiarised.
Accidental Plagiarism
When someone accidentally misquotes a source, does not cite sources due to lack of knowledge, or ignorance, this would be referred to as accidental plagiarism. It would be perceived as such when the individual did not intend to plagiarise work.
This is a very common form of plagiarism, especially when there are students that are relatively new to academic or professional writing. It usually stems from a number of key areas, such as poor research and note-taking habits, by not properly differentiating from your own writing and ideas and the direct quotes in your work. Misunderstanding citation rules, and not knowing how and when to cite a source correctly.
The following examples are only a few ways that work could potentially be plagiarised, there are other types of plagiarism to explore, however the following are more commonly found with programming. Remember that all forms of plagiarism are much more than an academic misstep or incorrect citation / referencing, it is considered a breach of intellectual integrity that disregards the respect on which knowledge is built.
The consequences for plagiarism are severe and can offset one's educational journey, as well as deprive a students’ development into the world of programming. However, knowing how to do effective research, knowing how to cite or reference a source, and the proper utilisation of tools to ensure that your work is not plagiarised are the path to being a great programmer.