Page 103 - Computer Basics- Student Textbook

Study Section 14: Writing a Research Paper - continued

14.1 Connect

Have you ever had a person lie to you? After you discover the lie, you probably did not think much of
the person who told you the lie. He was dishonest. We all lie, but we ought not to! When it comes to
research papers, it is easy to lie. Basically, the author “borrows” information from another person,
then presents it as if he knew the information all along. He may even copy sections of another
person’s writing and present it as if he wrote it. It is not only a form of lying but is also just plain
stealing! In research, we call this “sin” plagiarism. It is a real “NO NO” when it comes to research papers and will
result in an automatic FAILURE on a paper and could result in losing your privilege of attending the university.
Today we are going to see how serious this offense is and how to avoid it…

14.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to define plagiarism and why the Bible says that this is a wrong thing to
do.

2. The student should become familiar with the Turabian style of footnoting.

3. The student should be able to create a footnote using Microsoft WORD.

14.3 The sin of Plagiarism

Plagiarism

Here is the dictionary definition of the word plagiarism:

pla·gia·rism
/ˈplājəˌrizəm/

Noun

the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
"there were accusations of plagiarism"
synonyms: copying, infringement of copyright, piracy, theft, stealing, poaching, appropriation;
informal cribbing
"there were accusations of plagiarism"

If you copy information from a book or other resource and DO NOT footnote it, you are stealing from another
author. You basically are presenting the author’s work as your own. Any student who knowingly copies from
another person’s work without footnoting (acknowledging ownership) will automatically receive a zero on the
paper and more consequences may follow.

Here is what the Student Handbook at AIU says:

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