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All your own work: Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is when the words, ideas or recorded thoughts of another are passed off as your own without the original source being properly cited (referenced).

This definition of plagiarism applies regardless of the medium in which the original material is published. The definition includes any material copied from: hard copy publications (books, journals, theses etc.); soft copy publications (available on the internet, as email attachments, copies on disk, e-journals etc.); other digital formats (e.g. audio visual, MP3s); or live presentations (e.g. lectures, speeches). Copying unpublished material (e.g. work of other students, friends) without acknowledgement is also considered as plagiarism.

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Is it plagiarism if my ‘study buddy’ helps me?

In some courses it is acceptable to undertake collaborative work (“group work”) with other students. You will be advised by your Faculty when this can take place. Normally it will mean that one piece of work will be submitted by two or more students and credit will be divided equally for an expected equal contribution. This is a formally accepted or endorsed collaboration.

In circumstances where you have an informal relationship with your ‘study buddy’, as in you just study together or compare assignments, the amount of help from your ‘buddy’ should be limited to comment and advice. Your friend can read your work but must not research or write for you. To do so would not only be unfair on your friend, it would also mean that you misrepresented their work as your own and did not learn anything from the experience.

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I have been told that it is alright to paraphrase. When is that a problem?

Paraphrasing means to express a thought or idea obtained from a particular source or sources in a different way using your own words and with some analysis applied. In most cases paraphrasing should be avoided because it is not a productive use of time, trying to find a different way to say something. Just changing the word order is not paraphrasing. In every case, the paraphrased idea must acknowledge the source and should never be presented as your own work. Many students paraphrase because they are afraid that if they include too many direct quotes it will look like they haven’t done enough work. To some extent this is true and students should look to analyse or provide their own perspective on an idea instead of just repeating it. Otherwise nothing is learned.

Some students also think that they have nothing to add to what is already a thoughtful or well-presented idea, that they cannot say it better or that it would be disrespectful to the original author to change the wording. In these cases, the original words should be reproduced in their original order, and the whole put into inverted commas and properly referenced.

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What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source?

A primary source is where an original idea, concept or piece of research is expressed. A secondary source is where an idea from a primary source is referred to and some analysis applied or comment made about the idea or conclusion.

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If an author has cited a primary source, why can’t I?

You can, but you have to cite the secondary source as well and make it clear that you are not either quoting directly from or paraphrasing from the primary source. It is essential to do this so that the reader is not led to believe that (a) the words are your own; or (b) that you have read the original work (primary source) if you haven’t. The way to do this is to say Smith as cited in Bloggs. N.B. You must not include in your bibliography primary sources which have been cited in secondary sources but not read directly or make any other claim to have read something when you haven’t. To do so is considered as academic dishonesty.

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Some words or phrases cannot be paraphrased of changed because there really is no other way of expressing them. How should I handle this?

It is true that there are some facts or terms which are unalterable and which can and should be expressed as in the source material or for which the source is unknown. Here are some obvious examples: scientific facts as in “Sydney is located at a latitude of 34°0’S and longitude of 151°0’E”; commonly used expressions such as “all’s well that ends well”, “cold comfort”, “foregone conclusion” or “full circle”, (all of which come from Shakespearian plays); or well known historical facts such as “the Magna Carta was signed in June 1215 by King John and the Barons of Medieval England”. If, however, the author included some analysis such as “Magna Carta was an attempt by the barons to stop a king - in this case John - abusing his power with the people of England suffering”, then the source of that idea must be referenced (in this case the History Learning website at http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/magnacarta.htm.

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Is it wrong to create a paragraph by combining the words from a number of different sources?

No, it is not necessarily wrong although it is usually poor scholarship and should be avoided. If you do create a paragraph using different sources, each source must be properly referenced where it appears so that the reader of your work knows exactly where to go to read the original document. This can be done by saying: Dunne, Smith and Jones all said that …

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Isn’t it alright to use material from the internet?

Yes, it is alright to use material from the internet, but you should be discerning about the quality of the content. It must be treated in exactly the same way as material published in book or other hard copy paper form. That is, it must be properly referenced. If anything, you should be more careful using material from the internet because it can be so easily cut and pasted and inserted into your own work and that can lead to inadvertent errors. For example, you might cut and paste embedded references to primary sources which you haven’t actually read. It can also be difficult to find an exact reference point as there may not be page numbers to refer to.

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I really don’t understand how I am supposed to reference. What can I do?

If your Faculty does not provide you with a referencing guide you can find them in the Library. If in doubt, ask your lecturers or academic advisors or contact the Learning Centre. This webpage also has links to a number of useful guides.

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What is the point of referencing?

There are three main reasons for referencing. The first is to acknowledge the work of others. The second is to indicate to the reader where they may find the original work so that they can go to that work. And the third is so your piece of work can be evaluated and assessed on its own merits. This way your assessor will know how well you are progressing, will reward you if you are doing well but will also know when to assist you if you need help in some areas.

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My brother did this course two years ago. Why does it matter if I use his work in my essay? It is not a published work.

There are two issues here. If you use someone else’s work in this way, you are not learning anything from the course as you haven’t done the reading or analysis. And it doesn’t matter whether the work is published or not, it still belongs to your brother and is a result of his effort.

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If I’m doing an exam and I happen to see my neighbour’s answers, it is not plagiarism to copy a few words is it?

Yes, it is commonly know as cheating or copying but is also plagiarism. The work belongs to your neighbour and not you and you would be misrepresenting the knowledge as your own. If you pass the exam this way, you won’t have earned that pass as you will have profited from the hard work of your neighbour.

Besides, if the ethical argument doesn't sway you, how do you know that your neighbour has the right answers? And don't forget, if you are caught you will be automatically failed. Cheating in exams is never considered negligant.

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I have done the work but exam nerves get to me so sometimes I write a few notes on my hand to prompt me. I did the study and wrote the notes so this can’t be plagiarism can it?

Yes, it is exactly the same as taking a text book into the exam and copying from that.

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I have a friend who is really sick so I thought I would help her with her assignment but ended up doing all the work. Will I get in trouble for trying to be helpful?

There is such a thing as Legitimate Cooperation, but this does not include doing anyone else’s essays or assignments. If your friend is sick and can’t get through the work, it shouldn’t become your problem and influence your studies. We have various courses available through the Learning Centre which will help and encourage any student who feels they are falling behind. Your friend can also apply for an extension on the assignment or for special consideration and should follow the correct channels to do so. Make sure you look at all the options before you do something that might end up backfiring.

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I didn’t know that I was plagiarising so why should I get into trouble?

Claiming that you didn’t realise you plagiarised will not get you out of trouble. The information given to you by your lecturers and tutors and that which is available both in your subject outline and this guide should be enough to demonstrate how you can avoid plagiarism by referencing properly. Plagiarism is a serious offence and even if your faculty accepts that you were unaware that you plagiarised, you will be warned about your conduct and a record of the warning will go to the Registrar. All university students are considered as responsible adults. If you are struggling with referencing concepts, ask for assistance immediately.

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I sent my friend a copy of my essay and now I have been accused of copying from her because the essay she submitted was the same as mine. What can I do?

She’s not a good friend as it looks like she has plagiarised from you. Be careful who you show your work to and always make sure that you keep an audit trail of when you created the work and if and when you sent it to someone else. If you are unsure of the person who has asked to see your work, give them a printed copy and ask for it to be returned. And if you are interviewed about the conduct, make sure that you are able to produce all the details of how you researched and wrote the essay. Don’t try and cover for your friend. It is unlikely she would do the same for you.

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I acknowledged the source in the Bibliography and at the end of each section of my essay. Isn’t this enough?

No it isn’t. If you don’t indicate in the text of the essay which bits are directly quoted, which bits are paraphrased and which sections are all your own words, there is no way for your assessor to know. They will assume that you are claiming that all of the work is your own. If they recognise sections of it as belonging to someone else, and it is very likely that they will, you could be accused of plagiarism. Even if it seems tedious and excessive, you must reference every phrase or sentence that you have obtained from another source. Actually, if you demonstrate that you have read widely and conducted effective research, your assessor is likely to show appreciation for that fact.

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I work hard but I struggle when writing essays as English is my second language. Because my field is science and it doesn’t matter if I don’t know grammar for instance, isn’t it alright for me to pay a professional to write my essays if I tell them what to write?

No, it is rarely alright to pay for help with writing your essays. You can pay for a tutor to help with concepts, or even English language expression, but they can only teach you ‘how’ to write, not do the writing for you. Beware of companies that advertise what they call a “tutoring service” as you might find that the work they do may result in you being accused of plagiarism. Always ask for help from your lecturers and tutors and if you want to employ a professional tutor, it is a good idea to discuss it with your faculty. They will be able to advise whether this person is appropriate or not.

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I am in the third year of my degree and have just received a Written Warning for negligent plagiarism. I’m still not quite sure what it is I did wrong as I did what I always have before. Now I’m scared of being accused of plagiarism again as next time I will be reported to the Registrar. What should I do?

Your faculty should have counselled you about referencing practice. If they didn’t, or if they did but you still didn’t understand, contact the Learning Centre or look at one of the guides linked to this website. The “Write Site” is a very useful tool to help with academic writing. It is available to all students of the University at http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/ You will need your Unikey to log in.

Another suggestion is to show your tutor or lecturer your essays before you submit them so that they can check whether you have done everything properly. It might be embarrassing to ask for this kind of help in your third year, but it would be much worse if a second allegation of plagiarism is made against you.

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