Plagiarism Archives - Plaid Swan

May 22, 2017

The Perils of Plagiarism

The Web was abuzz with a story purporting that the White House plagiarized part of a congratulatory statement about ExxonMobil, lifting parts of ExxonMobil’s own press release about its Growing the Gulf project. A few years ago, Hungary’s president resigned because of a scandal which alleged he had plagiarized sources for his doctoral thesis; he was also stripped of the doctorate. Plagiarism can be voluntary, which as such is fraudulent, or involuntary, which is careless or lazy. Either way, there are consequences which make it essential for writers to take note of what needs to be cited and what does not.

www.writer.ae.com

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines plagiarism as “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person.” The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill gets a little harsher with their definition: “The deliberate or reckless representation of another’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own without attribution in connection with submission of academic work, whether graded or otherwise.” Plagiarism takes several forms:
• Copying verbatim from a source without using quotation marks or giving a citation.
• Paraphrasing another’s work without giving a citation.
• Using your previously written work without gaining permission from either the prior or the proposed publisher of that article (self-plagiarism).
• Using graphics or other media without giving full credit to the creator of that material.

Plagiarism can have serious consequences. At a minimum, it is embarrassing. If an article is copyrighted, then there are legal ramifications. However, even if the copied material is not copyrighted, then there are other problems. The Hungarian president in the introduction lost his doctorate and his job. Mexico’s current president, Pena Nieto, has also been recently accused of plagiarism in his 1991 law degree thesis. For him, the accusation has contributed to some of the lowest approval ratings of any Mexican president. A search on the internet of “plagiarism in the news” will bring a lengthy list of stories of people who have been accused or caught. In business, plagiarism can result in embarrassment for an employer and possible dismissal of the employee. Most schools have a policy about plagiarism that includes serious consequences from failing the single assignment to failing the course to expulsion.

www.giphy.com

Writers need to cite sources carefully. There is disagreement about how many words comprise a direct quote. Sometimes, a single unique word needs to be cited and enclosed in quotation marks. Anytime a writer uses the exact words of another writer, the words need to be in quotation marks with a citation.

Paraphrasing can be tricky. Just altering a word or two or rearranging the words does not make an acceptable paraphrase. When it is done skillfully, it is a complete rewording and restructuring of the original text, and it still requires a citation. To help with this task, Wikihow suggests using Google language tools to translate the original text from English to another language and then taking that translation and translating it into a third language. By translating it one more time back to English, you will get a summary of the article in broken English. The rewrite of that text then becomes more your own words and a better paraphrase. The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill recommends that when taking notes about a reading, close the book and write the notes in your own words.

Of course, some words do not need to be cited; if everything in an article were cited, then it would be tedious and unpleasant to read – and not a very original piece. Common knowledge does not need to be cited. This would include facts that are found in multiple sources and are known by most to be true. A writer does not need to cite ideas or discoveries original to the writer, but it may be helpful to identify those so that a reader doesn’t question the source of that information. While it is important to give credit for borrowed pictures or other media, if it is original material, then it does not have to have a citation.

A review of what constitutes plagiarism is a sound idea for writers and students because there are ramifications at every level. Inadequate references for another’s words, ideas, art, and media are never acceptable. To err on the side of caution means that it is better to cite than to plagiarize.

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-Diane Repass│Diane is a retired tenured assistant professor from The University of Dubuque and now a beloved writer for Plaid Swan Inc. She received her M.A. from The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Cooper, H. (2016, May 12). Principles of good writing: Avoiding plagiarism. Retrieved from

http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/05/avoiding-plagiarism.html.
Grammarly. 5 most effective methods for avoiding plagiarism/Grammarly blog. Retrieved from
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/5-most-effective-methods-for-avoiding-plagiarism/.
Indiana University-Bloomington (2014, April 7). Plagiarism: What it is and how to recognize and avoid it.
Retrieved from http://wts.indiana.edu/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml.
Plagiarism. What is plagiarism? Retrieved from
http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-plagiarism.
WikiHow. How to avoid plagiarism. Retrieved from http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Plagiarism.
The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. Plagiarism. Retrieved from
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/plagiarism/

July 20, 2016

Trump vs. Plagiarism

Whether you are following the political debates this election year or not, I’m sure you have heard clips of Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, speak on the evening of July 18, 2016 at the Republican National Convention. Her speech had VERY similar phrases from a speech, First Lady, Michelle Obama gave in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention and while the entire speech was not copied word for word, it was more than just one compelling phrase or similar words, it was multiple. This in turn, has become a newsworthy topic of debate for many influential stations from CNN, Washington Post, and USA Today, just to name a few.

To catch you up to speed, here is what is under scrutiny:

Here’s the excerpt from Michelle Obama in 2008:

“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.”

“And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and to pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Here’s the passage from Melania Trump’s remarks Monday night that came under scrutiny:

“From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect.

They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily lives. That is a lesson that I continue to pass along to our son. And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “plagiarism” is defined as: “the act of using another person’s words or ideas without giving credit to that person,” and from the above phrases, you can see why others are calling her speech an act of plagiarism. As of Tuesday, July 19, 2016, no one on Trump’s campaign staff is being fired or reprimanded over the plagiarism of the speech, which leaves a question to be answered. Who is to be held accountable for this? Melania Trump or her staff writers?

Because this has become a huge topic of conversation overnight, as a public relations professional, I can’t help but ask myself if this is hurting our professional community. Are people, and more importantly clients, questioning if the words we submit on their behalf are plagiarized? While I certainly can’t speak on behalf of other public relations professionals on their ways to combat and ensure against this topic of discussion, this is what you can expect from us at Plaid Swan:

Due Diligence

Here at Plaid Swan, we complete our due diligence to fact check and cross-examine all documents before they are sent to clients, as well as the press. We ensure the work we submit is original and not stolen from other thoughts or ideas. This holds true when we represent our clients, as well as ourselves.

Privacy

All staff members of Plaid Swan must sign confidentiality agreements before their first day of employment. Employees’ ideas and plans submitted for a client will not be used for client’s competitors. Clients can rest assured that their marketing tactics will stay confidential between their business and Plaid Swan.

Citations

When conducting research briefs, we may be experts in our field, but we certainly may not be experts in our client’s business when we first begin working with them. When beginning our research briefs, we’ll research our clients business, industry, as well as competitors. As the final document is presented, clients will notice we cite our sources used to gather information.

As the Public Relations Specialist for Plaid Swan, it is my job to make sure content is not only accurate, but original. In the end, we hold ourselves accountable. I will be following this story in the next few days as more details arise. What are your thoughts? Do you think Melania Trump’s speech was plagiarized from Michelle Obama’s?

Note: In an article about plagiarism, it seems wise to credit the USA Today regarding the paragraphs on the two speeches being referenced.

-Brittani Vanderweerd | PR Specialist

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