Yes? No? Why?
A student uses an internet article in researching her paper. She finds several of the non-common knowledge ideas in the article useful and develops them in her own paper. Since she does not quote from the text, she does not cite it in her paper, but she does put the reference in the bibliography.
Yes
It's plagiarism because the ideas are not common knowledge
“Soccer is quickly gaining popularity in America. More schools continue to add soccer to their list of competitive varsity sports” (Krenkle).
Original Source: “Soccer is quickly gaining popularity in America. More schools continue to add soccer to their list of competitive varsity sports. In fact, most high schools that offer varsity soccer have a feeder program in the elementary and intermediate grades so that players come to the sport with a good number of skills and knowledge of the rules of the game.”
Yes - allowed to do that
In researching a paper on Mary Kingsley, a student discovers that Kingsley was born in Islington in 1862. She didn’t know this fact previously. However, every article she reads on Kingsley reports the same fact. She does not acknowledge the source of this information with a citation.
Yes
The information is not common knowledge
Soccer is being offered as a varsity sport at an increasing number of American high schools. In order to have better prepared varsity participants, these school districts offer soccer programs to teach the basics to their students in grades 1 through 8 (Krenkle).
Original Source: “Soccer is quickly gaining popularity in America. More schools continue to add soccer to their list of competitive varsity sports. In fact, most high schools that offer varsity soccer have a feeder program in the elementary and intermediate grades so that players come to the sport with a good number of skills and knowledge of the rules of the game.”
Yes - allowed to do that
You are taking a class that a friend has already taken. She lets you read her paper in order to get some ideas, and tells you to use any parts of the paper you find useful. You do not incorporate information from her paper into your own work; you decide to develop your own ideas.
No
You chose to develop your own ideas
Soccer has become a popular sport in America, with more schools adding soccer to their list of competitive varsity sports. The majority of high schools offering varsity soccer have feeder programs in the earlier grades to teach young players basic skills and the rules of the game.
Original Source: “Soccer is quickly gaining popularity in America. More schools continue to add soccer to their list of competitive varsity sports. In fact, most high schools that offer varsity soccer have a feeder program in the elementary and intermediate grades so that players come to the sport with a good number of skills and knowledge of the rules of the game.”
No - not allowed to do that
A student finds a picture on the web that perfectly illustrates a point she wants to make in her paper. She downloads the picture, but does not use the website’s analysis; in addition, she writes her own caption for the picture. Since the analysis and caption are her own, she does not include a citation for the picture.
Yes
The original image is not the student's
According to Helms, arid Oklahoma fields have deep chasms that beg for a drink of rain. Farmers are really worried about their livestock.
Original Source:
MLA Citation: Helms, Martha Randall. "Drought Casualties." Farm News Bulletin 15 Aug. 2007.
"The entire state of Oklahoma has not seen a drop of rain in six weeks. Fields have deep chasms in their arid soil; the mouths of these chasms gape open, begging for a drink. Farmers have lost billions of dollars worth of crops, and the lack of feed for livestock is making many more farmers nervous about the winter months."
Yes - allowed to do that
You are discussing your term paper with your professor. She gives you an interesting idea about how you might interpret some of the material you have been studying. Since the discussion was informal, and does not pertain to an area in which your professor intends you publish, you incorporate her suggestions without attribution.
No (technically)
The information is not published
NOTE: if the professor can prove the information is his, you're in trouble
All of Oklahoma has not seen any rain in a month and a half. The dry earth has enormous crevices. Farmers have lost billions because of crop failure, and they are very concerned about whether they will be able to feed their herds during the winter months (Schmidt).
Original Source:
MLA Citation: Helms, Martha Randall. "Drought Casualties." Farm News Bulletin 15 Aug. 2007.
"The entire state of Oklahoma has not seen a drop of rain in six weeks. Fields have deep chasms in their arid soil; the mouths of these chasms gape open, begging for a drink. Farmers have lost billions of dollars worth of crops, and the lack of feed for livestock is making many more farmers nervous about the winter months."
No - not allowed to do that
The author does not match