GUIDELINE FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

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GUIDELINE FOR AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
CONTENT
1. WHAT IS PLAGIARISM? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
2. WHAT DOES TURNITIN DO?…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
3. CONSEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
4. HOW CAN I AVOID PLAGIARIZING? – CHECKLIST FOR THE WRITING OF A RESEARCH PAPER …………………………….4
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5
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YOUR FIRST WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT? HOW DO I START? WHERE DO I START?
Without the necessary support, it can turn into an enormous challenge and lead to students feeling completely
overworked and stressed. An academic paper depends on the correct citation method. Before you start writing, it
is therefore necessary to clarify the exact citation method. You can find all the important information about the
correct citation here:
https://mycampus.iubh.de/pluginfile.php/370135/mod_resource/content/5/General%20Citation%20Guidelines.p
df?redirect=1
From time to time, students receive notification of plagiarism, which is not due to an attempt to deceive, but simply
due to lack of knowledge. So how can I avoid plagiarism? In this guide you will find all the important information you
need to avoid unnecessary mistakes.
1. WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
Plagiarism can be roughly understood as an “[unauthorised] adoption of another’s intellectual property or ‘theft’ of
intellectual property” (Fröhlich, 2006, p. 81), in which someone else’s work is presented as his or her own (Schimmel,
2011, p. 5).
Plagiarism, however, is not the same as plagiarism. There are different types of plagiarism, with varying extents.
First of all, a distinction is made between the adoption of text passages, the adoption of other people’s ideas and
the adoption of own ideas that have already been published (Höhner & Steinhauer, 2014, p. 27). When talking about
the adoption of text passages, a distinction is made between full and partial plagiarism.
Full plagiarism
– In the case of full plagiarism, the work is either mostly or completely taken over from a single literature source
and then presented as the author’s own work. This takes place, for example, in the form of an exchange of the
cover page or only by reformatting the plagiarised work (Ebster & Stalzer, 2017, p. 124).
– Furthermore, it is also called full plagiarism if a foreign-language work is translated into the own language. In all
these cases, we are talking about theft of intellectual property (Metzger, 2012, p. 83).
– Another form of full plagiarism is paying a ghostwriter to write the entire work (Ebster & Stalzer, 2017, p. 124).
Partial plagiarism
– In contrast to this is so-called partial plagiarism, in which the entire work is not plagiarised from one source but
is instead taken from several sources and incorporated into different passages of the text (Höhner & Steinhauer,
2014, p. 27). Plagiarism that is not due to a word-for-word adoption of a text passage, but to an adoption of
foreign ideas and arguments, is called idea plagiarism. In this case, the ideas or arguments are reproduced in
the author’s own words, but falsely presented as his own (ibid., p. 27).
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– Furthermore, there is also the form of self-plagiarism. In writing a paper, it is of course allowed to use own
thoughts, arguments or even ideas more than once. However, these must also be cited as references in the
remaining work. If in this case the first publication is not listed as a reference, this falls under self-plagiarism.
Although this is not the same as stealing someone else’s ideas, the reader is still entitled to the actuality of the
idea and knowledge about the respective background (Höhner & Steinhauer, 2014, p. 27).
2. WHAT DOES TURNITIN DO?
– The IU uses the plagiarism software Turnitin. The written assignments are to be turned in here, in order to
check them or rather inspect them for plagiarism.
– Turnitin gives an indication of which parts of the text have been used word-for-word. The decision whether an
assignment is actually considered plagiarism is always at the discretion of the respective examiner.
– Furthermore, it is mandatory that a signed anti-plagiarism pledge is provided by the student in electronic form.
Exceptions are final theses. Every bachelor’s or master’s thesis must contain a signed anti-plagiarism pledge.
In this Statement, the student ensures that he has completed their assignment independently.
3. CONSEQUENCES OF PLAGIARISM
If an assignment is handed in in which plagiarism has been proven, the student involved has attempted to cheat. In
this case, the assessment is marked as “insufficient“, and the module or part of the module is revoked. In addition,
no credit points will be awarded.
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4. Checklist: HOW CAN I AVOID PLAGIARIZING?
– Both time and performance pressure are often causes for plagiarism. (Völger Winsky, 2014, S. 12). Therefore,
it is sensible, that you create a schedule before you begin writing your assignment, in order to best avoid feeling
overly constrained by time (Reichmann, 2013, S. 181).
– Additionally, lack of ideas can also lead to plagiarism (Reichmann, 2013, S. 181). It is certainly permitted to use
unfamiliar ideas in your assignment, however, these need to be properly identified. Therefore, it is already
important when researching and editing the literature that you immediately mark any ideas, thoughts or
arguments that emerge and also note the corresponding source.
– It is always good to structure newly acquired knowledge (Völger Winsky, 2014, S. 15). This means that when
researching and creating a possible collection of thoughts, you must make sure that you always note down the
source immediately so that you can avoid searching for your sources later.
– The bibliography and the source citation are part of the writing phase just as much as the text itself. Always
quote as soon as you start writing and update your bibliography after each writing process. A bibliography is
not sufficient as the only source reference. Don’t forget that you also have to cite your sources in the body text.
– If you want to use verbatim quotations in your work, you must also mark them accordingly. In the case of nonverbatim quotations, in other words quotations with the same meaning, you have to reproduce the content in
your own words. They must also be cited appropriately in the body text. If you are not sure, quote in case of
doubt (Ebster & Stalzer, 2017, p. 125).
– Before handing in your work, check whether your bibliography and the references in the body text are complete
and that you have also cited thoughts, ideas or arguments appropriately.
We wish you all the best as you begin writing your written assignment!
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ebster, C & Stalzer, L. (2017). Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften (5. Aufl.). utb.
Fröhlich, G. (2006). Plagiate und unethische Autorenschaften. Information Wissenschaft und Praxis, 57(2), 81–89.
Höhner, K. & Steinhauer, E. W. (2014). Akademische Integrität und die Bekämpfung von Plagiaten als Handlungsfelder
für Hochschulen und ihre Bibliotheken. Information Wissenschaft und Praxis, 65(1), 25–32.
Metzger, S. (2012). Erkennen von Übersetzungsplagiaten. In M. Grottke (Hrsg.), Plagiatserkennung,
Plagiatsvermeidung und Plagiatssanktionierung. Interdisziplinäre Lösungsansätze für die Korrekturpraxis an
Universitäten und Fachhochschulen (S. 81-110). Josef Eul Verlag.
Reichmann, G. (2013). Textplagiate in der Wissenschaft und deren Verhinderung. Information Wissenschaft und
Praxis, 64(4), 175–184.
Schimmel, R. (2011). Von der hohen Kunst ein Plagiat zu fertigen: Eine Anleitung in 10 Schritten. LIT Verlag.
Völger Winsky, M. (2014). Wissenschaftliche Redlichkeit und die Generation der Digital Natives – Eine hochschuldidaktische Perspektive. Information Wissenschaft und Praxis, 65(1), 9–18.