Blessing Health Professions Library

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Copyright & Plagiarism

BRCN's Academic Honesty Policy

What is copyright?

In the United States, copyright is a form of protection provided by the government to the authors of “original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.” This protection is available to both published and unpublished works, regardless of the nationality or domicile of the author. It is unlawful for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by copyright law to the owner of the copyright.

Copyright Policy

Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing's policy

Crash Course in Copyright

University of Texas

U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright basics, search records, or register work

Copyright Issues

News, issues, legislation

Copyright Clearance Center

Permissions to use copyrighted material

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using someone’s words as your own. It is:

• “Changing a few words.”

• Using the words and phrases of an author throughout your paper without proper citation.

• Copying and pasting an electronic article without citing the source.

• Reusing someone’s paper as your own.

Plagiarism is one example of academic dishonesty.  Some other examples are:

• Faking a citation.

• Reprinting a diagram, cartoon or illustration without citing the source.

• Submitting an assignment more than once to different faculty.

• Hiring someone to write your paper.

• Buying a paper.

• Cheating on an exam by bringing in notes.

• Looking at your neighbor’s test.

• Giving answers to the next group of students taking the same test.

• Breaking into faculty offices to retrieve a test.

• Changing your grade on a college database.

• Hacking into college computers.

Non-plagiarism

• Facts

• Observations

• Interpretations

• Own study results

• Your thoughts and words

• Common knowledge (information found in multiple sources)     

Examples of Plagiarism