Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you take someone else’s words, ideas, or other work — including images, code, data, or media — and present them as your own. It can happen intentionally or accidentally.

At Abertay, plagiarism includes:

• Copying text word-for-word without quotation marks and citation

• Closely paraphrasing without citing the source

• Presenting ideas or arguments from a source as if they were your own

• Submitting work created or assisted by someone else (including students or AI tools)

• Using material without attribution, such as content from books, websites, or lecture recordings

• Reusing your own previous work without permission or citation (self-plagiarism)

• Assembling fragments of others’ work into a new whole without proper credit

Plagiarism can occur even if you didn’t mean to cheat — for example, if you forget to cite a source or struggle with how to paraphrase. If in doubt, ask for help.

Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct. Whether accidental or deliberate, it can lead to serious consequences:

• Failing the assignment

• Failing the module

• Disciplinary action

• In serious cases, being withdrawn from your course

However, not all issues are treated the same. Some — like referencing errors or paraphrasing problems — may be considered poor academic practice rather than misconduct, especially for new students.

See also: Code of Student Discipline: Academic Misconduct  — explains how Abertay defines and handles academic misconduct cases

Generative AI tools (like ChatGPT) can help with learning — but using them for assessed work without acknowledgement can count as misconduct.

At Abertay:

• Using AI to generate content and passing it off as your own is misconduct.

• Always follow your assignment brief. If it says no AI use, then even acknowledged use isn’t allowed.

• Acknowledge all AI use that shaped your work — for example, help with structure or summarising.

• You may be asked to include a Generative AI Acknowledgement section in your assignment.

See also:

• Acknowledging the Use of Generative AI — how to write a clear statement when GenAI has been used in your work
  
  
• Referencing Generative AI in Academic Work — how to cite AI tools correctly in your reference list

Plagiarism is one form of misconduct — but others include:

• False citation: Listing a source that doesn’t contain the information used

• Falsification: Making up or altering data

• Collusion: Working with another student on work that should be individual

• Contract cheating: Having someone else complete your work

• Unacceptable AI use: Submitting AI-generated work without acknowledgement

Always check your assignment brief and seek guidance if you’re unsure.

Turnitin is a tool on MyLearningSpace and Canvas that checks your writing against academic sources, websites, and other student work. It helps you spot problems before submission.

How Turnitin can help:

• Shows matches to other sources: You can correct citation or paraphrasing before submission.

• Highlights unoriginal content: Helps you understand whether your writing is sufficiently original.

• Supports revision: You can submit a draft version and revise your work before the deadline.

See also: Turnitin: How to Use It and Interpret Your Report — explains how to upload your draft and read the similarity report

Most plagiarism is unintentional. These tips will help you stay on track:

• Understand what plagiarism is: Review the examples on this page and use Cite Them Right Online to guide your writing.

• Manage your time effectively: Start early to avoid rushed, last-minute work.

• Keep good notes and records: Write down where each idea or quote comes from. Keep source details until your work is marked.

• Paraphrase and quote appropriately: Don’t just change a few words. Read, understand, and write in your own words. Use quotation marks and cite the source when quoting directly — this applies to all types of material, including images, data, code, and media.

• Check your referencing: Make sure every in-text citation has a matching reference list entry.

• Use tools wisely: Tools like Turnitin and referencing software can help — but you're still responsible for making sure your work is original and properly referenced.

See also:

• Paraphrasing effectively — detailed guidance and examples to help you rewrite source material clearly and correctly
• Referencing at Abertay — explains why referencing matters, introduces different styles used at Abertay, and shows how to reference correctly 

Any time you use someone else’s words, ideas, data, or creative work — even in your own words — you need to include an in-text citation. This shows where the idea came from and helps you avoid plagiarism.

You must cite the source whenever you:

• Paraphrase or summarise an idea in your own words

• Quote directly from a source

• Refer to research, statistics, images, audio, video, or code

Citations usually go at the end of the sentence, before the full stop:
Paraphrased idea here (Cottrell, 2013).

If your sentence includes multiple ideas from different sources, you can cite mid-sentence — just make sure it’s clear which idea each citation refers to.

Tip: Every in-text citation must have a matching reference list entry.

See also:

• Paraphrasing — how to rewrite ideas in your own words

For help with formatting citations, see Cite Them Right Online