Test your Understanding
The following quiz tests your understanding of what is and what is not considered to be plagiarism. At the top of the quiz, an exerpt from a textbook is given. In the questions below, the student has written several short paragraphs using the information presented in the textbook excerpt. It is your job to decide if the information has been used correctly or if (and why) it is an example of plagiarism; chose the answer you think is correct and click on the word "select" beside your answer. A response will pop up, telling you whether you were right or wrong and explaining why.
Original source:
Bacterial diseases are a continuing threat. Their general decline over the past century is probably due more to public health policies and education than to “wonder drugs”. A case in point is Lyme disease, currently the most widespread pest-carried disease in the United States.
From: Campbell, N. A. and J.B. Reece. 2002. Biology, 6th ed. Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, CA.
Question 1
Bacterial diseases are a continuing threat. Their general decline over the past century is probably due more to public health policies and education than to "wonder drugs". A case in point is Lyme disease, currently the most widespread pest-carried disease in the United States.
Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?
Incorrect. This is actually an example of plagiarism. Can you figure out why? Try again.
Correct! This is plagiarism. Because the student did not put quotation marks around the text it appears that the text is the student's own work. Also, there is no acknowledgement of the original source adjacent to the plagiarized text.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. Has the student made any changes? Try again.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. Has the student only used another's ideas? Try again.
Question 2
Bacterial diseases are a continuing threat. Their general decline over the past century is probably due more to public health policies and education than do "wonder drugs". A case in point is Lyme disease, currently the most widespread pest-carried disease in the United States (Campbell and Reece, 2002).
Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?
Incorrect. This is actually an example of plagiarism. Can you figure out why? Try again.
Correct! This is plagiarism. Even though the student has correctly cited the work from which the information came, the student did not put quotation marks around the quoted text, and so it appears that the text is the student's own work.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. Has the student made any changes? Try again.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. Has the student only used another's ideas? Try again.
Question 3
Diseases caused by bacteria are an ongoing menace to humans. The reduction in such diseases since the early 1900s is likely a result of improvements in education and public health policies than from "miracle drugs". One example is Lyme disease, presently the most prevalent pest-borne disease in America. (Campbell and Reece, 2002).
Is this an example of plagiarism?
Incorrect. This is actually an example of plagiarism. Can you figure out why? Try again.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. What kind of changes has the student made?
Correct! This is plagiarism. The student has simply used a thesaurus to substitute synonyms of key words in the original version, creating a version that superficially looks different; but is not the student's own thoughts or words. Given though the student has referenced the source, the flow and content of the material are still almost identical to those of the original author.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. What is the problem with the student's version? Try again.
Question 4
The general decline in bacterial diseases seen over the last century is probably due less to "wonder drugs" and more to changes in public health policies and education (Campbell and Reece, 2002).
Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?
Incorrect. This is actually an example of plagiarism. Can you figure out why? Try again.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. What kind of changes has the student made?
Correct! This is plagiarism. The student has simply rearranged the second sentence of the original source, creating a version that superficially looks different; but is not the student's own thoughts or words.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. What is the problem with the student's version? Try again.
Question 5
As I was reviewing my lecture notes for biology last night, it occurred to me that the decline in bacterial diseases over the past several decades is probably due more to improved public health policies and better education than to development of antibiotics.
Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?
Incorrect. This is actually an example of plagiarism. Can you figure out why? Try again.
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. How has the student used the information presented?
You are correct that this is plagiarism but have another look at the original paragraph. How has the student used the information presented?
Correct! This is plagiarism as the student is taking credit for an idea that is not his or her own but rather one that he or she read in their course textbook.
Question 6
"Bacterial diseases are a continuing threat. Their general decline over the past century is probably due more to public health policies and education than to "wonder drugs". A case in point is Lyme disease, currently the most widespread pest-carried disease in the United States." (Campbell and Reece, 2002).
Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?
Correct! This is not plagiarism, as the student has used quotation marks to indicate clearly that the words are someone else's, and has correctly referenced the source of the information. However, this example does illustrate a different error in the students writing: simply stringing together quoted excerpts from sources does not demonstrate that the student understands the material (compared to paraphrasing the information and expressing it in their own words); the approach illustrated here will not earn high marks.
No this is not plagiarism. The student has clearly shown that the information comes from another source and has correctly cited that source. However, the student has made no effort to demonstrate that their understands the significance of this excerpt to their work, which is definitely a serious problem in their writing. For full marks, you must summarize key concepts from your sources in your own words in order to demonstrate your understanding of the material.
No this is not plagiarism. The student has clearly shown that the information comes from another source and has correctly cited that source. However, the student has made no effort to demonstrate that their understands the significance of this excerpt to their work, which is definitely a serious problem in their writing. For full marks, you must summarize key concepts from your sources in your own words in order to demonstrate your understanding of the material.
No this is not plagiarism. The student has clearly shown that the information comes from another source and has correctly cited that source. However, the student has made no effort to demonstrate that their understands the significance of this excerpt to their work, which is definitely a serious problem in their writing. For full marks, you must summarize key concepts from your sources in your own words in order to demonstrate your understanding of the material.
Question 7
Over the last century, the incidence of diseases due to bacterial infection has decreased but this reduction is likely not due to the development of "wonder drugs", but rather to improvements in education and public health policies (Campbell and Reece, 2002). The most common pest-borne disease in the US is Lyme disease (Campbell and Reece 2002); this bacterial infection is spread by ticks and affected more than 23,000 people in the U.S. in disease as an example of the health threat posed by bacteria; this disease is an infection caused by a bacterium that is spread by the bite of a tick, which affected more than 23,000 people in the US in 2003 (Centre for Disease Control, 2005). Clearly, even with all of the antibiotics that have been developed, humans have not succeeded in eradicating the health threat posed by bacteria.
Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?
Correct! This is not plagiarism. Proper acknowledgement of the original source is given in the student's writing and, in paraphrasing the original authors' work, the student did not just swap one word for its synonym but made a genuine effort to write a unique account. The student's version is not a direct quotation, so quotation marks are not needed. The student has incorporated information from another source to support the original source and in the closing sentence has made an effort to draw their own conclusions from the readings.
No this is not plagiarism. The student has summarized the key concepts from the reading in their own words, and has drawn their own conclusions, thus integrating the information from this source into their own work.
No this is not plagiarism. The student has summarized the key concepts from the reading in their own words, and has drawn their own conclusions, thus integrating the information from this source into their own work.
No this is not plagiarism. The student has summarized the key concepts from the reading in their own words, and has drawn their own conclusions, thus integrating the information from this source into their own work.