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Be Honest in Your Writing

Take notes and answer questions here.

Review

In “Know Who You Really Are,” you reflected on who you are and what you want out of your life. What did you learn about yourself that can help you?

Learn

Because of the internet and access to so many different resources, it has become easier for students all over the world to steal other people’s words and use them as their own. Using someone else’s words as your own without giving them credit or mentioning the original author is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is dishonest and a form of cheating. Some students have received failing grades or have even been asked to leave school because they have plagiarized. People have also lost jobs because of plagiarism.

Read the information below about what plagiarism is and is not:

What Plagiarism Is	What Plagiarism Is Not
What Plagiarism Is Copying something you find on the internet or on someone else’s assignment and saying you wrote it.	What Plagiarism Is Not Using someone else’s words and including a reference to who said the words.
What Plagiarism Is Copying someone’s words and changing one or two words in the paragraph.	What Plagiarism Is Not Reading about a topic and writing what you learn in your own words, including a reference to the original author.
What Plagiarism Is Including specific facts or statistics that you find from other sources without giving those sources credit.	What Plagiarism Is Not General statements that are not specific words someone said: The sky is blue. God loves you.
What Plagiarism Is Only using the ideas and thoughts of others in your writing.	What Plagiarism Is Not Using mostly your own thoughts or ideas.

The example below will help you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it.

In the October 2018 general conference, Elder Uchtdorf said, “God knows you. You are His child. He loves you. Even when you think that you are not lovable, He reaches out to you” (“Believe, Love, Do,” Liahona, Nov. 2018, 47).

You may change a few words from Elder Uchtdorf’s talk and write this: “God knows you. You are His beloved child. He really loves you. He reaches to you.” This is still plagiarism. Even if you change a few words, because almost all of a quote is still the same, it is still plagiarism. You need to include a reference to Elder Uchtdorf’s talk.

Activity

Read the original passage and then decide if the passage following it includes plagiarism. Discuss why or why not. After your discussion, review the answers below.

1. Original Passage

   Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example to follow of love and kindness. He healed the sick, showed kindness to the outcasts, and called for the little children to come to Him.

   Plagiarized or Not?

   Jesus Christ gave us a perfect example to follow of love and kindness. He healed the sick, showed kindness to the outcasts, and called for the little children to come to Him.

2. Original Passage

   Dolphins live together in small groups called pods. They talk to each other through squeaks, chirps, and whistles. They also hunt for food together.

   Plagiarism or Not?

   Dolphins live and hunt together in groups. They communicate through different sounds.

3. Original Passage

   He was a very happy man by nature.

   Plagiarism or Not?

   He was often a happy person.

4. Original Passage

   A literary text is written to entertain or share a message. These stories may be true, or they may be created in the mind of the writer.

   Plagiarism or Not?

   A literary text is written to entertain and share a theme. Sometimes these stories are true, but other times they are created by writers’ minds.

Answers:

1. Plagiarized—These are the same words as the original text.

2. Not plagiarized—The new passage includes information stated in a new way.

3. Not plagiarized—The original sentence is a general statement; the new sentence says the same general idea using new words.

4. Plagiarized—The new text is too close to the original text. It expresses the same ideas without referencing the original author.

Talk with Your Family

Share with your family members at least one tip you will use to avoid plagiarism when you write your next paper for school.