Would this be considered plagiarism?

Example

The dog ate the cat.

My version

The horse ate the dog.

Why would it be?

"Plagiarism - a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work"

I'd say no. :P

No...

Why would it be?

Shad0ki11

[QUOTE="Shad0ki11"]

Why would it be?

Hopkins_J

No, because you wrote both of those sentences, they're both your own work :P

[QUOTE="Hopkins_J"][QUOTE="Shad0ki11"]

Why would it be?

-Iconoclast-

nah

chances are that if you think you are plagiarizing, you probably are plagiarizing. Plzhelpmelearn

Plagiarism is claiming credit for another's ideas. Thus, simply paraphrasing or replacing words in a sentence, paragraph, story, essay, etc. is still plagiarism.

Firstly, plagiarism is often misconceived as just copying of words and phrases, but copying an idea is usually where most plagiarism comes from. "Replacing" words, or even rearranging a sentence "in your own words" is still going to be plagiarism, because you didn't cite the person who came up with theidea in the first place. Even if you make it nothing like the original in terms of composition, the person you got it from will still be the creator/owner of the idea, and requires a citation.

The best way to think of it is, like has been mentioned, "when in doubt, you probably are plagiarizing." So make sure that anything that isn't common knowledge (i.e. the sky is blue) or from your own brain (this however doesn't include things you've heard from other people and put in your own words, but your own original ideas) is always cited, regardless of how you use it. Once you get to the university level, your entire future could hinge on the ability to cite properly, and a single plagiarism claim could end everything. I know if you get caught plagiarizing at my university, you get expelled immediately, get F's in all your current courses (which ruins your GPA), and aren't welcome back for at least 5 years.

Like almost every one of my professors has said: "Just don't do it." You don't want to end up with the consequences for being lazy. Plus, when properly cited, a piece of work usually ends up being much better as it provides a way for people to explore more of the ideas you presented if they wish.

As for your example, just replacing the nouns in the sentence would be plagiarism, as "the dog ate the cat" is the original idea, and you are just applying that to a different situation involving different things.

How hard is it to write "was eaten by" instead?

How hard is it to write "was eaten by" instead?

bloodling

Or "The cat, finding its evasive maneuvers to be inffectual, was ultimately caught and devoured by that savage canine." Or whatver. :P

Although even then it's still just changing the words around to make them unrecognisable, and if you're still taking someone else's ideas, you're still plagiarising.

[QUOTE="bloodling"]

How hard is it to write "was eaten by" instead?

Planeforger

Or "The cat, finding its evasive maneuvers to be inffectual, was ultimately caught and devoured by that savage canine." Or whatver. :P

Although even then it's still just changing the words around to make them unrecognisable, and if you're still taking someone else's ideas, you're still plagiarising.

Taking someone else's ideas isn't plagiarism though, that's normal. Replicating them closely when it starts to be more or less complex is plagiarism though.

Taking someone else's ideas isn't plagiarism though, that's normal. Replicating them closely when it starts to be more or less complex is plagiarism though.

bloodling

[QUOTE="bloodling"]Taking someone else's ideas isn't plagiarism though, that's normal. Replicating them closely when it starts to be more or less complex is plagiarism though.

foxhound_fox

That's what I meant when I said replicating the ideas closely. Taking someone else's ideas isn't plagiarism if it's not that close to the original text and if it's not that long or complex. Two people could write pretting much the same thing in a few paragraphs without even knowing someone else wrote it. Some people could read a book then write something similar since the book inspired him, and that wouldn't be plagiarism either.

That's what I meant when I said replicating the ideas closely. Taking someone else's ideas isn't plagiarism if it's not that close to the original text and if it's not that long or complex. Two people could write pretting much the same thing in a few paragraphs without even knowing someone else wrote it. Some people could read a book then write something similar since the book inspired him, and that wouldn't be plagiarism either.

bloodling

[QUOTE="bloodling"]

That's what I meant when I said replicating the ideas closely. Taking someone else's ideas isn't plagiarism if it's not that close to the original text and if it's not that long or complex. Two people could write pretting much the same thing in a few paragraphs without even knowing someone else wrote it. Some people could read a book then write something similar since the book inspired him, and that wouldn't be plagiarism either.

foxhound_fox

Don't worry about me, giving your sources is always a big plus for your work. But you need to understand that nobody "owns" ideas. How many millions of people could have the same idea without being inspired by someone who wrote it? What if someone doesn't even know where that idea came from or what inspired him? Plagiarism has nothing to do with similar ideas and everything to do with basically copying stuff and showing it as if that complex set of ideas came from you.

If it's not that complex, you can very well change a few words and put it in your text as your own based on your research. Of course, putting your sources won't hurt anything but not doing so doesn't mean that it's plagiarism.

Don't worry about me, giving your sources is always a big plus for your work. But you need to understand that nobody "owns" ideas. How many millions of people could have the same idea without being inspired by someone who wrote it? What if someone doesn't even know where that idea came from or what inspired him? Plagiarism has nothing to do with similar ideas and everything to do with basically copying stuff and showing it as if that complex set of ideas came from you.

If it's not that complex, you can very well change a few words and put it in your text as your own based on your research. Of course, putting your sources won't hurt anything but not doing so doesn't mean that it's plagiarism.

bloodling

Nobody "owns" ideas, but there is a level of academic dishonesty when you start claiming others ideas as your own (whether for profit or marks). And I can tell you, that at most universities or colleges, if you start using other people's ideas and "rewriting" them in your own words, you'll be reprimanded for plagiarism. They don't tolerate it, even if it is with the best intentions.

foxhound_fox

Let's say I found someone who wrote a topic about the exact same thing I am (which is pretty common), I don't need to say "I took my ideas from some other student's work". That's normal, you need to read about something before writing about it. But when it comes to something complex very similar or some facts you didn't get yourself, then you need to give your sources.

Let's say I found someone who wrote a topic about the exact same thing I am (which is pretty common), I don't need to say "I took my ideas from some other student's work". That's normal, you need to read about something before writing about it. But when it comes to something complex very similar or some facts you didn't get yourself, then you need to give your sources.

bloodling

APA Guidelines and definitions of plagiarism.

yes, nobody owns ideas since the ideas must come from a source, so you need to acknowledge the authors.

An inspiration can form the basis for your own work and would not be considered plagiarism because you're notstealing somebody elses work and passing it off as your very own without giving credit to where that idea came from.

Of course you need to research things, but in MLA you have to list your "works consulted" and in all styIes, you have to cite any source of material that isn't your own original work (which includes even single ideas presented in any text or work that isn't your own). Complexity has nothing to do with it. If Person X says: "Trees represent the fertility of life and the connectedness of nature to the Earth" then if you are going to use that in your work, even if you paraphrase or reword it, you are going to have to cite person X as the source, because they said it and you didn't.

Are you currently in college or university? Have you had experience writing academic papers? Plagiarism is a serious offence at the post-secondary level, and these institutions take it very, very seriously. Even if you accidentally forget to quote something, you could face a plagiarism charge (obviously with less consequence if you can prove you meant to cite it and forgot).

foxhound_fox

Sometimes they do ask you what you consulted, but not doing so is not plagiarism. It's a way they can find out if you did some plagiarism or not.

Complexity is relevant to the issue. If it's not that complex, then there are not so many other ways to say it. What if you DID think of it all by yourself, you can't be accused of plagiarism, besides, nobody would even be able to accuse you of plagiarism. Whether you read about it or truly did think about it all by yourself is irrelevant to academic plagiarism.

I don't understand why putting something in your own words is plagiarism. It's really not. Teachers always told us to always rewrite stuff in our own words or else it's plagiarism. I mean, look at all the journalists, they are talking about the same thing and have, most of the time, the same ideas about a subject. Does that mean they have to say they were inspired by all those articles? Of course not!

no that's more like paraphrasing(i think) but even then it isn't paraphrasing

Example

The dog ate the cat.

My version

The horse ate the dog.

Hopkins_J

Why did the horse eat the dog? Horses dont usually eat meat. It must have been one brutal horse.
You shouldnt worry about plagiarism, you should worry about the crippled logic in statement
"The horse ate the dog"