NFA 117: Issues and Opportunities [BMB majors] Plagiarism Exercise Answers

Preventing Plagiarism

"Plagiarism--the submission of another's work as one's own, without adequate attribution" (University of Maine System Student Conduct Code, 2003.
"Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's words, ideas, or data as one's own work. Proper citation and/or acknowledgment must be given to other's work." (Academic Honesty and Dishonesty, University of Maine Student Affairs, date unknown)

If you are unsure whether you have properly paraphrased, quoted, cited, etc., check with your instructor and/or the Writing Center.

Plagiarism Exercise

Read this brief paper by James Watson and Francis Crick. Which of the following are acceptable? Which are examples of plagiarism, and why? (Based on Rob Lopresti's Library 201 Plagiarism Exercise, 2004.)

Example 1
In 1953 Watson and Crick proposed a structural model for DNA¹.

1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737-738 (1953).

Explanation: This is ACCEPTABLE. The original authors are cited in the text and included in a reference list. This format for references is used in the journal Nature.

Example 2
More than fifty years ago, two British scientists published a classic paper about the structure of DNA (Watson & Crick, 1953).

Reference

Watson, J. D., & Crick, F. H. C. (1953). A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. Nature, 171, 737-738.

Explanation: This is ACCEPTABLE. The original authors are cited in the text and included in a reference list. This is the American Psychological Association format. It’s not commonly used in your major, but you might need to use it for an elective class. Follow the style guidelines your instructor specifies.

Example 3
The structure of DNA was first correctly described in 1953.

Reference: Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737-738 (1953).

Explanation: This is incomplete, so it is considered PLAGIARISM. There must be a footnote, "in-text citation," or something else in the body of your paper crediting the original authors.

Example 4
A structure for nucleic acid had already been proposed by Pauling and Corey. Another three-chain structure had also been suggested by Fraser¹.

1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737-738 (1953).

Explanation: This is PLAGIARISM. The sentences are almost exactly the same as those written by the authors, with only minor, cosmetic changes. Inserting references for the other two papers would still not make this acceptable.

Example 5
Watson and Crick described competing models as "unsatisfactory" and "rather ill-defined¹."

1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737-738 (1953).

Explanation: This is ACCEPTABLE since the authors are quoted using quotation marks, and both a footnote and a reference are used.

Example 6
According to Watson and Crick, Pauling and Corey’s model was unsatisfactory, while Fraser’s model was ill-defined¹.

1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737-738 (1953).

Explanation: The sentence presents the original authors’ exact words without quotation marks. BMMB has very strict standards for academic honesty. Consequently, this is considered PLAGIARISM--even with the footnote and reference.

Example 7
Scientists have understood the structure of DNA molecules for more than fifty years (Watson and Crick, 1953).

Explanation: This is incomplete, so it is considered PLAGIARISM. There is no finding information (reference, citation, bibliographic footnote, etc.) provided for the original article.

Example 8
In 1953 Watson and Crick proposed a triple-helix structural model for DNA¹.

1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737-738 (1953).

Explanation: This is not plagiarism. However, it is factually incorrect and would be graded accordingly.

Return to the NFA 117 [BMB majors] course guide

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Created by: Nancy Curtis | Revised: 01/25/2008