Word to the Wise

Don't Steal

What does it mean to plagiarize something?

You plagiarize something when you copy another student's homework and turn it in as your own. When you copy and paste words from the Internet into a report that you turn in as your own, you plagiarize that person's work. You are stealing work that the author has spent time and effort to prepare. When you copy photos and pictures into a report, you're stealing them, unless they are not copyrighted (sometimes called Public Domain). Most Google Images are copyrighted. The pictures on this page have been paid for by subscription, and the copyright symbol appears at the bottom of the page.

Stealing is against the law. Taking someone else's work copied off the Internet and turning it in to a teacher as your own work can result in an F on the report, and in high school and beyond, could result in your being expelled from school. This applies to photographs and other pictures as well as written words.

So do your own writing in your own words. Find copyright free clip art and photos to use on your reports. Or, do your own drawings and illustrations in KidPix or AppleWorks or take your own photographs.

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