Plagiarism – Why it Matters
Blue HQ Media has many contributors to our network. We publish dozens of articles a week covering upwards of eight teams and multiple topics. Most days, there are absolutely no problems. When it comes to plagiarism, however, one instance is too many.
When someone plagiarizes it reflects poorly on our entire company. It devalues all the hard work all of you do. We always react swiftly to give the offending writers the boot but by then, the damage is already done. Please respect your fellow writers and avoid this journalism sin.
Plagiarism is a career killer. If you plan to work in online publishing, one incident of plagiarism can derail your entire career. Please be incredibly careful when writing your content. In this orientation, we will give you the tools to help to avoid any potential issues.
Plagiarism – What is it?
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another’s work or borrowing someone else’s original ideas. But terms like “copying” and “borrowing” can disguise the seriousness of the offense:
ACCORDING TO THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY, TO “PLAGIARIZE” MEANS
- to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
- to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
- to commit literary theft
- to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
- In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.
BUT CAN WORDS AND IDEAS REALLY BE STOLEN?
According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).
ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM:
- turning in someone else’s work as your own
- copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
- failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
- giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
- changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
- copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on “fair use” rules)
Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources properly.
What about Images, Videos, and Music?
Using an image, video or piece of music in a work you have produced without receiving proper permission or providing appropriate citation is plagiarism. The following activities are very common in today’s society. Despite their popularity, they still count as plagiarism.
- Copying media (especially images) from other websites to paste them into your own papers or websites.
- Making a video using footage from others’ videos or using copyrighted music as part of the soundtrack.
Certainly, these media pose situations in which it can be challenging to determine whether or not the copyrights of a work are being violated. For example:
- A photograph or scan of a copyrighted image (for example: using a photograph of a book cover to represent that book on one’s website)
- Recording audio or video in which copyrighted music or video is playing in the background.
- Re-creating a visual work in the same medium. (for example: shooting a photograph that uses the same composition and subject matter as someone else’s photograph)
- Re-mixing or altering copyrighted images, video or audio, even if done so in an original way.
The legality of these situations, and others, would be dependent upon the intent and context within which they are produced. The two safest approaches to take in regards to these situations is: 1) Avoid them altogether or 2) Confirm the works’ usage permissions and cite them properly.
Preventing Plagiarism as a Writer
An option to consider is to treat each post that you sit down to write for our sites just like you would a research paper you might have written in school. In most cases the process was pretty straightforward: you started out with an idea, conducted some research to support it, outlined your argument, and then sat down to write the paper.
The same approach can work here and taking the time to do some simple planning can go a long way towards helping to prevent plagiarism.
Planning out your post helps ensure there’s a balance between your original ideas and any outside information that might influence them. Moreover, planning helps you decide where to utilize the outside sources that you may have found so that they’ll have the most impact on the reader.
Your original content and ideas should always be the focal point of a post, but there are many times where outside information can be supportive and beneficial so long as it is being cited properly.
The Effects of Plagiarism
Immediate dismissal
Blue HQ Media has a one and done policy for any plagiarism offense. No exceptions. You may also be held liable for any legal obligations per your Blue HQ Media agreement.
Loss of credibility – Network
When someone plagiarizes it reflects poorly on our entire network and brand. It devalues all the hard work all of you do. We want all of our writers to continue to receive the respect they deserve, don’t hurt someone else’s career. We always react swiftly to give the offending writers the boot but by then, the damage is already done.
Loss of credibility – Personal
Plagiarism is a career killer. If you plan to work in online publishing, one incident of plagiarism can derail your entire career, period.
Citing the Source & Curating the News
How to Properly Attribute Outside Source Material
One of the most important things a writer must always do is properly attribute your source material. In the world of digital media, that means naming and linking all of your source material – every time.
Failure to properly do these things is plagiarism and it will ruin your career. Plagiarism isn’t just cutting and pasting someone else’s work, but it is also includes taking their ideas and representing them as your own.
For instance, compare these two passages:
Ford is quick to enter his route, and he controls his gears well to stack cornerbacks, force them to commit their hips, and gain a step at the stem.
Isaiah Ford does a good job of entering his routes quickly, forcing the cornerback to commit his hips early and allowing Ford to gain a step advantage at the stem of the route.
They say the exact same things, but the first one was an original thought, and the second was a plagiarized version of the first.
Simply taking someone else’s words and rearranging them slightly is still plagiarism.
Examples of Citation
As in an essay, the source needs to be named in the story:
- The quarterback expressed his displeasure with his offensive line.
- According to NFL.com, the player was drafted in 2012.
- The team will announce its decision tomorrow, the head coach stated.
Unlike an essay, the source does not need a text citation in the story after each attribution or to be listed in a reference or works cited list.
All quotes must be attributed. Include the name of the person speaking in the sentence and surround their exact words in quotation marks.
- For example – Ryan Grigson said, “Read my lips. No more wins!”
- Never change what someone said – Double-check if you’re not sure of the exact wording.
- If a grammatical error in the exact quotation might make the person look bad, then the reporter needs to decide if it would be unfair to leave the mistake. Check with your editor.
Use multiple sources. Stories are more balanced when multiple points of view are presented. Make sure you don’t use just the official source for information. Try to talk with all parties involved.
- For example – A story on increased ticket prices needs to include information from people who buy tickets, people who’ve been buying tickets, the team raising the prices, and those upset about the increase – not just team officials.
Because sources have different perspectives, their information may contradict. The reporter has a responsibility to double-check the information for accuracy.
- In the example above, any claim of increased demand should be checked with public records. Is there an increase in demand or better team performance? Can you observe for yourself or ask people who regularly buy tickets for their observation?
Plagiarism Agreement
Plagiarism is hands-down one of the worst offenses that a writer at any level can do. It is also one that is more common than you might think.
Plagiarism extends beyond using someone else’s words. Using someone else’s ideas, research, images, even the structure of their story can all be included. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is simply an offense you do not want to commit.
Originality is ultimately the best way for a writer to set themselves apart, but we also understand that any good site is going to want to respond to news surrounding their team/school/etc. What’s important is how you put your own spin on it. Blue HQ Media doesn’t look for writers who are going to break the big stories. We look for writers who can offer up the best responses to those stories.
Use reputable outside sources (beat writers, national reporters, etc.) to support news you may be responding to, just be sure you are citing them properly. Don’t present material out of context just to suit your opinion.
Don’t plagiarize. Ever. There’s a reason why we put this idea right into our Code of Integrity. We take plagiarism infractions very seriously; one strike and you’re out. There are no exceptions. Don’t ruin your reputation, the site’s, or Blue HQ Media by being lazy about creating your own content.
Plagiarism – A Final Word
Content theft or idea theft of any kind is strictly prohibited on all Blue HQ Media posts and social media accounts. Blue HQ Media has a “one strike and you’re done” policy when it comes to this type of infraction. Managers or contributors found to be in violation of this policy will face immediate removal from the network.
Plagiarism deals a serious blow to not only the reputation of the offending writer but also to the network that we have all worked so hard to build. We take this policy very seriously. No exceptions will be made. Ever.