Plagiarism: the scourge of knowledge
© 2014 EPFL
"In fact, it is normal that a large part of a written work should be based on what others have already created or discovered. The resulting written work, whatever its nature, must however comply with the following rules in order to avoid any form of plagiarism." (EPFL, 2013, Preamble Directive concerning the citing and referencing of sources of information in written work submitted by students).
The search for documents and data is an essential part of every research project.
A high-quality academic paper, regardless of its level, must indicate all sources consulted and quote them appropriately. If this is not done in a proper manner, the author might be accused of plagiarism.
Referencing sources in a research work is essential for different reasons:
- Respect for someone else’s work: it must be possible to distinguish between the author’s personal and new contribution and the elements coming from other sources. This allows the work to be placed in its context and show its original character in a more evident way.
- Assessment of the research quality: references give credibility to the research paper and prove that the author masters his subject.
- Referencing of consulted documents: the reader must be able to retrieve the documents, in case he would like to look deeper into the subject and/or check some information.
Section 4 – “Rules concerning the citing and referencing of sources” of the Directive concerning research integrity and good scientific pratice at EPFL deals with questions about referencing, responsibility and plagiarism at EPFL.
The “Le Science! On tourne” radio programme broadcast on April 30, 2014 has looked into questions related to referencing and scientific fraud, which may have severe consequences. Why and how do we reference our sources? How can we avoid slipping into plagiarism? What are the consequences of plagiarism in an academic environment? Michelle Bergadaà, Professor of Marketing at the University of Geneva and plagiarism specialist, Benoît Deveaud-Plédran, Dean of Research at EPFL and Raphaël Grolimund, librarian at the EPFL Library, have answered all these questions. Interested? Watch the video !
The EPFL Library has written a bibliography on the subject and set up the exhibition "Incollable sur la citation? Testez-vous!" (until Jun 30, 2014).
For more information: citation.epfl.ch
Do not hesitate to contact the EPFL Library if you would like to learn more about citation and reference management software.
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