If I forget to cite (credit) something – is that plagiarism?
The most common issue related to “non-citation” is plagiarism. Plagiarism is considered to be:
- deliberately copying someone else’s text and ideas and presenting them as your own,
- even unintentionally failing to cite one of the sources used,
- or incorrect or inaccurate citation of the sources utilised.
It is important to understand that a thesis (whether bachelor’s or master’s) is a specific type of academic writing that must be written in an academic style. You cannot approach it in the same way as writing a reflection, essay, report, or column.
The foundation is an objective analysis of a particular (precisely defined) problem. Presenting the current state of knowledge on the issue is a key part of the thesis (the theoretical section), and this section requires a list of the works from which ideas are drawn – that is, citations. If we do not cite in the theoretical section, the supervisor has a valid reason to believe that we have not conducted the required research. Even in the practical section of the thesis, sources of data must be cited, and if we fail to do so, our analysis will not appear credible.
Plagiarism Check at the University
All theses at the university undergo plagiarism detection software before the defence.
The anti-plagiarism software primarily checks for direct quotations in theses, which is why it is recommended to prefer paraphrasing. To be sure, check how direct quotes and paraphrases should be formatted.
Where to Find More Information?
You can find out more in our course Citation in a Nutshell (APA 7th edition).