Plagiarism in all its Disguises

Using significant ideas from someone else, putting them into your own words, but not acknowledging the source of those ideas.

Original

"The complexity of the current global economy has to do with certain fundamental disjunctures between economy, culture and politics which we have barely begun to theorise" (Appadurai 1999, p. 221).

Plagiarised

The world economic system is marked by economic, cultural and political tensions that are yet to be fully understood.

Acceptable

The world economic system is marked by economic, cultural and political tensions that are yet to be fully understood (Appadurai 1999, p. 221).

Why it it acceptable?

• In-text citation indicates the source of this viewpoint: this is necessary even though the student has 'translated the original into his/ her own words.

Better

Political, economic and cultural tensions, at best partially understood, mark the world economic system (Appadurai 1999, p. 221).

Why is it better?

• A better paraphrase. Changes the sentence structure and order of information.
• Succinct and economical - a nice turn of phrase!