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Examples of Plagiarism:

Copy/paste all or most of the paper: The paper is copied word for word from 1 or more sources. There may be a rearrangement of sentences and paragraphs.

Copy/paste all or most of the paper with modifications: The paper is copied word for word from 1 or more sources with some modifications, like using synonyms or omitting words or phrases.

Example:

Original Document:

"The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War.[a] The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France.[5][b] Henry V's victory at Agincourt, against a numerically superior French army, crippled France and started a new period in the war during which Henry married the French king's daughter and then Henry's son, Henry VI, was made heir to the throne of France.

Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself as he suffered from severe, repeating illnesses and moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.

The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow, which Henry used in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of his army. The battle is also the centrepiece of the play Henry V, by William Shakespeare." (Wikipedia)

Modified:

The Battle of Agincourt was a major an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred happened on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France. Henry V's victory triumph at Agincourt, against a numerically mathematically superior bigger French army, crippled France and started a new period in the war during which Henry married the French king's daughter and then Henry's son, Henry VI, was made heir to the throne of France. The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow, which Henry used in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of his army. The battle is also the centrepiece of the play Henry V, by William Shakespeare.(switched paragraphs 2 and 3) Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting combat. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself as he suffered from severe, repeating chronic illnesses and moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.
 

Using  someone else's ideas without attribution: These papers are full of ideas from some else's mind, usually SparkNotes or Shmoop.

Students frequently use online study guides from sources like Shmoop and SparkNotes in order to come up with ideas or topics for papers. Too often students will simply "borrow heavily" from these sources without citation. Such borrowing is indeed plagiarism, and many students have been caught. The best source for ideas is your instructor.
 

SGSC Definition

South Georgia State College follows the Modern Language Association’s definition of “plagiarism”:

Derived from the Latin word plagiarius (“kidnapper”), plagiarism refers to a form of cheating that has been defined as “the false assumption of authorship: the wrongful act of taking the product of another person’s mind, and presenting it as one’s own” (Alexander Lindey, Plagiarism and Originality [New York: Harper, 1952 2). Plagiarism involves two kinds of wrongdoing. Using another person’s ideas, information, or expressions without acknowledging that person’s work constitutes intellectual theft. Passing off another person’s ideas, information, or expressions as your own to get a better grade or gain some other advantage constitutes fraud. Plagiarism is sometimes a moral and ethical offence rather than a legal one since some instances of plagiarism fall outside the scope of copyright infringement, a legal offence.

Plagiarism is almost always seen as a shameful act, and plagiarists are usually regarded with pity and scorn. They are pitied because they have demonstrated their inability to develop and express their own thoughts. They are scorned because of their dishonesty and their willingness to deceive others for personal gain. (Gibaldi 66)

The act and practice of plagiarism is not only sometimes criminally prosecutable and always dishonest and shameful but it is also intellectually lazy and deprives the plagiarist of an education. Examples of plagiarism include:

• Any quotation, rewording, paraphrase, or summary of another person’s words, thoughts, ideas, opinions, or theories without appropriate acknowledgement. Appropriate acknowledgement includes, but is not limited to, quotation marks around quoted material and citation appropriate to the discipline. See the APA and MLA guidelines.
• The presentation in any form of another’s artistic, literary, scientific, or other creative work as one’s own.
• Allowing someone else to write one’s paper; copying, buying, or stealing either in part or in its entirety one’s paper from another source such as a book, an article, or the internet.

Faculty members reserve the right to add to these rules at their discretion. Any addition to the rules will be plainly stated in said faculty member’s syllabus. Ignorance of these rules does not constitute innocence and is not an excuse for plagiarism.

SGSC Penalties for Plagiarism

For each act of plagiarism, the penalty shall be imposed by the instructor. Some violations may result in additional disciplinary actions imposed by the college, including expulsion.

Anti-Plagiarism Guides

SGSC Library Resources

• How to Avoid Plagiarism

• Citation Style for Research Papers