by Barbara Whitlock

Created on: April 09, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

At the simplest level, plagiarism involves stealing another's words. But there are gray areas in this definition that often trip up writers. Only commonly known facts and ideas are free; all other information must be cited. And, even when cited, one cannot reuse the same words an author uses unless these are off set in quotes and attributed to the author. Using the same word groupings, structuring an article the same way, or co opting the tone of another article also counts as plagiarism.

Helium members should be very careful to take heed of these guidelines. As the adage goes, "ignorance of the law is no excuse." Be mindful at all times about the authenticity of your work.

Facts and ideas that are considered common knowledge are generally known, easily found in a few reliable sources and can be looked up in general reference sources. Most facts are fair play, unless derived from a unique researcher. Once these ideas and facts are well known, they are considered fair use.

However, as the Associated Press (AP) warns: "[A] subsequent author may not employ the same or essentially the same combinations of words, structure, and tone." The implications of these criteria are expansive. Note that you cannot use the same word clusters, article structure or tone, EVEN if you cite the source. Without a direct quotation and a full citation, this involves plagiarism. Just "remembering something you read somewhere" is also no excuse. You are responsible to know, state your sources, use your own words, structure your arguments uniquely, and use an authentic tone.

Helium members have suggested that some writers copycat other articles in a title group. Not only is this bad form, but it qualifies as plagiarism and invokes the dreaded ire of the entire Helium community. It may earn you an exit visa from the site as well. We can identify time stamps as to who submitted what article first. If you read the articles in a title group, do NOT add an article to that title unless you have something more thorough or unique to contribute. Copycats become roadkill at Helium.

Another variable involves degree. Imagine someone proceeds carefully to quote and cite each borrowed phrase; and imagine that the article that bears this Helium writer's name contains a vast percentage of quoted and cited text. This is stealing as well. That which one culls and cites should not dominate an article. Instead, these citations should merely provide support to the writer's article.

Rushing through while researching

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