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Is this plagiarism?

In a statement of purpose, I wrote that I had participated in a diverse group that I believed was more effective due to different world views, experience, etc. that facilitated problem solving.

I'm aware that diverse groups having advantages is a common belief. So common, in fact, I assumed that it was general knowledge among human resources/organizational psychology circles, and therefore, wouldn't require a citation. However, my SO feels that I should have cited my statement since work group diversity is often the subject of case studies.

So, did I plagiarize? Did I use someone else's idea without giving them due credit (Even though I was relating my own experience?)

Pepper Spray asked in College / Continuing Ed about 1 year ago | Report

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  • Cappa_small
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    No, you didn't plagiarize. You editorialized. Ethically you're off the hook here.

    Argumentatively speaking, you didn't back up your assertion with much in the way of supporting evidence, so a skeptical reader might dismiss what you expressed. If you were to have stated that your opinion was actually provably true, then you would not be remiss in citing a supporting study or paper. But again that's all about supporting your rhetoric. To plagiarize here, I think you'd have to represent existing work group diversity theory as your own before you began to stray into the realm of plagiarism.

    capicola answered in College / Continuing Ed about 1 year ago | Report
    1 comment by Pepper Spray …
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  • Wa_usa_small
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    Plagiarism and Citation are two different issues. Here are the general rules of the academic community for each.

    Plagiarism means theft of ideas. Pretend, for a moment, you are professor Jones. If you take Einstein's Theory of Relativity and purport it to be Jones' theory of Relativity, you have plagiarized.

    Citation is another matter. If you say "Einstein developed the Theory of Relativity," you need not cite that. Why? Because it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE that Einstein developed the Theory of Relativity. How do you know if it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE? If you can find three (3) reliable sources that say the same thing independently, it is common knowledge and does not need to be cited.

    DISCLAIMER: This is the general practice in the academic world. In cases involving legal issues, always consult an attorney.

    soundslikepuget answered in College / Continuing Ed about 1 year ago | Report
    1 comment by Pepper Spray …
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  • Medium_2868373187_b2c11c89cf_o_small
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    Basil

    So, just to offer a more strict take on citations. You have to back up EVERY assertion that you make. When you make a personal statement based on an assertion, you need to show the assertion first and distinguish that your assertion doesn't SAY what you are claiming - but that it is the basis for your own opinion.

    So a good way to do that is:

    1) See (whatever backs up your claim).

    For your case, I would have suggested something like:

    I participated in a diverse group that I believe was more effective due to the different world views facilitating problem solving. See (study that shows diversity having benefits for small groups #1, #2, #3).

    But, really this sounds like some nitpicky bullshit. Which a lot of academic writing IS - but still.

    Even more important, if you did actually phrase it as your own perspective - then you didn't need any citation at all. YOU felt that the different world views contributed to problem solving. That is YOUR opinion - you can't site to a study to show that.

    If you then later go on to generalize the statement - "having different world views improves problem solving in a lot of situations" then you would definitely need a citation.

    Basil answered in College / Continuing Ed about 1 year ago | Report
    2 comments by Lee and Basil…
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  • Cat-duck-2_small
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    I'm not sure what "SO" stands for (should I, and I'm just missing something obvious?), but if this is someone charged with teaching you then you probably deserve better. I would ask him/her WHO it is that you plagiarized by making the almost anemically cliched claim that diversity creates a more adaptable approach to problem solving. I mean really: some people might disagree with that claim, but it's not a new claim nor a special one, and unless this "SO" can tell you who exactly that idea belongs to, the charge of plagiarism is baseless, rude and arrogant.

    Lee answered in College / Continuing Ed about 1 year ago | Report
    3 comments by Pepper Spray , Lee, and Pepper Spray …
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