Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement
Plagiarism and copyright infringement are often confused with each other or even conflated together. But they are distinct concepts with important differences. Both are bad practices that should be avoided. But how?
Generally speaking, you can avoid plagiarism by providing proper attribution and citation to all original source materials used in your work. And you can avoid copyright infringement by refraining from using copyrighted works without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder, unless your use qualifies for one or more copyright exemptions.
The following table highlights some additional differences between plagiarism and copyright infringement.
| Plagiarism | Copyright Infringement | |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibited Activity | Using another's work without attribution of the original author, and passing it off as one's own work | Using a copyrighted work without permission from the copyright holder, or an applicable copyright exemption |
| Applicable Works | All source materials, including public domain works, etc. | Works currently protected by copyright law |
| Governing Framework | Academic honor codes, professional codes of conduct, etc. | Federal copyright statutes, regulations, judicial opinions, etc. |
| Dispute Resolution | Internal proceedings conducted by private entities, e.g., schools, publishers, etc. | Legal proceedings conducted by federal courts, e.g., litigation, arbitration, mediation |