Meaning of Plagiarism (What it is, Concept and Definition)

plagiarism it happens when someone copies content produced by someone else without presenting the original source, that is, assuming the authorship of the work is theirs.

Plagiarism is a type of copyright infringement and can happen with the reproduction of various types of content, such as academic works, books, music and images.

Plagiarism is a fraudulent imitation and is considered a crime in Brazil. Anyone who assumes authorship of someone else's productions must respond in court and is subject to punishment.

Types of plagiarism

  • integral: happens when the work is copied in its entirety and the source is not displayed;
  • Partial: partial plagiarism consists in using excerpts from different works to create a new work;
  • conceptual: conceptual plagiarism happens when an idea is rewritten with other words without presenting the original authorship.

O musical plagiarism happens when a song or part of a song is copied by an artist or band. When plagiarism is proven in a lawsuit, the copying party must pay compensation to the original author.

plagiarism is a crime

Plagiarism is a dangerous practice that, in addition to compromising the credibility of a professional, is a punishable crime, described in Brazilian Penal Code and on Law 9,610/1988.

Especially in the academic world, copying ideas, phrases, images or any other type of material from another author and not citing the source, is a reprehensible attitude.

When a researcher commits the crime of plagiarism, he can put his academic reputation and future as a researcher at risk.

Article 184 of the Brazilian Penal Code defines that:

Violate copyright and related rights: (Wording given by Law No. 10.695, of 7.1.2003)

Penalty – detention, from 3 (three) months to 1 (one) year, or fine (Wording given by Law No. 10.695, of 7/1/2003)

Law 9,610/1988 also establishes other possible consequences for those who commit this crime:

Art. 103 – Anyone who edits a literary, artistic or scientific work, without authorization from the owner, will lose to him the copies that are seized and will pay him the price of those he has sold.

Art. 106 - The condemnatory sentence may determine the destruction of all illicit copies, as well as the matrices, molds, negatives and other elements used to practice the tort, as well as the loss of machinery, equipment and supplies intended for such purpose or, serving solely for the unlawful purpose, its undoing.

Plagiarism in academic papers

Plagiarism is a major concern of educational and research institutions, after all, plagiarized material can put at risk the reputation not only of the authors of the works, but also of the institutions.

When it comes to academic papers, it is always necessary to cite the source in the body of the text, right after the presentation of the idea. And at the end of the work, in the space for references, it is necessary to identify the works used.

The citation and reference rules of universities usually follow the ABNT standards and are prerequisites for approval of papers in events, scientific journals and for obtaining diplomas.

There are cases of plagiarism tried in Brazil, in which the author of the crime was penalized with the cancellation of the diploma.

Learn more about ABNT standards for academic work.

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