1. Critical Discussion on Plagiarism (±100 words, 2 marks)
I disagree with the statement. Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work,
ideas, or words as your own without proper acknowledgment, regardless of the source.
This includes copying from websites, textbooks, or any published materials without
referencing. Academic integrity requires honesty and transparency in all academic work.
Therefore, using any part of another person’s work without proper citation—whether it is
from a student or a book—is equally serious and constitutes academic dishonesty.
2. Practical Steps to Avoid Plagiarism (±100 words, 4 marks)
To avoid plagiarism, I always begin by carefully reading and understanding the material.
When using a direct quote, I enclose it in quotation marks and cite the source
accurately using the required referencing style. When paraphrasing, I rewrite the
information completely in my own words and provide a citation. For summaries, I
condense the main ideas in my own words and also cite the source. I ensure all
sources—whether from the Study Guide, websites, or textbooks—are correctly
acknowledged in both in-text citations and the final reference list.
3. Importance of the List of References (2 marks)
The ‘List of References’ is essential because it gives credit to the original authors,
supports academic honesty, and allows readers to verify sources. It also strengthens
the credibility of my work. If I refer to a source mentioned in the Study Guide but have
not personally read it, I cite it as a secondary source, indicating both the original
author and the Study Guide as the source of the reference.
, ALTERNATIVELY;
1. Critical discussion (±100 words)
I disagree with the statement. Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s words,
ideas, or creative work as one’s own without proper acknowledgment, regardless of the
source (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020). Copying from a student,
website, textbook, or any other source without referencing is equally serious. Academic
dishonesty undermines the credibility of scholarly work, devalues qualifications, and
violates institutional policies. The seriousness of plagiarism lies not in where the
material was obtained but in the failure to provide due credit, which is a core principle of
academic integrity (Carroll, 2016).
2. Practical steps to avoid plagiarism (±100 words)
To avoid plagiarism, I would keep accurate records of all sources during my research.
For direct quotations, I would use quotation marks and include the author, year, and
page number (APA, 2020). For paraphrasing, I would restate the idea in my own words
and still cite the source. For summarising, I would condense the key points in my own
words and reference the original author. I would also use plagiarism detection software
to check originality and ensure I follow APA 7th style consistently throughout the
assignment to maintain academic integrity.
3. Importance of a ‘List of References’ (±80 words)
A ‘List of References’ is essential because it acknowledges the original authors,
supports transparency, and enables readers to locate the sources used (APA, 2020). It
reflects the depth and reliability of research while upholding academic honesty. When
referring to a source mentioned in the Study Guide but not personally read, I would
apply secondary referencing in APA style—for example: (Smith, 2010, as cited in
University Study Guide, 2025)—to clarify that my knowledge of the source comes from
the Study Guide, not direct access to the original work.
I disagree with the statement. Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work,
ideas, or words as your own without proper acknowledgment, regardless of the source.
This includes copying from websites, textbooks, or any published materials without
referencing. Academic integrity requires honesty and transparency in all academic work.
Therefore, using any part of another person’s work without proper citation—whether it is
from a student or a book—is equally serious and constitutes academic dishonesty.
2. Practical Steps to Avoid Plagiarism (±100 words, 4 marks)
To avoid plagiarism, I always begin by carefully reading and understanding the material.
When using a direct quote, I enclose it in quotation marks and cite the source
accurately using the required referencing style. When paraphrasing, I rewrite the
information completely in my own words and provide a citation. For summaries, I
condense the main ideas in my own words and also cite the source. I ensure all
sources—whether from the Study Guide, websites, or textbooks—are correctly
acknowledged in both in-text citations and the final reference list.
3. Importance of the List of References (2 marks)
The ‘List of References’ is essential because it gives credit to the original authors,
supports academic honesty, and allows readers to verify sources. It also strengthens
the credibility of my work. If I refer to a source mentioned in the Study Guide but have
not personally read it, I cite it as a secondary source, indicating both the original
author and the Study Guide as the source of the reference.
, ALTERNATIVELY;
1. Critical discussion (±100 words)
I disagree with the statement. Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s words,
ideas, or creative work as one’s own without proper acknowledgment, regardless of the
source (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020). Copying from a student,
website, textbook, or any other source without referencing is equally serious. Academic
dishonesty undermines the credibility of scholarly work, devalues qualifications, and
violates institutional policies. The seriousness of plagiarism lies not in where the
material was obtained but in the failure to provide due credit, which is a core principle of
academic integrity (Carroll, 2016).
2. Practical steps to avoid plagiarism (±100 words)
To avoid plagiarism, I would keep accurate records of all sources during my research.
For direct quotations, I would use quotation marks and include the author, year, and
page number (APA, 2020). For paraphrasing, I would restate the idea in my own words
and still cite the source. For summarising, I would condense the key points in my own
words and reference the original author. I would also use plagiarism detection software
to check originality and ensure I follow APA 7th style consistently throughout the
assignment to maintain academic integrity.
3. Importance of a ‘List of References’ (±80 words)
A ‘List of References’ is essential because it acknowledges the original authors,
supports transparency, and enables readers to locate the sources used (APA, 2020). It
reflects the depth and reliability of research while upholding academic honesty. When
referring to a source mentioned in the Study Guide but not personally read, I would
apply secondary referencing in APA style—for example: (Smith, 2010, as cited in
University Study Guide, 2025)—to clarify that my knowledge of the source comes from
the Study Guide, not direct access to the original work.
