English

Why Plagiarism Matters (Activation)

Have you worked hours on a paper, or can you imagine doing so, only to fail because you are missing citation?
❌ This could happen to you!

Plagiarism = using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit.

Everyone Marks Their Work

Creators use symbols and licenses to show ownership and how their work can be used:

© Copyright → Protects books, articles, music, films
™ Trademark → Protects slogans and brands
® Registered Trademark → Legally registered brand ownership
CC-BY-SA (Creative Commons) → Allows sharing/adaptation with proper attribution

Plagiarism Case Studies (Demonstration)

Why is plagiarism important? Here are some landmark cases.

Roots, Literary Plagiarism in an Acclaimed Novel
Haley v. Courlander (1978). Author Alex Haley was sued by Harold Courlander for plagiarizing passages in his novel Roots from Courlander’s earlier novel The African. The case was settled out of court for $650,000 (over $2 million in today’s currency), and Haley issued a statement acknowledging the use of Courlander’s work. Reference: Haley v. Courlander, 84 F.R.D. 366 (S.D.N.Y. 1978).
Alex Haley image from BlackPast.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

George Harrison, Musical Plagiarism Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music (1976). Former Beatle George Harrison was found guilty of “subconsciously” plagiarizing Ronnie Mack’s 1963 song He’s So Fine in his 1970 hit My Sweet Lord. Harrison was ordered to pay $587,000 in damages. Reference: Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music, Ltd., 420 F. Supp. 177 (S.D.N.Y. 1976).
George Harrison image from upload.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taylor Swift, Music Copyright Lawsuit (2025)
In April 2025, poet Kimberly Marasco filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Taylor Swift. The lawsuit alleged that Swift incorporated elements of Marasco’s poetry into several songs, including The Man and My Tears Ricochet, seeking “tens of millions of dollars” in damages. Reference: MSN. (2025). Taylor Swift s legal odyssey: Unpacking the Shake It Off copyright resolution, industry repercussions, and emerging 2025 courtroom dramas. MSN. URL.
Taylor Swift image from upload.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pete Hegseth, Academic Misconduct (2025)
In May 2025, Princeton graduate and future Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was accused of plagiarizing portions of his senior thesis. Reference: News source on 2025 academic misconduct cases.
Pete Hegseth image from upload.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

APA Citation Workshops

Instructor prepares a 🎬 video from ideas below to train thie Advanced Cohorts and the video is used to instruct Student Learner to correct sources in the Plagarism Case Studies introduction.

Guiding questions

How do we start the process of getting Case Studies corrected? How do we find the source, use preferred sources, and correct the APA references?

Correction needede

Academic Misconduct by University Figures (2025)
In 2025, several academics faced plagiarism or misconduct allegations:

In May, Princeton graduate and future Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was accused of plagiarizing portions of his senior thesis.
Also in May, Harvard revoked the tenure of business school professor Francesca Gino for falsifying data in ethics studies—the first such dismissal in nearly 80 years.
In April, a University of Minnesota professor was accused of plagiarizing from a former student’s dissertation.

✅ Key principles

If it’s a court case → cite with legal format (case name, year, reporter volume, page).

If it’s a news report → cite the article in APA (author, year, title, URL).

If you paraphrase summaries you found online → cite the secondary source, not the case itself.

Process

🔎 How to Retrofit Citations (APA Process)

Identify what’s missing

Look for names, dates, and events in the draft that aren’t supported by a citation.

Example: The list mentions Pete Hegseth, Francesca Gino, and a University of Minnesota professor but has no references.

Search for reliable sources

Search:

In May, Princeton graduate and future Secretary of Defense **Pete Hegseth** was accused of plagiarizing portions of his senior thesis

Prioritize reputable outlets, 1st source (NYT, Washington Post, BBC, Chronicle of Higher Education, etc.).
Not aggregators, 2nd source (MSN, Yahoo, Wikipedia articles)

Gather APA source details

Author(s)

Date of publication (year, month day)

Title of article (in italics)

Website or news source name

URL

(Author, Year)

If no author, use organization: (The New York Times, 2025)

Paraphrase Title:

Harvard revoked the tenure of Francesca Gino after evidence of data falsification surfaced (Doe, 2025).

Create the APA in-text citation

General form: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article in italics. Source/Website. URL

Example (made-up): Doe, J. (2025, May 10). Harvard revokes tenure of Francesca Gino after misconduct findings. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article-link

Below is a example snippet, of a pretend research paper. Advanced cohort setup a session with student learners to perform citations and references.

Literature has shaped culture and society through memorable phrases that continue to resonate today. For example, It was the best of times it was the worst of times captures the contrasts of life in a way that still feels relevant. Another famous phrase, Romeo, Romeo where art thou, has been quoted in countless settings as a symbol of love and longing. Likewise, in film and popular culture, lines such as Frankly Scarlett I don't give a damn are recognized across generations.

These examples illustrate how literature and media are not confined to classrooms but influence our shared language and thinking. Yet, while these quotes are widely used, few students pause to reflect on their origins. A research-based approach to literature should require proper acknowledgment of sources, but in common usage these citations are often left out, which can blur lines between appreciation and plagiarism.

Discuss: Messy Draft (Needs Improvement)

📣 Speaker: ❌ no quotation marks, ❌ no in-text citations, ❌ no references → plagiarism risk.

engage: Start Learners on Citations and APA References task

Logistics / Setup

Setup groups or breakout rooms
Assign peer mentor to groups or to roam breakouts

Task

Instruct learners to google phrases and look for original references

Mock Research Paper Grading (Integration)

Below is an example of completion. This is provided to advance cohorts as guide in help student learners

Literature has shaped culture and society through memorable phrases that continue to resonate today. For example, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” captures the contrasts of life in a way that still feels relevant (Dickens, 1859/2003, p. 1). Another famous phrase, “Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” highlights themes of love and longing (Shakespeare, 1597/1997, 2.2.33). Likewise, in film and popular culture, lines such as “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” remain recognized across generations (Selznick, 1939).

These examples illustrate how literature and media are not confined to classrooms but influence our shared language and thinking. Yet, while these quotes are widely used, few students pause to reflect on their origins. A research-based approach to literature should require proper acknowledgment of sources, which strengthens credibility and avoids plagiarism.

References Dickens, C. (2003). A tale of two cities. Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1859) Selznick, D. O. (Producer). (1939). Gone with the wind [Film]. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. (Based on novel by M. Mitchell, 1936) Shakespeare, W. (1997). Romeo and Juliet. Dover Thrift Editions. (Original work published 1597)

✅ Correct APA formatting: in-text citations with years, page/line numbers; proper reference formatting with original + reprint dates.