iDentistry The Journal Volume 14 No.1 | Page 3

The Journal EDITORIAL PLAGIARISM – Not just a “TERM” rather a “THEFT” Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, or research of another person and puttingthem forward without citation as if they were your own. It is difficult to give a simple, widely applicable definition as different disciplines and institutions may have varying traditions and conventions for citations. However, a widely shared understanding is that plagiarism occurs when someone tries to pass off someone else's work, thoughts or ideas as their own, whether deliberately or unintentionally, without appropriate acknowledgement. It is important to recognize that plagiarism does not just apply to written work - whether essays, reports, dissertations or laboratory results - but can also apply to plans, projects, designs, music, presentations or other work presented for assessment. It is an intellectual theft and a clear violation of the code of ethics and behavior. Colleges and universities have their own policies that define plagiarism and establish guidelines for dealing with plagiarism cases and punishing offenders with severe penalties for the same. If you discover or suspect plagiarism you must deal with it; it is cheating! It is important to have clear procedures and regulations and be fair, consistent and transparent. In particular, disciplinary procedures for dealing with plagiarism and other acts of academic misconduct should be separated from the credit awarding procedures and reported to the respective authorities. Dr. Amrit Raj Bahl Editor-in-Chief 2 Vol. 14 No. 1 Jan-Apr 2018