The purpose of research is to contribute to existing knowledge and in doing so, consulting and making reference to the existing knowledge is important as it aids in gaining a broader understanding of the research topic. The researcher is therefore not expected to know everything about the topic they are researching on but is expected to credit the individual whose work was consulted and integrated into their research.
Tempting as it is due to the influx of information, especially on the internet it is thus the responsibility of the researcher to act in a responsible manner and avoid plagiarism at all costs. Pears and Shields (2016, p.162) define plagiarism as:
“taking and using another person’s thoughts, writings or inventions as your own without acknowledging or citing the source of the ideas and expressions”.
It is an illegal offense to use copyrighted material without duly acknowledging the source.
Pears and Shield (2016) identified the following as forms of plagiarism;
