Plagiarism – definition, types and avoidance MCQs With Answer

Introduction

Plagiarism undermines academic integrity and research credibility in B.Pharm education. This guide explains plagiarism — its definition, common types (direct copying, paraphrasing without citation, mosaic plagiarism, and self-plagiarism), and practical avoidance strategies such as proper citation, paraphrasing techniques, use of referencing styles (Vancouver, APA), plagiarism detection tools, and ethical lab reporting. It highlights implications for pharmacy students writing lab reports, dissertations, case studies, and regulatory documents. Clear examples, prevention tips, and citation best practices build responsible research habits essential for future pharmacists. Keywords: plagiarism, types, avoidance, citation, paraphrasing, academic integrity, Turnitin, referencing. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the best concise definition of plagiarism in academic work?

• Reproducing someone else’s work without permission only when published
• Using someone else’s ideas, words, or data without proper attribution
• Collaborating with peers on a group assignment
• Submitting the same assignment to two different courses with permission

Correct Answer: Using someone else’s ideas, words, or data without proper attribution

Q2. Which of the following describes “mosaic plagiarism”?

• Translating a paper from another language and citing the original
• Copying sections verbatim and including quotation marks and citation
• Mixing copied phrases from different sources into your own text without proper citation
• Submitting your previous coursework without changes and without disclosure

Correct Answer: Mixing copied phrases from different sources into your own text without proper citation

Q3. Self-plagiarism occurs when a student:

• Cites their previous work in a new assignment
• Reuses substantial parts of their own earlier submitted work without disclosure
• Collaborates openly with peers and acknowledges them
• Quotes a published article with quotation marks and a reference

Correct Answer: Reuses substantial parts of their own earlier submitted work without disclosure

Q4. Which practice most effectively avoids plagiarism when summarizing a source?

• Changing three or four words in a sentence from the source
• Copying the sentence and adding a citation at the end
• Reading the source, writing the idea in your own words, and citing the source
• Using the source as memory and not citing because it is paraphrased

Correct Answer: Reading the source, writing the idea in your own words, and citing the source

Q5. When must you include a citation in a B.Pharm lab report?

• Only when you copy text verbatim from another report
• When using data, methods, images, or ideas that are not your original work
• When the information is considered common knowledge in pharmacy
• Never, if the supervisor already knows the source

Correct Answer: When using data, methods, images, or ideas that are not your original work

Q6. Which referencing style is commonly used in medical and pharmacy journals for citations and numbered references?

• Harvard
• Chicago
• Vancouver
• MLA

Correct Answer: Vancouver

Q7. Patchwriting is best described as:

• Composing an entirely original paragraph after deep understanding
• Copying exact sentences with quotation marks and citation
• Close paraphrasing that keeps original structure and substitutes words without full understanding
• Using citation managers to format references automatically

Correct Answer: Close paraphrasing that keeps original structure and substitutes words without full understanding

Q8. Which action is required when reproducing a published figure in your thesis?

• Include the figure and do nothing else
• Redraw the figure poorly to avoid permission
• Obtain permission if required and provide a proper caption and citation
• Replace figure legend with your own without citing the source

Correct Answer: Obtain permission if required and provide a proper caption and citation

Q9. A Turnitin similarity report shows 28% similarity. The correct interpretation is:

• It is acceptable; any score below 30% is allowed
• High similarity always means cheating
• Similarity indicates overlap; the nature of matched text must be evaluated for proper citation and context
• You can ignore the report if your supervisor approves

Correct Answer: Similarity indicates overlap; the nature of matched text must be evaluated for proper citation and context

Q10. Which of the following is NOT considered plagiarism?

• Failing to quote verbatim text and omitting citation
• Submitting another student’s work as your own
• Describing a well-known chemical formula without citation when it is common knowledge
• Using a published image without attribution or permission

Correct Answer: Describing a well-known chemical formula without citation when it is common knowledge

Q11. In collaborative assignments, how should group contributions be handled to avoid plagiarism?

• One member submits the whole work without naming others
• Each member lists their contributions and the group submits a single document with shared authorship attribution
• Members secretly copy sections from online sources
• Only the leader is acknowledged in the submission

Correct Answer: Each member lists their contributions and the group submits a single document with shared authorship attribution

Q12. Which of the following is the most appropriate first step when paraphrasing a complex passage?

• Replace every noun with a synonym
• Read until you fully understand, then write the idea in your own words without looking at the original
• Copy the passage and change the order of sentences
• Summarize using only one-sentence quotes

Correct Answer: Read until you fully understand, then write the idea in your own words without looking at the original

Q13. Which scenario describes “contract cheating”?

• Citing a peer-reviewed article in your report
• Paid third party writes your assignment and you submit it as your own
• Working together in a lab and sharing data transparently
• Using a citation manager to format references

Correct Answer: Paid third party writes your assignment and you submit it as your own

Q14. For clinical case reports involving patients, avoiding plagiarism also requires:

• Using patient data without any consent as long as names are omitted
• Citing sources for background and obtaining patient consent or de-identification per guidelines
• Copying case descriptions from previous reports because they are factual
• Not referencing diagnostic criteria because everyone knows them

Correct Answer: Citing sources for background and obtaining patient consent or de-identification per guidelines

Q15. Which tool helps manage references and reduce citation errors in pharmacy writing?

• Microscope
• EndNote or Mendeley
• Text editor without citation features
• Spreadsheet software only

Correct Answer: EndNote or Mendeley

Q16. When using direct quotes in a dissertation, the correct practice is to:

• Use quotes for long passages without citation
• Enclose text in quotation marks, provide an in-text citation, and include full reference
• Paraphrase but remove the citation
• Use quotes without references if the source is widely known

Correct Answer: Enclose text in quotation marks, provide an in-text citation, and include full reference

Q17. Which of these is an example of data plagiarism?

• Using your own raw data with proper lab notebook entries
• Reproducing published experimental results without citation and presenting as your data
• Citing a dataset you used from an open repository
• Sharing anonymized data under a data-sharing agreement

Correct Answer: Reproducing published experimental results without citation and presenting as your data

Q18. In which case is permission from the copyright holder usually required?

• Paraphrasing a short idea and providing citation
• Reproducing a full table or figure from a recent journal article
• Describing a general principle taught in lectures
• Referring to a drug’s common name without citation

Correct Answer: Reproducing a full table or figure from a recent journal article

Q19. Which is the best way to cite an online drug monograph used in a lab report?

• Ignore citation because it’s a website
• Provide a full reference including author/organization, title, year, URL, and access date according to the chosen style
• Write the URL only in the text
• State the drug name without referencing

Correct Answer: Provide a full reference including author/organization, title, year, URL, and access date according to the chosen style

Q20. Which of the following best describes “citation” versus “reference”?

• Citation appears in-text to credit a source; reference provides full bibliographic details in the reference list
• Citation is the same as reference and both appear only in the bibliography
• Reference is used only for websites and citation for books
• Citation is optional while reference is mandatory

Correct Answer: Citation appears in-text to credit a source; reference provides full bibliographic details in the reference list

Q21. Which practice reduces risk of accidental plagiarism when drafting a research paper?

• Working without notes and relying on memory
• Keeping detailed source notes, using quotation marks for copied text, and documenting ideas and page numbers
• Copying and pasting from sources into the draft without labeling
• Waiting until the end to add all citations

Correct Answer: Keeping detailed source notes, using quotation marks for copied text, and documenting ideas and page numbers

Q22. Which statement about “common knowledge” is correct?

• All facts found online are common knowledge and need no citation
• Common knowledge varies by discipline and generally requires no citation if widely known by the intended audience
• Any statement more than ten years old is common knowledge
• Statistical data always counts as common knowledge

Correct Answer: Common knowledge varies by discipline and generally requires no citation if widely known by the intended audience

Q23. If you translate an article from another language into English and include it in your work, you should:

• Translate freely and cite the original source and indicate translation
• Translate and claim it as original because language changed
• Only cite if the original was published in the same country
• Not cite because translation makes it new work

Correct Answer: Translate freely and cite the original source and indicate translation

Q24. Which institutional action is typically taken for confirmed major plagiarism in a thesis?

• Issue a friendly reminder only
• Ignore it if the student apologizes
• Academic investigation that may lead to grade penalties, thesis rejection, or disciplinary measures
• Automatic award of degree without review

Correct Answer: Academic investigation that may lead to grade penalties, thesis rejection, or disciplinary measures

Q25. What is the ethical way to use AI-generated text in academic writing?

• Present AI-generated text as entirely your own without disclosure
• Use AI for drafting if allowed, verify accuracy, edit substantially, and disclose use per institution policy
• Use AI to fabricate references to save time
• Submit AI output without checking for factual errors

Correct Answer: Use AI for drafting if allowed, verify accuracy, edit substantially, and disclose use per institution policy

Q26. Which option correctly identifies “mosaic” vs “direct” plagiarism examples?

• Mosaic: copying entire paragraph verbatim; Direct: mixing phrases from many sources without credit
• Mosaic: mixing phrases from multiple sources without credit; Direct: copying text word-for-word without citation
• Mosaic and direct are the same and interchangeable
• Direct plagiarism never requires citation but mosaic does

Correct Answer: Mosaic: mixing phrases from multiple sources without credit; Direct: copying text word-for-word without citation

Q27. When citing a clinical trial, which element is most important to include in the reference?

• The investigator’s home address only
• Trial registration number, study title, authors, journal, year, and DOI or URL if applicable
• Only the drug name tested
• Personal communication from a participant

Correct Answer: Trial registration number, study title, authors, journal, year, and DOI or URL if applicable

Q28. How should you handle unattributed material found in a student’s group project?

• Ignore it and grade the whole team normally
• Investigate authorship, discuss with the group, and follow institutional plagiarism procedures
• Immediately fail the entire class without inquiry
• Remove the unattributed material and submit the rest

Correct Answer: Investigate authorship, discuss with the group, and follow institutional plagiarism procedures

Q29. Which is the correct approach to citing a dataset obtained from an open repository?

• No citation required because data is open
• Cite the dataset with persistent identifier (DOI), authors/creators, title, repository, and access date
• Only list the repository name in acknowledgements
• Refer to the dataset verbally in the discussion without reference

Correct Answer: Cite the dataset with persistent identifier (DOI), authors/creators, title, repository, and access date

Q30. Which practical habit most consistently helps B.Pharm students avoid plagiarism during research writing?

• Waiting to collect all references after the draft is finished
• Keeping meticulous source records, using quotation marks for direct quotes, and routinely checking drafts with plagiarism detection tools
• Copying background sections from older notes without citation
• Relying solely on memory for where ideas originated

Correct Answer: Keeping meticulous source records, using quotation marks for direct quotes, and routinely checking drafts with plagiarism detection tools

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