Cyber ethics and plagiarism – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, D and E correctly describe plagiarism and academic integrity. Plagiarism is using others’ work without acknowledgment, citation prevents it, self-plagiarism can occur when reusing work without permission and instruction on citation and paraphrasing supports ethical writing. Statement C is false because accessibility does not cancel the need for attribution, and F is false since tools do not replace understanding of referencing. Therefore A, B, D and E only are correct.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits E and hence ignores the role of explicit teaching about citation and paraphrasing. While A, B and D are true, the set does not include all correct statements.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it includes all valid explanations of plagiarism and preventive education while excluding justifications for unacknowledged copying and overreliance on tools. It matches accepted academic norms.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it incorporates C, which claims copying from freely accessible websites without attribution is acceptable. This violates academic integrity, supporting the view that the combination cannot be accepted.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it omits A and thus fails to state the basic definition of plagiarism. Although B, D and E are correct, leaving out A means not all essential statements are included.