Which of the following defines plagiarism?

• A. Quoting someone's work without permission
• B. Adapting someone else's ideas into your own work
• C. Claiming someone else's work is your own
• D. Creating derivative works based on another's creation

Answer: (C)

Claiming someone else's work as your own is a clear and straightforward definition of plagiarism. It encompasses the unethical act of presenting another person’s intellectual efforts—whether that be their writing, concepts, research, or creative expressions—as if they originated from you. This misattribution undermines trust and integrity within academic and professional settings, as it fails to give proper credit to the original creator.

While the other options relate to plagiarism in varying degrees, they do not capture the essence as directly as claiming someone else's work as your own. For instance, quoting someone’s work without permission typically deals more with copyright issues rather than plagiarism itself. Adapting someone else's ideas can involve legitimate practices like paraphrasing if proper credit is given. Meanwhile, creating derivative works is often acceptable when done with appropriate rights and attributions. Therefore, the act of claiming authorship of work that is not your own is what fundamentally defines plagiarism.