220-1102 Question 820
Single answerPlagiarismA help desk technician is preparing a troubleshooting article for the company knowledge base. While reviewing the draft, the technician notices that several paragraphs were copied word-for-word from a vendor's support site and pasted into the article without quotation marks, attribution, or permission notes. The technician wants to correct the issue before publication while still providing useful instructions to employees. Which action is the BEST way to address this situation?
- A
Publish the article as written because internal company use does not count as plagiarism
- B
Keep the copied text, but add the vendor's logo and website URL at the bottom of the article
- C
Rewrite the copied material in the technician's own words, verify the steps are accurate, and clearly cite the original vendor source where appropriate
- D
Remove the copied sections and replace them with screenshots from the vendor site without attribution
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
This question tests professional conduct and proper handling of information in a workplace support scenario. In A+ Core 2, technicians are expected to follow organizational policies, demonstrate professionalism, and use information ethically. Plagiarism occurs when someone uses another person's words or work without proper acknowledgment. In practice, the best response is to produce original documentation tailored to the local environment, validate that the steps are technically correct, and cite any external sources used. This approach aligns with common workplace documentation standards and general academic and professional best practices on attribution. It also helps avoid related legal and policy issues, since copying vendor documentation verbatim may violate copyright or licensing terms in addition to being unethical.
- A. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Internal distribution does not make plagiarism acceptable. Presenting another party's work as original without attribution is still plagiarism, and depending on the source and use, it may also create copyright or licensing concerns. A+ Core 2 professionalism and acceptable use concepts emphasize ethical handling of information.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Adding a logo or a general URL does not fix the plagiarism problem if the copied text is still presented without proper attribution and without confirming usage rights. This is a common misconception: crediting a source vaguely does not automatically permit copying large sections verbatim.
- C. Correct.
Correct. The best practice is to create original documentation, confirm the technical instructions are still valid in the current environment, and cite the source when relying on another organization's material. This addresses the ethical issue of plagiarism and improves the quality of the knowledge base by ensuring the content is relevant and accurate for the company's users.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Replacing copied text with screenshots from the vendor site still uses someone else's content and may introduce the same attribution and copyright issues. It also reduces accessibility and searchability in a knowledge base. This option reflects the mistaken belief that changing the format of copied material avoids plagiarism.