Difference between Originality and Plagiarism - Case Study Example

Project Study 1. Difference between originality and plagiarism Although the concepts, originality and plagiarism involve imagination, certain amount of difference exists between these two. As Malkan points out, originality is the specific feature of invented works which can be separated from clones, forgeries, and reproductions. In contrast, dictionaries define plagiarism as “wrongful appropriation” or “close imitation” of another writer’s language, ideas, or expressions. According to the patent laws of the United States, only original inventions get statutory protection. Plagiarism is an illegal, punishable act that constitutes fines between $100 and $50000, one year imprisonment, or both (“Plagiarism FAQs”). If a writer copies even one sentence from another piece of work, it falls under the category of plagiarism. On the other hand, originality refers to one’s own words, ideas, thoughts, and expressions. In order to avoid plagiarism, the writer must be vigilant to change the 5 W’s and H (who, what, where, when, why, and how), but most significantly the writer must use his own words. In total, Plagiarism is illegal and immoral while originality is legal and moral. 2. Process of research question development Choosing an appropriate topic/issue is the first phase in developing a research question as it gives a ‘specific focus’ for the writing (“The relationship between”). The major topic may be subdivided into smaller pieces but the writer must stick to one major issue per research paper so as to have a coherent piece of work. While breaking down the major topic into its components, a series of questions may be listed. Once the listing of questions is completed, the researcher must review the listed questions in order to select the most appropriate one that is “neither too broad nor too narrow” (Bryman & Bell, 87). Finally, it is advisable to evaluate the research question critically before the work commences. While fixing the research question, the researcher must ensure that he would get adequate information regarding the chosen aspect for the successful completion of the project work. In addition, researcher must get feedback on chosen research question from his writing tutor. 3. Difference between description and analysis As Egger and Carpi point out, the term description can be defined as a detailed presentation of certain aspects, features, or characteristics of a subject matter, something experienced, seen, heard, or known; in contrast, analysis refers to the interpretation of the described information and it includes lots of lists, data, and graphs (“research methods”). The difference between description and analysis is similar as that of data vs. information. For instance, an organization may compile ranges of data (description), but this description is of no use unless it is interpreted in a meaningful context (analysis). The reader gets lots of facts and data while going through the description part, but he would not understand why it is important and how it should be applied unless an effective analysis of the data is given. Therefore, description is only the factual representation whereas analysis makes this representation meaningful. 4. Data selection criteria Data selection is an important and complex process that determines “the appropriate data type and source as well as suitable methods” to gather data (“The Ohio State University”). The process of data selection is entirely different from selective data supporting and interactive data selection. The method of data selection would be often discipline-specific and is determined by the nature of research, existing academic literature, and accessibility to relevant data sources. While choosing data, first priority must be given on ability of data for effectively answering the research questions rather than cost and convenience of data accessibility. Similarly, researcher must be aware of fixing proper procedures in order for getting a representative sample while dealing with data selection. Punch and Punch say that data types primarily are of two types-quantitative and qualitative data (58). In order to develop a better understanding of the targeted phenomenon, it is advisable to use both quantitative as well as qualitative data. Researchers must mainly address the following questions while selecting data type and data sources. What are the research questions? What is the scope of the research? What type of data must be included: quantitative, qualitative or both? 5. Analysis and evaluation The research question; “what is the heat exchanger and what are the different types of it?” has two parts. The first part requires an overview of the functions and mechanism of the heat exchanger and the second part demands a detailed evaluation of different types of heat exchangers. The following part illustrates an analysis and evaluation of the data collected related to the research question. “A heat exchanger is an equipment that transfers heat from one medium to another”; the two media are separated by a solid wall so that they may not be in direct contact (“Heat Exchangers”). This system has wide applications in refrigeration, power plants, petrochemical plants, chemical plants, air conditioning, natural gas processing, space heating, sewage treatment, and petroleum refineries. Intercoolers, boilers, and condensers in power plants are some examples for heat exchanger. According to Gavhane, heat exchangers are primarily classified into two according to their flow arrangement; they are parallel-flow and countercurrent-flow heat exchangers (3.10). In parallel-flow heat exchanger, two fluids enter through the same side of the exchanger and travel to the other side parallel to one another. Lee says that two fluids enter through the opposite sides of the exchanger in counter-flow heat exchangers (243). It seems that the countercurrent design is more efficient as it has the capability to transfer most heat. In order to increase the efficiency, surface area of the wall between two fluids is maximised and resistance to fluid through the exchanger is minimized; an addition of corrugations of fins in one or both directions may affect the exchanger’s performance as this action increases surface area and induces turbulence (Henni). Studies show that an appropriate mean temperature across the heat transfer surface can be defined even though the driving temperature varies with position. There are different types of heat exchangers such as ‘fluid heat exchangers, adiabatic wheel heat exchanger, shell and tube heat exchanger, phase change heat exchangers, plate heat exchanger, waste heat recovery units, plate fin heat exchanger, dynamic scraped surface heat exchanger, and pillow plate heat exchanger’ (Maya fan air engineering Pvt. Ltd). Although, the basic principle behind the operation of heat exchangers is same, different heat exchanger employ different technologies to transfer heat from one medium to another. For instance, shell and tube heat exchangers are designed with a series of tubes. Under this method, number of thermal design features must be taken into account while designing the tube sets. In contrast, thin and slightly separated plates are the main components in plate heat exchanger. The specific arrangement of plates in this method would be more effective than shell and tube heat exchanger in a given space. Similarly, each other heat exchanger has its own distinct features. In the opinion of Shah and Sekulic plate fin heat exchanger possesses some additional features over other types of heat exchangers; and primarily, it has larger heat transfer area and maintains comparatively high heat transfer efficiency (605). Different heat exchanger models are selected on the basis of nature and scope of applications. 6. Reflective document This assignment has greatly assisted me to understand the various phases of developing a research question. At the beginning of this project, I referred lots of books and academic journals in order to collect information required for the completion of the topic. While proceeding with this project, I could understand the essential elements that would make a research paper outstanding. The first part of the paper gives emphasis on the distinction between originality and plagiarism. Plagiarism is evidently unethical, because by doing so students cheat themselves and undermine their instructor’s efforts. The second part of the paper discusses how a research question is developed. This process is the most crucial part of a research paper preparation because the research question becomes the base for the whole research paper by determining the degree of its excellence. In the third section, the paper focuses on the difference between description and analysis. This session was really helpful because I was not aware of the difference between description and analysis until I completed this project study. The fourth section of the paper provides valuable information on selection of data types and data sources. This process has a significant role in a research paper since data presentation constitutes the main body of research study. This section emphasises that data must be included on the basis of its relevance rather than its cost and convenience. In the final section, a sample research question has been analysed and evaluated. This section was very effective as it involved the evaluation of collected data on a specific research topic. Works Cited “Plagiarism FAQs.” Plagiarism. (n.d). Web 11 July 2011 Malkan, Jaffrey. “Article: what is a copy?.” LexisNexis, Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. (2005). Web 11 July 2011 “The relationship between the research question, hypotheses, specific aims, and long-term goals of the Project.” Resources for Behavioral Science Researchers. (Aug 2003). Web 11 July 2011 Bryman, Alan & Bell, Emma. Business Research Methods. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print. Egger, Anne E & Carpi, Anthony. “Research methods: description.” Vision Learning. Pos-1.6 (2008). Web 11 July 2011 “Analysis.” Research Methods: Knowledge ­­­­­­­­­­­­Base. (October 2006). Web11 July 2011 “Bulletin.” The Ohio State University. (n.d). 1-48. Web 11 July 20­­­­­­­­­­­­11 Punch, Keith F. Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. London: Sage Publication, 2005. Print. “Heat Exchangers.” Alaqua, Inc. (n.d). Web 11 July 2011 Gavhane, K. A. Heat Transfer. Pune: Nirali Prakashan, 2008. Print. Henni, Abdelghani. “Focus: heat exchangers.” ArabianOilandGas.com. (April 2009). Web 11 July 2011 “Maya heat exchanger fans.” Maya Fan Air Engineering Pvt. Ltd. (n.d). Web 11 July 2011 Shah, Ramesh K & Sekulic, Dusan P. Fundamentals of Heat Exchanger Design. Canada: John Wiley and Sons, 2003. Print. Lee, HoSung. Thermal Design: Heat Sinks, Thermoelectrics, Heat Pipes, Compact Heat Exchangers, and Solar Cells. Canada: John Wiley and Sons, 2010. Print. Read More