Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is when you use the ideas or writings of another as your own, without giving credit to the author. It is a serious violation of academic integrity and can have severe consequences, including expulsion at some colleges and universities. Plagiarism may be intentional, such as copying from a web site or buying a research paper, or, as is more often the case, unintentional--failure to cite sources or failure to paraphrase appropriately. There are many good web sites which explain more about plagiarism, how to avoid it, and include exercises on how to paraphrase.

How Do I Avoid It?

  • Put everything taken directly from a source in quotation marks and record the page number, even when you are taking notes.
  • Learn how to paraphrase source material without merely substituting similar words or phrases. Use your own words to describe what the material is about.
  • Look at the examples of good and bad paraphrases on Indiana University's plagiarism site.

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