Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of claiming someone else’s words or thoughts as your own. For example:

• Copying information word-for-word from an encyclopedia.
• Turning in a research paper that you did not write.
• Writing about another person’s idea and presenting it as if it were yours.
• Using parts of an article or book without documenting where you found the information.

 

Tips for Writing up your Results

• Think for yourself. Explore a topic and develop your own ideas and conclusions about the material you find.
• Write down exactly where you found everything you read, quote, or paraphrase as you do research. Index cards work well to organize this information.
• Use a standard citation style to document the sources you use. Check with your instructor about which is preferred.
• Use quotation marks whenever you use someone else’s exact words.

 

Plagiarism can be Serious

If you plagiarize, you can:

• Fail the assignment
• Fail the course
• Receive disciplinary action
• Be expelled
• Get sued in a court of law