Plagiarism

Understanding Plagiarism and Common Knowledge

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s ideas as your own. If you plagiarize, you are essentially committing literary theft. Plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional is a serious violation of the student code of conduct and carries significant consequences. Knowing what plagiarism is will help you create original individual work without worrying about possible penalties. Read the following examples carefully to understand those elements that constitute plagiarism.
Example 1
Copying phrasing directly from a source without using a citation or quotation marks.
Example 2
Omitting a citation from information obtained from a source.
Example 3
Rearranging words from a source without changing the majority of the content.
Example 4
Copying information directly from the source with only minor changes to the wording.
Example 5
Using phrasing or sentences that are too close to the original.
Example 6
Changing only one or two words in a sentence without using quotation marks.
Example 7
Copying and pasting information from an Internet source without including a citation or quotation marks.
Example 8
Using images, charts, or graphics from a source without a citation.
Example 9
Providing information about the source that is not accurate.
What is not Plagiarism?
When information is correctly summarized or paraphrased with an in-text citation and a reference at the end of the essay, it is not plagiarism. Using quotation marks with a direct quotation and a citation including page or paragraph number means the quotation has been correctly attributed to its source and is not plagiarized. If you use the following Examples while writing your paper, you will be able to include sources in your work without accidentally plagiarizing.
Example 1
Paraphrasing or summarizing information from another source that is correctly documented. This includes using a correct in-text citation and...