Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is taking the writing, ideas, thoughts, or words of another person, and passing them off as your own work.

1. Plagiarism is not restricted to published material. It can include using a room-

mate’s old paper, buying a paper from a service or the internet, or basing portions

of a paper on someone else’s writing without giving him or her credit.

2. Plagiarism is not restricted to long quotations. Plagiarism can be committed with

one sentence, or even one memorable phrase.

3. It is possible to plagiarize without using the exact words of the original author. If

you paraphrase a passage without crediting the author, you are committing plagiarism.

4. Plagiarism carries severe penalties. It is illegal, as well as unethical and

scholastically irresponsible. Consequences can include a failing grade for the paper

or for the entire course, and possibly even academic probation or expulsion, depending on the seriousness of the act.

However, there are some circumstances under which crediting a source is not necessary:

1. Information everyone knows (Example: Athens is in Greece)

2. Common proverbs and expressions (Example: “A penny saved is a penny earned”)

3. Information that is given in every source about a particular subject (Example: Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945)

4. General conclusions that anyone can reach (Example: Astronauts traveling in a rocket would not reach the edge of our solar system for a number of years)

Citing IS necessary even when:

1. You do not need all the details from an original source, but simply want to summarize

it. Although the language of your summary may be almost completely different from

the language of the original source, it still should be cite, because the information is

not your own.

2. You wish only to borrow a single fact or two from a source.

3. You want only to borrow a metaphor, figure of speech, or any kind of striking language from a source (Example: “Many other institutions, however, were unable to resist the ‘atmospheric pressures generated by McCarthyism’” (Hart 4).

To avoid plagiarism, remember this rule: ALL OUTSIDE INFORMATION MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED. Take careful notes. When in doubt about whether a citation is required, it’s best to err on the generous side. Cite it.