Plagiarism is turning in someone else’s work, in any form, as your own. Plagiarism is also turning in your own work for another assignment.
Using someone else’s words or ideas without citing the source implies that those words or ideas are your own.
Plagiarism is also:
You can even plagiarize your own work. Once you have turned in a paper or project for a grade, you can’t turn that same work in again for a new grade in a different class, unless you have explicit permission from both instructors.
Remember: “I didn’t mean to!” isn’t an excuse.
Facts that “everyone knows” are considered common knowledge. You don’t need to cite a source for common knowledge.
If you find a fact without a citation in at least three reputable sources, it is probably common knowledge.
Learn more about plagiarism and how to avoid it in this interactive tutorial:
To avoid plagiarism:
When you want to use the exact words of someone else, use a quotation. For short passages, use quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quotation. For longer passages, use block quotes. At the end of the quotation, add an in-text citation. Don’t forget to include the page number (if there is one).
When you want to use someone else’s idea but put it in your own words, paraphrase or summarize. To paraphrase or summarize an idea, you need to condense or clarify that idea. It’s not enough to take someone else’s sentence and replace some of the words; you need to truly understand the idea and state it in a new way. At the end of your paraphrase or summary, add an in-text citation. Don’t forget to include the page number (if there is one).
Every time you use someone else’s words, ideas or images, cite your source. EVERY time. Make sure to match the correct source to each quotation, paraphrase or image.