Plagiarism

The following paragraphs were reprinted from “What is Plagiarism?” Plagiarism.org. Accessed October 28, 2009. <http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html>

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

turning in someone else's work as your own

copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation

changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit

copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources properly.

In a university setting, the consequences of plagiarism may include academic discipline in addition to a possible federal lawsuit as a consequence of violation of copyright law. Read much, much more about plagiarism, fair use, and the proper use of citation at What is Plagiarism.