Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding plagiarism, that is, presenting someone else’s work without proper accreditation, is one of the more complicated aspects of academic integrity. Luckily this type of violation is also easily avoidable with proper citation, which includes the proper use of paraphrasing.

If you mention a concept that was not in your head before you encountered it somewhere else, that concept needs to be cited.

This is the way scholarship moves forward.

Even subjects you are already very knowledgeable about can benefit from citation - referencing other sources reassures your reader that the ideas you are stating are, in fact, informed opinions.

Citation does not exist to be a time-consuming step to prove to your instructor that you didn’t plagiarize. The fact is, researchers in all disciplines build on the ideas of others ALL the time in many different ways, from quoting research papers, to modifying lines of code. Citation exists so researchers can navigate this discussion.

A well-cited paper or project adds your voice to this scholarly conversation.

Those who read your cited paper can see:

• Your established reliability within your own work by mentioning the works of others who have done similar research.
• That your voice is distinguished and different from the voices of other researchers within the scholarly conversation on the topic.
• Opportunities to find further information on your topic.