Plagiarism
Claiming another’s ideas, copying text, citing incorrectly.
Identifying Plagiarism in Your Own Work
Many students do not know that they have plagiarized, and even more do not know how to properly document the sources they have used. Try using the following suggestions for finding plagiarism in your writing:
- Compare the original and determine if it is in your own words. If there is information within your paper that is not in your own words, you should quote and cite the source or consider revising it.
- Is it clear where the source of the information came from? If not, cite the source.
- Check your accuracy. Have you accurately relayed the information from the original source in your own words?
Some things don’t have to be cited:
- Facts do not have to be cited but ideas do. The following is an example of a fact that doesn’t require citation: the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air.
- Common knowledge generally refers to ideas that are widely accepted. The rule of thumb is if you see the same idea in five or more sources, you can treat it as common knowledge, and it doesn’t need a citation. Common knowledge can also include stories that are spread orally such as folklore, myths, and urban legends.
- Observations that you make yourself do not have to be cited.
- When working with history, it is important to note that historical events do not have to be cited but historical documents do.
Sources
“Is It Plagiarism Yet?” The OWL At Purdue. 18 Sept. 2007. Purdue University. 6 Dec. 2007 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/.
