Plagiarism is the use of someone else's words, ideas, or creation without properly acknowledging the source. Whether intentional or accidental, it can have serious consequences. Instructors have access to a variety of tools to check for plagiarism, so take a moment to learn how to ethically build on the ideas of others.
Maintain academic integrity with the following steps:
Allow enough time to do thorough research and to take clear notes.
Cite your sources as you create your paper or presentation. Use the format assigned by your teacher.
Include quotation marks whenever using someone's words exactly as they are stated.
Paraphrase most of your source text. Format the writing in an original way without changing the meaning of the idea. Since the idea belongs to another, cite the source.
Integrate source text with your own ideas. Informed by experts, what is your unique perspective? Again, remember to cite any sources.
Use a plagiarism checker. Teachers often upload student work to a plagiarism checker, so it benefits a student to do before submitting a final draft. This can help flag any unintentional plagiarism in time to correct it.
Images, video, and audio are easy to find online, but did you know they are not always free to use? Most online media is protected by copyright laws, and it is considered plagiarism if you incorrectly use images, audio, video, as well as text. Your choices are to:
Create your own.
Purchase it.
Use image searches correctly to find licensed images.
Look in the Creative Commons.
Find media in the Public Domain.
Always follow Fair Use Guidelines.