What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own by failing to give them credit.
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own by failing to give them credit.
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
- Copying all or part of another person's work
- Paying another person to write your essay or report
- Having another person write your essay or report
- Failing to cite another person's ideas
- Rewording, summarizing or paraphrasing another's ideas without giving credit
- Stealing another person's essay or report
- Copying all or part of another source, such as information found in a website, without citing the source
(Source it!)
Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources.
When should I be worried about citing sources?
When should I be worried about citing sources?
- if you quote an author, even if you are only borrowing a single word, you need to tell your reader the origin of the quotation
- if you restate an idea, thesis, or opinion stated by an author
- if you restate an expert's theory or opinion
- if you use facts that are not common knowledge
- if you need to provide an informational or explanatory note
How do I cite sources?
How do I cite sources?
1. There are two main formats: MLA and APA. We use MLA at Ruth Thompson MS.
2. On the computer, in the Digital Library, you will find "Source it: a guide to documenting your research". Read the document! Source it!
3. Check out the website: www.easybib.com
4. Refer to the Work Cited Source Guide on library.rtms.ca for examples.