How to do Citation

In the International Baccalaureate (IB) community we produce different types of documents and other forms of work, some of which rely on resources by other people. Following good academic practice, it is expected that we appropriately acknowledge any ideas, words, or work of other people.

This means that, when creating an authentic piece of work, we are expected to:

• undertake research on what is already known
• analyse the research in the context of the work to be produced
• compare and/or contrast existing knowledge against our own findings/thoughts/opinions
• synthesize and present the document in an appropriate way for the expected audience
• acknowledge all contributing sources appropriately.

Plagiarism Defined

A type of academic misconduct in which you try to pass off someone else’s ideas or words as your own. It is a form of intellectual theft.

You can avoid plagiarism:

• When you are taking notes, make sure that you copy all original passages in quotation marks.
• Paraphrase by really putting ideas into your own words; go beyond changing a few words. Recognize that paraphrasing of unique ideas and facts also requires citation.
• As you write, return to the text and check your paraphrase against the original source to make sure you haven’t unintentionally copied.
• Use graphic organizers to restructure your facts and ideas.
• Use your own voice to put a new twist on old information.
• When in doubt, cite!

What is "common knowledge?"

• You don’t have to cite everything. Facts or ideas referred to as “common knowledge” do not have to be cited.
• Common knowledge includes facts that are found in many sources, facts that you assume many people know. A rule of thumb is that if you find a fact in three or more sources, it may be considered common knowledge.
• An example of common knowledge is that John Adams married Abigail Smith.