What is Plagiarism?
Are you unclear about the different types of plagiarism?
Did you know that you can inadvertently plagiarize?
Do you want tips on how to properly cite your sources?
What is plagiarism?
According to the undergraduate catalog, plagiarism "is commonly defined as using the words or ideas of another person, intentionally or unintentionally, without proper acknowledgement of the person or source. All coursework completed by a student must be his/her own work. Misrepresentation of one's own work, fabrication of data, misreporting of data, or submitting another person's work as your own will have severe consequences." For graduate students, plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, will result in immediate dismissal from the program.
Citing your research...When borrowing information from a resource, wheth
er it be a book, journal article,
newspaper, etc., it is important to properly cite where you found the information. Whether you are citing a source
using a direct quote or paraphrasing, you need to give the source credit for the information used in your paper.
Otherwise, if you do not give proper credit for the source of information you reference, it is considered plagiarism.
Plagiarism can have serious consequences in regard to your academic career. Because of this, it is very important
to learn how to avoid plagiarism and how to properly cite your sources using the appropriate style.
There are three main citation styles that may be used, depending upon your discipline. Often, your professor or
instructor will indicate which citation style they prefer when assigning your paper. If you are unsure or your
professor does not specify, be sure to check with them to find out what citation style is best. The three main styles
are: MLA, APA, and Turabian (Chicago).
