How can I avoid plagiarizing?

What is plagiarism?

According to Purdue OWL, "Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words without giving them proper credit. Plagiarism can range from unintentional (forgetting to include a source in a bibliography) to intentional (buying a paper online, using another writer’s ideas as your own to make your work sound smarter)."

Plagiarism is a serious academic integrity breach and is strictly prohibited at Sullivan University. It includes:

• Taking and passing off the ideas of another as one's own.
• Failing to cite an author whose ideas have been incorporated in a paper.
• Cutting and pasting text from different web sites or databases directly into in paper without giving proper credit.
• Presenting an idea from an existing source as a new and original idea. This can consist of:
  • using a friend's paper from another class.
  • using an original paper of your own that you have used for another class (without explicit permission from your current instructor).
  • using papers bought or retrieved from the web.

Cheating and Plagiarism may also manifest itself as:

• failing to cite an author for whose ideas have been incorporated into a student’s paper
• cutting and pasting different internet web site or database text in a paper or using a purchased paper
• letting another student to use your work
• copying another person's work with or without their knowledge
• using a device like a phone or calculator to store notes, formulae, etc. without instructor permission
• using notes and/or other aids that are prohibited on an exam
• submitting the same work to different classes (AKA self-plagiarism)
• gaining an unfair advantage by any other method

How can I avoid plagiarizing?

To avoid plagiarism issues:

• Always give proper credit to all sources that you quote or use in your paper (or other type of presentation).
  • The only exceptions are:
    • Your own original thoughts and your original opinions.
    • Dates in history or other facts that are "common knowledge."

• If you are not certain whether to credit a source, it is usually best to credit the source.
• Always check with your instructor for clarification.
• Always give credit if you are using the ideas of a source for your paper, even if you are paraphrasing and not directly quoting a source.