Plagiarism and How to Avoid It

What Is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using other people's ideas without giving them proper credit for it. When you do this, you're implying that the ideas are your own. Doing this violates ethical standards. It can also endanger your grade. Below you will find several resources to help you avoid plagiarism. When in doubt, ask your professor or a librarian for help.

3 Quick Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism

  • If you cut and paste from an article or website, put it in quotes and cite it.
  • If you want to paraphrase, put it in your own words. If you don't understand something, look it up. Onelook.com is good for words. Britannica Online or Wikipedia might also be good places to check. You still need to cite things that you paraphrase.
  • Your paper should essentially be your own ideas. Use other people's ideas only to support or develop your own.

More Resources for Students

Plagiarism
From Wikipedia

SOU Policies that Address Plagiarism:
Code of Student Conduct (PDF)
Academic Standards (PDF)

Combating Plagiarism
CQ Researcher Report

Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
From Indiana University, Bloomington

Documentation Guidelines for Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
From Duke University

How to Avoid Plagiarism
From Ebsco (PDF document)

How to Avoid Plagiarism
From CollegeBoard.com

Paraphrasing
From Purdue University Online Writing Lab

Plagiarism
Lists several websites with information on plagiarism

Citing Print & Electronic Resources
List of several good websites on citing using MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, ASA, etc.

Resources for Faculty:

Making Plagiarism-Proof Assignments
Colorado State University

Deterring & Detecting Plagiarism
Iowa State University Library

Turnitin.com
A subscription-based service that will identify papers that contain plagiarism.