Avoiding Plagiarism

Take the following steps to avoid plagiarism:

• When it comes to written assignments, be not a borrower nor a purchaser.
• If you draw on a source for facts or ideas, express them in your own words (paraphrase) and document (or cite) the passage you have drawn from. When you document a passage you provide an in-text citation and an entry in the Works Cited page.
• Credit your source for illustrative material--photos, charts, tables, etc. by documenting it.
• If you incorporate in your work an unusual word or term, several consecutive words, a sentence or more from a source, use quotation marks and document the passage.

Note: Quote sources sparingly. When you paraphrase, you demonstrate your understanding of your source material and a willingness to make your paper as much your own as possible. If you simply can't put an argument in your own words, paraphrase as much as you can and quote the rest.

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