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Plagiarism: Welcome

Resources on plagiarism--what it is and how to avoid it.

What Is Plagiarism

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own

to use (another's production) without crediting the source

to commit literary theft

to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterwards.

Plagiarism Websites

Avoiding Plagiarism
Definition and and examples of plagiarism, with links to additional plagiarism resources. Created by Lake Sumter Community College
OWL Materials: Avoiding Plagiarism
Created by the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.

Examples of Plagiarism

All of the following are considered plagiarism

turning in someone else's work as your own
copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
using ideas from a source for the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not
buying a paper online
reusing a paper written for another class (unless you have permission from your current professor)