Information About Plagiarism

• Turning in someone else's work as your own
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• Failing to put copied textual material in quotation marks
• Giving incorrect information about the source of the information
• Changing words by copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not.

Plagiarism is a very serious offense. It is cheating whether deliberate or accidental.

• First incident: "F" on assignment; possible "U" in work habits
• Second incident: Student's removal from that class and a grade of "F" and "U" on permanent academic record

Avoid plagiarism by:

• Taking careful notes: write down keywords (do not copy entire sentences)
• Using quotation marks around words you've copied
• Writing down your source as you work
• Summarizing information in your own words
• Giving credit to your sources of information (maps, ideas, facts, etc.)

Works Cited Give credit to your sources of information. Whether you copy word-for-word (use quotation marks around words copied), get ideas, or copy maps/graphs, you need to indicate where you got the information. Document that information on your Works Cited page.

Helpful Web Sites

Plagiarism detection site. Check with your teacher for access and passwords. Excellent resources/info on the topic.

Purdue University Online Writing Lab