Internet Resources on Citing: The Trademark of a
Good Writer - submitted by our friend Cheryl
Plagiarism is a very
serious offense. Not only could it cause a student to fail a paper or even a
class, but it is also against the law. Most students know that blatantly copying
someone else's words or work is wrong. However, students often plagiarize
without intending to. Unintentional plagiarism is just as problematic as
intentional copying, so understanding the rules is essential to protecting
yourself from making a mistake.
To begin the process of
understanding plagiarism, visit these helpful resources:
Educational
Tips on Plagiarism Prevention
Why
Students Plagiarize
Defining
and Avoiding Plagiarism
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Confusion about Proper
Citation
One of the most common
types of unintentional plagiarism occurs because a student does not know how to
properly cite a source. You will need to find out from your professor what type
of citation is required for the class. There are three basic citation formats:
MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. Most college
courses require APA or MLA formats.
APA refers to the
American Psychological Association, and is most commonly used for medical and
educational papers. MLA stands for the Modern Language Association and is
commonly used for non-academic papers, such as history and science papers.
The
differences between MLA and APA can be confusing, so be
sure to understand the format that is required before you begin the paper. To
see the different citation styles side by side, visit this
citation guide. This
guide shows how to cite quotations
correctly in each style.
Confusion About
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing the works of someone
else is considered plagiarism. This is because the written work and the
idea is the intellectual
property
of the owner. Paraphrasing is fine in your research papers, as long as the
paraphrased section is properly cited. The problem with this is that 'common
knowledge' facts, which can be used freely, are sometimes hard to identify. If
you are unsure about whether or not a particular idea is common knowledge, go
ahead and cite it.
Creating a Proper
Bibliography Page
When you are done with
your paper, be sure to create a proper bibliography page that shows the details
of the works you used in your research. Each style has its own format for these
pages. In MLA, the bibliography page is called a works cited page, and this
page
from Purdue University shows how to properly format one. If you are writing in
APA style, use this
format.
For Chicago style documents, follow this
format.
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Citing Online
Sources
If the information you
are using for your paper comes from an online source, you still have to cite it
and include it in your bibliography. Even though the information is in a more
public format, it still belongs to the original author, and paraphrasing or
copying it is considered plagiarism. This
page
shows how to properly document online sources for both APA, Chicago, and MLA
formats.
Plagiarism is serious,
and it can be easy to mistakenly break the law. Take good notes as you research,
citing all of the sources where ideas or words come from. This will help you
properly credit the original author as you write your piece.