How to Research: A Tutorial

How to avoid plagiarism

These are some simple steps you can take when writing your paper to avoid failing the assignment, failing the class, or even being expelled for plagiarizing.

1. Always cite your sources correctly.
   • Anyone who reads your paper should be able to find every single source you used, simply by looking at your Works Cited or bibliography.
   • Use one of the Citation guides described in the next section to be sure you are citing sources correctly.
2. Use an in-text citation after every quotation or paraphrase in your paper.
   • Even paragraphs that are in your own words must have an in-text citation if you borrowed the idea from a source.
3. Do not copy and paste sections from a website.
   • If you want to use a sentence from a website in your paper, put it in quotes and include a citation, just like you would if the sentence was from a book.
   • If you borrow an idea that you read on a website, paraphrase it in your own words and include a citation, just like you would if you borrowed the idea from a book.
4. Do not simply rearrange the words in the original sentence.

   For example:

   • Original sentence: Plagiarism often results in a student failing an assignment or course.
   • Plagiarism: Failing an assignment or course is often the result of plagiarism.
   • Appropriate paraphrase: It is very likely that a student will fail an assignment or even an entire course if he is caught plagiarizing.
5. Do not simply change 2 or 3 words in the sentence. It must be entirely your own language.

   For example:

   • Original sentence: The number of college students who plagiarize has risen dramatically in the past 5 years.
   • Plagiarism: The number of undergraduates who plagiarize has increased significantly in the most recent 5 years.
   • Appropriate paraphrase: Plagiarism has been on the rise. Since 2004, many colleges have seen a significant increase in the number of plagiarized assignments submitted.
6. Always write and submit your own work.
   • It is relatively easy to find out if a research paper has been purchased from the Internet.
   • It’s even easier to find out if a sentence or paragraph has been copied and pasted from the Internet.
   • Your professor is familiar with how you speak and write. He or she can often tell if a paper you submit has been written by someone else.