Research Process: How to Avoid Plagiarism

When writing a paper, it is important that you cite thoughts that were not originally yours.  Even if you paraphrase what you have read to include in your paper, you should cite your source.  Check link below for more information and watch the video 10 Types of Plagiarism for an explanation of the different types of plagiarism.

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• Paraphrasing
  When you paraphrase something, you rewrite someone else's idea using your own words, giving the original author credit for the idea. Paraphrasing is shorter than summarizing because you focus only a single idea and not the entire work.
• Plagiarism
  When you plagiarize something, you take someone else's words or ideas and use them as your own without giving credit to the original author. You do not have to give credit for common knowledge (eg., historical facts).
• Quoting
  When you quote something, you use the exact same words as the original author, putting them in "quotation marks" and matching each word exactly as it appears in the work. Quotes should be kept short and used only rarely, and you must always give credit to the original author.
• Summarizing
  When you summarize something, you give a brief description of the work or the author's main idea(s), using your own words. Credit must always be given to the original author.

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