Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without giving them credit. It can be intentional or unintentional, but it is always wrong. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense, and it can have serious consequences, such as failing a class or being expelled from school.

How to avoid plagiarism:

• Cite your sources. Whenever you use someone else’s work or ideas, you must cite them properly. This means giving the author’s name, the title of the work, and the publication information.
• Paraphrase instead of quoting. If you are using someone else’s ideas, put them in your own words. This is called paraphrasing. When you paraphrase, you must still cite the source.
• Use quotation marks for direct quotes. If you are quoting directly from someone else’s work, you must put the quotation in quotation marks and cite the source.
• Keep track of your sources. As you are doing your research, keep track of all the sources you use. This will make it easier to cite them properly when you are writing your paper.

Plagiarism tips that were useful:

• Cite my sources as I write. This will help me to avoid forgetting to cite a source later on.
• Use a plagiarism checker. A plagiarism checker can help me to identify any instances of plagiarism in my work.
• Paraphrase instead of quoting whenever possible. This will help me to avoid over-reliance on sources and to develop my own writing style.

Plagiarism tips that I do not plan to use:

• Paying someone else to write my paper for me. This is plagiarism, and it is not worth the risk of getting caught.
• Using a paper mill to generate a paper for me. Paper mills are companies that sell pre-written papers. These papers are often plagiarized, and using one is a sure way to get caught.
• Not citing my sources because I think my teacher won’t notice. This is a risky strategy, and it is not worth the risk of getting caught.

Areas of the library and writing resource center that I plan to use:

• Databases: The library has a variety of databases that I can use to find sources for my papers. These databases include scholarly journals, books, and articles.
• Librarians: Librarians can help me to find sources and to understand how to cite them properly.
• Writing tutors: Writing tutors can help me to improve my writing skills and to avoid plagiarism.

Why these areas are important:

• Databases: Databases are a great way to find reliable and up-to-date sources for my papers.
• Librarians: Librarians are experts at helping students find and use information. They can also help me to avoid plagiarism.
• Writing tutors: Writing tutors can help me to improve my writing skills and to avoid plagiarism. They can also help me to understand my assignments and to meet deadlines.

Example of how to avoid plagiarism:

Let’s say I am writing a paper on the history of the internet. I am reading a book by Tim Berners-Lee, who is credited with inventing the internet. I find a passage in the book that I think is relevant to my paper. The passage is as follows:

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link several billion devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and file sharing.

I want to use this passage in my paper, but I don’t want to plagiarize it. To avoid plagiarism, I can paraphrase the passage in my own words. Here is an example of a paraphrase:

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use a common set of rules to communicate with each other. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a variety of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web (WWW), email, telephone, and file sharing.

I have still cited the source, even though I have paraphrased the passage. This is because it is important to give credit to the original author, even if you are not quoting directly from them.

By following the tips above, I can avoid plagiarism and write a paper that is