Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism PDF

Know what plagiarism is

An academic community can thrive only when it adheres to the highest values of academic as well as personal integrity: honesty, fairness, trust, respect and accountability. Fostering an educational environment that values academic as well as personal integrity is essential to the intellectual and social development of students and the advancement of knowledge.
Use your own words and ideas

Practice is essential to learning. Each time you choose your words, order your thoughts, and convey your ideas, you can improve your writing.
Give credit for copied, adapted, or paraphrased material

If you repeat another's exact words, you MUST use quotation marks AND cite the source. If you adapt a chart or paraphrase a sentence, you must still cite. Paraphrase means that you restate the author's ideas, meaning, and information in your own words.
Avoid using others’ work with minor “cosmetic” changes

Examples: using "less" for "fewer," reversing the order of a sentence, changing terms in a computer code, or altering a spreadsheet layout. If the work is essentially the same, give credit.
There are no "Freebies"

Always cite words, information, and ideas you use if they are new to you (learned in your research). No matter where you find it—even in an encyclopedia or on the Internet—you cite it!

Beware of "common knowledge"

You do not have to cite common knowledge, BUT the fact must really be commonly known. That Abraham Lincoln was the U.S. President during the Civil War is common knowledge; that over 51, 000 Union and Confederate troops died in the Battle of Gettysburg is not.
When in doubt, cite

Better to be safe than not give credit when you should.
Understand citation standards

Become familiar with both the APA and MLA standards for citation. (MLA Handbook for Writers of Research)
Know submission expectations when working collaboratively

Often, students are given assignments to work with other students on a project or paper. Make sure you understand that you are expected to submit work that shows your own ideas and thoughts.
Ask Questions

If you are unsure course expectations, ask the instructor. If you need assistance in citation standards, there are campus resources to address those needs including the Student Learning Center.