To Help You Learn More About and Avoid Plagiarism
Plagiarism is an ethical issue -- it happens when you use someone's work or ideas without giving them credit. Plagiarism can be avoided by quoting or appropriately paraphrasing and then providing a citation to the original work.
- How to Avoid Plagiarism: An Information Literacy TutorialConsists of three brief, fun-to-watch videos, which include practical examples of when a citation is needed and an interactive quiz to help you confirm your understanding. Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers Univ.
- Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid ItIncludes many helpful tips, including examples of acceptable and unacceptable paraphrasing and "common knowledge" facts, which need not be attributed. Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana Univ.
- Plagiarism LessonAn interactive quiz in which you view original source material, sample student work, and then decide whether the work is plagiarism. Ted Frick, Indiana Univ.
- What is Plagiarism?Includes direct, no-nonsense answers to such concerns as "not having the time to do it right" and the but-all-my-friends-are-doing-it excuse. Honor Council, Georgetown Univ.
- Synthesis: Using the Works of OthersOffers clear guidelines and advice to avoid plagiarizing, including tips on quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing. Writing Center and Mantor Library, Univ. of Maine at Farmington
- UMUC Academic Integrity Tutorial(formerly VAIL Tutor; requires Adobe Flash Player) Consists of 4 modules: learning the basics, preparing to use research in an academic paper, incorporating research, and citations and references; Univ. of Maryland University College
Don't Confuse Plagiarism with Copyright Issues
Copyright is a legal issue. Copyright infringement happens when you use or share an author/creator's work that is still under copyright protection in a manner that exceeds legal guidelines for fair use. For more information about copyright and related intellectual property concerns, see the following resources.
- Copyright Crash CourseGeorgia K. Harper, former Manager, Intellectual Property Section, Office of General Counsel, Univ. of Texas System
- Copyright and Fair UseStanford Univ. Libraries
- Copyright Information CenterCornell Univ.
