Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you purposely copy someone else's words or ideas and claim them as your own. It is important to give the proper credit to the source of the information. The only time that accreditation is not needed is when the information is common knowledge. According to the OWL website, the rule of thumb for figuring out if the information is common knowledge is "if you find the same information undocumented in at least five credible sources." (Purdue, 1995-2010) The key to never plagiarize is to make sure that you give credit to the source even if you are unsure. There may be too many citations but at least you aren't plagiarizing.

There are a few behaviors that are important to me when writing a research paper to avoid plagiarism would be organization, time management, and correct citation. I make sure that I research the topic to obtain lots of information. The more information that I have can help me not only have a good paper but will help me avoid plagiarism. When I begin a paper I plan out what questions that I would like answered along with what important information I need to include. I feel that if you give yourself enough time to do the research that there is no reason for error when it comes to plagiarism. The last behavior that I believe is the most important when it comes to writing a research paper is using the correct citations. Making sure that the author of the information gets the correct acknowledgment for what they have written. It is also important to have a bibliography at the end of the paper to list all the sources where you found your information.

(1995-2010). Is It Plagiarism Yet? Retrieved November 21, 2010, from The Purdue OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/