Research Guides: Plagiarism: Avoiding Plagiarism

General Tips

Take careful notes. Careless note-taking can lead to unintentional plagiarism. You can put quotation marks around words that are taken from someone else or highlight them in your notes so that you remember that they are exact quotes.
When creating a paraphrase, read the text that you would like to reference then put it aside and rewrite the text without looking. This will help you from copying exact wording from the original.
Create a working bibliography while you are researching so that you will have the full citation that corresponds with each reference when you write your paper.
When you create your reference page, double check to be sure that you have included all your resources.

What Every Student Should Know about Avoiding Plagiarism by Linda Stern
Call Number: ABL 2nd floor - PN167 .S74 2009
Source usage methods -- summary, paraphrase and quotation -- are explained, with examples. The most common types of plagiarism are discussed, from simple mistakes such as forgetting to use quotation marks when using someone else's exact words, or failing to acknowledge another's thoughts and ideas, to wholesale fraudulence, such as purchasing student papers from online sites and claiming them as one's own work. A brief essential guide to citing sources using both MLA and APA documentation styles is also included. Students learn to recognize the common acts of plagiarism and how to correct their errors.
Doing Honest Work in College by Charles Lipson
Call Number: ABL 2nd floor - PN171.F56 L56 2004
ISBN: 0226484726
Filled with examples, the chapters show students exactly how to cite books, journals, edited volumes, Web sites, online publications, and much more in every citation style imaginable.