When is plagiarism not plagiarism

Putting someone else's idea into your own words does not turn it into your own work. You must give the original author credit even when you paraphrase. Paraphrasing well shows that you understand the meaning of the original passage.

Incorrectly paraphrasing. Your paraphrase must be sufficiently distinct from the original passage. Paraphrasing is not simply changing a word or two or rearranging the author's sentences you might as well use the original passage in quotation marks.

An effective paraphrase will convey the author's facts or conclusions accurately but in your own unique style. Unintentionally using a "source" from the web, which is actually someone else's research paper possibly posted so others may use it for cheating. Be very cautious when researching on the web. Aside from websites with questionable content, you may encounter documents that appear scholarly but aren't. Check thoroughly for the source of the document--could it be another student's research paper?

Or a paper posted by a "paper mill" --a site that sells research papers for the purpose of cheating? These are not scholarly sources and should be avoided. Learn more about Evaluating Sources on the Web. Why Does Plagiarism Happen? Library Home. Information Literacy. Library Forms. Research Databases. Facts easily found in standard reference books are considered common knowledge: the date of the Armistice for World War I, for example, or the present population of Canada.

So what exactly do I have to document? Here are the main times you should give acknowledgements. See the file on Standard Documentation Formats for advice on these systems. For more on the mechanics of quoting, visit our file on using quotations. In other disciplines, quote only when the original words are especially memorable.

In most cases, use your own words to paraphrase or summarize the idea you want to discuss, emphasizing the points relevant to your argument. A direct quote should also cite the source so that readers know who the quote is from. But be careful—paraphrasing can slip into plagiarism if done incorrectly.

Successfully paraphrasing without plagiarizing involves a bit of a dance. Reword and format your writing in an original way, and try to avoid using too many similar words or phrases from the source. The key is to do so without altering the meaning of the idea itself. While conducting your research on a topic, some phrases or sentences might stick with you so well that you inadvertently include them in your writing without a citation.

When in doubt, using an online plagiarism checking tool can help you catch these issues before submitting your work. Grammarly also offers a plagiarism checker that scans your text for borrowed content for free.