College Success Studies 225 (Harris): Using Information Appropriately

Taking the work (words, ideas, images) of another and using it without proper credit or acknowledgement in your own work.

• Always give credit when you use someone else's words or ideas in your writing.
• When writing your research paper, document everything you borrow--not only direct quotations and paraphrases, but also information and ideas.
• If you're not sure if you should cite something, cite it to be on the safe side.
• To avoid errors, organize your research material before you write a draft so you are not scrambling when you are trying to finish your paper.

Take a look at this video from Loras Library to see examples of what plagiarism looks like.

In a scholarly paper, citation is giving proper credit when quoting, using, or directly referring to the work of another.

If you have questions about formatting citations, feel free to stop by the library to ask a librarian for help.