Research Help: Plagiarism & Academic Integrity

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using the words, thoughts, or ideas of someone else without giving credit. Plagiarism can take many forms, and it can be intentional or accidental.

Quoting an Author's Words

• Choose to quote an author's exact words when the phrasing strengthens your argument. Put quotation markes (" ") around the quoted text. Provide a citation for the source of the exact words you used immediately after the quotation.

Paraphrasing an Author's Words

• Paraphrasing an author's words or ideas in your own words and with your own phrasing.​

• Compare your paraphrased writing with the author's exact words to make sure you have not copied phrases or sentences from the author​.

• Provide a citation for the paraphrased ideas immediately after the paraphrased text.

Borrowing Information

• The original source must be cited even if the borrowed information is used for different purposes from those intended in the original source. If you organize your ideas in the same way in which an author organized his or her ideas, cite the source of the organizational scheme.

Common Knowledge

• Information that is commonly known by the public or the intended readers of a paper does not need citations for sources. If you are not sure whether an idea is common knowledge, use caution and cite the source.

Collaborative Papers  

• If multiple students write a paper as a collaborative group project, one of the authors cannot submit or reuse the paper for another assignment. Any information borrowed from a paper you write collaboratively should include citations for the information taken from the original paper.

Plagiarizing Accidentally 

• Check a paper against the wording within the sources to avoid unintended plagiarism.

Documenting the Spoken Word

• Information drawn from personal communications, speeches, conversations, interviews and other spoken words must be documented with a citation and/or parenthetical citation. Style manuals provide information about citing sources for the spoken word.

Cite Everything

• It is always better to cite a source if in doubt. It can seem excessive to cite everything in your research paper. However, your instructors know you are learning and want to see that you consulted sources. 

Use Micro-Paraphrasing 

• Micro-paraphrasing can help you put ideas from a source into your own words.

• Micro-paraphrasing involves four steps. Read more about micro-phrasing on the NoodleTools Blog. 

It is recommended instructors add a statement about the appropriate use of artificial intelligence tools to their syllabus.

Additionally, instructors should state on the syllabus if they intend to use tools to detect the use of AI-generated content in student work.