Plagiarism is a growing and common problem for all students and educators. As students and educators, we need to understand copyright laws, recognize plagiarism, create assignments that help avoid plagiarism and learn how to detect plagiarism. It is our task as students and educators to have an awareness and understanding of plagiarism know how to avoid it and understand why it is wrong. Students should be encouraged to use the Internet for research, but should know how to evaluate these sources, cite the sources properly, and paraphrase the information.

Avoiding Plagiarism

• Make sure you paraphrase correctly. Replacing one or two words in each sentence is not paraphrasing; it is fill in the blank plagiarism. Read the original text, cover it up, write it in your own words, and check your paraphrase with the original to make sure you have not used any of the same words or phrases.
• Be sure to give credit for paraphrased work also.
• Include in your notes all the information you will need to cite the sources correctly.
• Update the bibliography regularly.
• Print all web pages that you use. Write the date that you accessed the web page on the printouts. Keep all your notes and all the printouts.
• Always cite any words, information, and ideas that you learned in your research. If you did not know it before you began the research, you must cite it. If you are not sure, cite it. Sources should be cited internally in the body of the paper and in the bibliography.