Avoiding Plagiarism

What is it? Why is it such a big deal? How do you make sure you don't do it? The following guide, written by the Writing Center and Mantor Library, will answer all these questions and more.

First Things First	This section gives an overview of plagiarism, including a precise definition, why it's important and hard to avoid, as well as definite don'ts and what happens if you're accused.
How to Avoid Plagiarism	Avoiding plagiarism isn't hard, if you do things right. Use valid, credible sources for information, take careful notes, and know the difference between quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing.
Giving Credit	The proper way to give credit where credit's due changes based on the medium. Research papers require a different approach than presentations and websites. Citation styles vary by research discipline, as well (including APA, MLA and CBE). Finally, we've developed an interactive game to help you see if you've got a good handle on telling whether or not something's plagiarism.
Copyright	Copyright is handled differently. As such, it requires its own unique overview. We'll answer all your questions, like what it is, why you should care, what it does and doesn't cover, what public domain and fair use mean and how you avoid copyright infringement. We have an interactive game for copyright infringement, as well.