Avoiding Plagarism

Plagiarism defined

Plagiarism is a common (and often misunderstood) issue that can be the result of a lack of knowledge and skills.

Simply defined, plagiarism is the act of using another person's idea or work and passing it off as one's own. The failure to properly credit your source(s) is an act of academic dishonesty and must be taken seriously.

Current and prospective students at Onondaga Community College are expected to adhere to the values of intellectual and academic honesty and integrity.  This guide will explore the ways in which you can ensure that you are crediting the author or creator properly.

Plagiarism.org supports the education community with a comprehensive set of resources to help students write with integrity. Find helpful articles on understanding and preventing plagiarism and more.

Academic Integrity

Per the Academic Rules at OCC academic dishonesty includes:

  • paraphrasing or summarizing a source without acknowledgement,
  • turning in a paper written by another person,
  • buying a paper from a commercial source,
  • failing to properly attribute quotations within a paper, 
  • submitting the same paper for credit in more than one course without the instructor’s permission [self-plagiarism].

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. Use these steps to help you avoid plagiarism:

  • Use your own original ideas and opinions. Only repeat another's words exactly when it is particularly relevant to your topic.
  • Use quotation marks when you are using a direct quote.
  • Paraphrase other's ideas in your own words, but be sure to cite it!
  • Cite your sources. When in doubt, cite it!
  • Ask for help from a librarian or your professor. 

How can I tell whether I’ve plagiarized?

If you still aren’t sure whether you’ve plagiarized, double-check your work using the checklist below.

You need to cite your source, even if:

  • you put all direct quotes in quotation marks.
  • you changed the words used by the author into synonyms.
  • you completely paraphrased the ideas to which you referred.
  • your sentence is mostly made up of your own thoughts, but contains a reference to the author’s ideas.
  • you mention the author’s name in the sentence.
The moral of this page: When in doubt, give a citation.

Source: UNC at Chapel Hill Writing Center