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Citation & Writing Style Guides: Avoid Plagiarism

A guide from the Woodruff Library on how to cite your sources and avoid plagiarism.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICIES

All schools have policies on plagiarism or academic honesty. The consequences are real and could result in a failing grade for the class, or expulsion from the class or college/university. It is paramount that you read and understand the policy of your institution.

Hyperlink to CAU academic catalog general information
Morehouse College Academic Honesty Policy
ACADEMIC
HONESTY
POLICY
Spelman College Student Handbook

If you encounter broken links anywhere on this page, report it to refsta@auctr.edu.

WHEN TO CITE

To avoid the potential for plagiarism, a good rule of thumb is to provide a citation for any idea that is not your own. This includes:

  • > Direct quotation
  • > Paraphrasing of a quotation, passage, or idea
  • > Summary of another's idea or research
  • > Specific reference to an obscure fact, figure, or phrase

You do not need to cite widely-accepted common knowledge (e.g. "George Washington was the first President of the United States."), proverbs, or common phrases unless you are using a direct quotation.

When in doubt, avoid the possibility of plagiarism and cite your source.

Further information can be found in the So, Cite Your Sources panel on the far right. Or visit .

EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM

> Written or spoken words, phrases, or sentences from any source, used without proper documentation.

> Summarizing without proper documentation (usually a citation) ideas from another source (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge).

> Facts, statistics, graphs, pictorial representations, or phrases without acknowledging the source (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge).

> Submitting work simultaneously presented in two courses, unless permission is granted by the both the instructors.

> Submitting work, either in whole or in part, created by a professional service and used without attribution (e.g., paper, speech, bibliography, or photograph).

 
From Deborah Schaeffer, University Library, Cal State U Los Angeles

VIDEOS ABOUT PLAGIARISM

These videos explain what plagiarism is and gives examples.

CLICK BUTTON FOR SPECIAL RESEARCH GUIDE

CITE YOUR SOURCES!

There are several accepted ways to cite the resource you used to write your paper. If you are wondering which to use, ask your professor. The library also has copies of the style manual, a book that gives detailed instructions on how to cite references.

Ask the Information Desk for copies to use in the library. You can also click links to guides listed below.





PUT IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Paraphrasing means putting someone else's idea or statement into your own words. To correctly paraphrase, you will have to cite the source of the original idea or statement.

Below is a great resource on how to paraphrase:

SELECTED BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT OF PLAGIARISM

Yes, people do write about it! Here are some useful books that cover the topic of plagiarism. You can find other books like these in our Library catalog.

The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism (3rd ed.), by Colin Neville Combating plagiarism : a hands-on guide for librarians, teachers, and students Think for Yourself: Avoiding Plagiarism, by Kristine Carlson Asselin The power of research Doing Honest Work in College, by Charles Lipson