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SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology

Plagiarism Basics

Merriam Webster defines Plagiarism as “the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person”.

Plagiarism:

 
So how do you avoid plagiarism?
Proper Citation!
 

Whether the product of your research is shared in print or in an oral presentation, you should include both in-text and bibliographic citations. You must also cite any images that you use, as well as charts, videos, audio recordings, and other works; if someone else created the content, the source of that content must be cited regardless of the medium in which it appears!

Aside from helping you to avoid plagiarism and to satisfy the requirements for the assignment, proper citations also:

  • Help you to sound professional
  • Lend credibility to your work
  • Give credit to the creators of the resources that you use
  • Allow your readers to find, access, and evaluate your sources
Citations make it clear that:
  • You are participating in an ongoing scholarly conversation
  • You’ve done your research
  • You respect both the value of information and the rights of the folks who created the information that you used.

EasyBib. “Determining What Is Plagiarism?” EasyBib, Chegg, 1 Jan. 2021, https://www.easybib.com/guides/plagiarism-guide/what-is-plagiarism/.

Merriam Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Plagiarism definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism#note-1

Citation Basics

What is citation?

Citation is simply telling your reader - in an organized way - what resources you used to write your paper, and giving enough information so your reader can find it themselves, know where to look in it to find the same info you did, and credit who created those resources.

You will use different styles of citation - such as APA or MLA formats - but these are exactly that: styles. In any citation style, you are always trying to credit your resources and provide your reader the means to find them.

Using citations:

  • Allows readers to retrace your steps, by finding exactly the same resources you used.
  •  Provides your readers with further reading to pursue, so they can understand your paper better, by reading the same resources.
  • Gives credit where credit is due, to the creators of the resources you based yours on.
  • Builds your credibility, by letting your audience review all the resources you used, and prove that you didn't misquote or misunderstand them.

You must use citations when:

  •  Using a direct quote.
  •  Paraphrasing a passage from a resource.
  •  Summarizing an author’s thoughts.
  •  Referencing facts or figures.
  • Using an image created by someone else.
  •  Referring to the general idea of a work.
  •  Basing a thought on the work of another author.