Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Avoiding plagiarism
What is plagiarism? It is using someone else's work as your own or not properly citing sources or giving credit where it is due. There are several different types of plagiarism; unintentional, intentional, or plagiarism with group projects.
Unintentional plagiarism occurs when you forget quotation marks on a quote, don't paraphrase a passage correctly, fail to distinguish your ideas from the ideas from your sources, or when you neglect to list a source in your works cited list. Even if you don't mean to plagiarize, it can still have serious consequences.
Intentional plagiarism occurs when someone intentionally copies the work of someone else with the intent of passing it off as their own. Patchwork writing, fake citations, copying/closely paraphrasing and passing off as own work, copying entire documents to pass off as own work, or purchasing a document to pass off as own work are all forms of intentional plagiarism. Intentional plagiarism has the most serious consequences.
Plagiarism in group projects is a confusing topic. knowing when to acknowledge other writers contributions to your work varies so talk to your professor. Follow the project guidelines for acknowledging the different group members contributions and ask your professor for assistance if needed.
Research ethics - if you plagiarize your ideas/facts/argument will not be seen as valid because you cannot be trusted.
Common knowledge - things that are common knowledge such as how many sides there are to a square, do not need to be cited with a source for where you got that information.
Fair use - how much you can use from a source before you have to ask permission. When you have to ask permission to use a source and how to do it.
Avoid plagiarism by
1. Conducting a knowledge inventory
2. Take notes carefully
3. Distinguish between your ideas and your sources
4. Cite sources in the text and in a works cited or reference list
5. Recognize misconceptions about intentional plagiarism
What to do if accused of plagiarism? Bring all notes, documents, and sources to a meeting with your professor to sit down and have a discussion about their concerns.

I will use this chapter to make sure I am not plagiarizing anyone else's work while writing my paper. It brought up some intriguing information about unintentional plagiarism that I did not know. It made me more aware of plagiarism and how easy it is to accidentally make a mistake and get in trouble without intending on it. This chapter gives some good advice as to how to avoid all of that.