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V. Key Points to Remember
- Sources are used in research not because your teacher requires
them, but because they provide context, offer ideas you may have
never thought of before, help you avoid back and white thinking,
and strengthen your writing.
- The process of acknowledging the sources you use is known as
citing (or documenting) your
sources. This is done to make it clear to your reader which words
and ideas are your own, and which come from your sources.
- To borrow words or ideas from others without proper acknowledgement
is plagiarism.
- Many students plagiarize because they do not understand what
plagiarism is and how to avoid it. The worst reason many students
have for allowing themselves to plagiarize is the belief that
that everyone does it.
- Plagiarism is a serious offense because it shows disrespect
for a major standard of conduct in the academic and professional
world, and reveals the plagiarizer as one who cannot be counted
on to tell the truth.
- Plagiarism robs you of the opportunity to develop your own research,
writing, and thinking skills. It also casts doubt on your willingness
and ability to learn material through your own efforts.
- The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite the source of every
idea or piece of information that is not your own. The only exception
to this rule is when you are using information thought to be common
knowledge.
- When citing your sources, you must follow a prescribed format
known as a documentation style (sometimes called
a citation style).
- The precise punctuation, capitalization, and formatting rules
that a documentation style requires you to follow are described
in books called style manuals.
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