PHIL 2306 (Introduction to Ethics) - Dr. A. Antoninka

It's easy to understand most types of cheating because we learned about them as children. It's harder to understand plagiarism, though.

Take a look at McLennan Community College's Academic Integrity policy to learn how the college defines cheating and plagiarism and discover the penalties for each.

Afterward, read the information on this page. Then, visit Purdue OWL's Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing or its Best Practices to Avoid Plagiarism to make sure you know how to avoid accidental plagiarism. (Yes, you can accidentally commit plagiarism!)

The video below also offers some useful information on plagiarism and tips for avoiding it.

To use information ethically, you must cite, or give credit to, your sources. Even if you put the information into your own words, the evidence to support your statements came from someone who deserves to be acknowledged.

So, how do you use another author's ideas or words ethically? The three ways are quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Anytime you quote, paraphrase, or summarize, you need to document it with an in-text citation in the body of your paper, and provide a complete entry in your references list (which may be called a works cited list or bibliography, depending on the citation style you use).

• Quoting: Quoting is when you a repeat a person's ideas word-for-word. Quotes should not be overused! Only use quotes that are especially powerful.
• Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing is when you take a passage from another person's work and restate it in your own words. The passage you use is usually only a part of the larger work.
• Summarizing: Summarizing is like paraphrasing. It involves restating someone else's ideas in your own words. However, a summary is broader, covering more original material, and is more condensed.

Anything in your paper that is not common knowledge or your personal lived experience requires a citation!

For this paper, you must cite your sources with in-text citations. All in-text citations should have a complete entry in your references list.

You can choose APA, Chicago, or MLA Style to format your paper, in-text citations, and references list. Pick one style and stick with it. 

See the box at the bottom of the page for more information about each style.

YouTube has videos to help you format your paper correctly. Search the style (APA 7, Chicago 17, MLA 9) and the program you're using (Google Docs, Word, Word 365 online).

The most reliable citation websites are the Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab) and the official APA, Chicago, and MLA Style websites.

Ask a librarian if you need help. We love helping with citations!

Are you struggling to find research materials, use our library databases, or write citations and references? Our research librarians can help!

Just need a little help? Visit the Learning Commons' third-floor desk in the Learning Technology Center (LTC), or contact us via live chat or email. You can also call us at 254-299-8325.

Need a lot of help? Schedule a research consultation with one of our research librarians. It's their job to help you succeed!

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.