ENGL 1301 (English Composition I) - Prof. M. Hunt

Avoiding Plagiarism & Using Citations

Check out the information below for a definition on plagiarism, tips for avoiding it, and guidance on MLA Citation Style.

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!

Need help understanding MLA's citation style? The links below lead to useful MLA information.

The following videos will help you understand plagiarism, quoting, and paraphrasing.

What is Plagiarism?

How to Avoid Plagiarism

How to Paraphrase

How to Quote in Under 5 Minutes