Introduction
In this unit you will learn what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, how to choose the appropriate citation style, and how to locate citation reference sources that will help you to cite sources.
Plagiarism
If you turn in someone else's work, use a source's exact words without placing these words in quotation marks, or use a unique interpretation you found in a source without giving credit to the source, you are guilty of plagiarism, a serious academic offense that can result in a number of different penalties, including a score of 0 on the assignment, failure of the class, and a report to Student Affairs. UNCP's Academic Honor Code reads: "Plagiarism is intentionally or knowingly presenting someone else's words or ideas as one's own. You avoid plagiarism by very carefully acknowledging the sources of ideas you use and by appropriately indicating any material that has been quoted (that is, by using quotation marks and properly acknowledging the source of the quote, usually with a clear reference source citation and page number)."
Some students may think that they need to cite material only if they use the source's exact words; however, you must cite unique ideas, as well.
To avoid plagiarism and generally strengthen your essays and presentations, follow the tips below for incorporating source material into your own work.