Avoiding Plagiarism

You must use quotation marks for all material that is taken directly from another reference (or block indent format, for long quotations of 40 words or more). You must cite this material, using APA format (author, year, and page number). If you take facts or opinions from references but restate them in your own words, you must cite the source (author and year).

What about "paraphrasing"? That is not allowed in the sense that most students use the term. You may not simply substitute synonyms and re-arrange the order of the material. Either use your own words or use quotations -- not the "gray area" in between.

Here are some references that may be helpful. (In addition, the instructor has a printed reference available for Sage students in her office, or by email.)

• Web resources for recognizing and avoiding plagiarism:

  from Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Services

  from Indian River Community College

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