"What is plagiarism, and how can I avoid it?"

New college students are often shocked to learn that they have been plagiarizing in their pre-college writing without even realizing it. The penalties for plagiarism in college can be severe, so students must be aware of what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. Following is a brief list of common errors that constitute plagiarism.

• Using someone else's words without quotation marks and without indicating where you found them
• Using someone's ideas, even though you have put them into your own words, without giving proper credit to that person
• Using another person's phrasing, simply changing one or two words without indicating it is a quotation
• Using another writer's method of organization and/or presentations of ideas without giving the author proper credit
  

College courses are designed to make you think by developing your powers of reasoning. Plagiarism allows you to avoid learning to think, defeating the purpose of higher education.

Persons who knowingly allow their work to be plagiarized are guilty as well by helping the plagiarizing student avoid the mental exercise necessary for real learning to take place. In addition, plagiarism does a disservice to the original author by not acknowledging his or her valuable work.

Turning in a paper that has been written, in whole or in part, by someone else is a form of plagiarism. Ordinarily the purpose of the assignment will decide for you how much help you can accept from others and still remain honest. For example, instructors often use peer editing groups in class to help you test your first draft; or your instructor may suggest that you ask a friend or family member to read and evaluate your paper. In these cases, you may revise your work, using any suggestions you receive from the reader.

On the other hand, your instructor may feel that she can understand your writing problems better and help you more effectively if you hand in your paper without using outside help. In either case, you need to be aware of the forms of plagiarism and to be sure that all of the work you hand in is yours.

Plagiarism is illegal and carries serious penalties. A plagiarized assignment may be re-assigned or failed at the discretion of the individual instructor. Blatant or repeated plagiarism can lead to failure in that course.