8.3 Quoting, Paraphrasing and Avoiding Plagiarism

Notes

Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas without credit. It includes copying, poor paraphrasing and forgetting citations.

• Quote exact words when the wording itself is important. Use quotation marks and cite.
• Paraphrase by restating a passage in your own words and sentence structure; you still cite it.
• Summarize by condensing the main points; you still cite it.
• Common knowledge (for example, that the Civil War ended in 1865) does not require a citation.
• Changing a few words in a sentence ("patchwriting") is still plagiarism.
• Worked example: Original: "Sleep deprivation harms memory." Plagiarized: "Sleep deprivation damages memory." Proper paraphrase with citation: "Researchers have found that missing sleep reduces the ability to remember (Lopez 12)."