How Do I Avoid Plagiarism While Doing Research?

Most college students recognize that turning in a paper downloaded from the Internet or "borrowing" and turning in someone else's paper--whether that person knows it or not--is plagiarism. But did you know that you can unintentionally plagiarize? If you use another person's words or ideas and do not properly give them credit for their work, you are plagiarizing.

Here are some quick tips for helping you avoid plagiarism during your research process. For a thorough guide to conducting research at HCC, consult the booklet entitled Writing the Research Paper , also available in the HCC Bookstore and in the HCC Library. One of the best ways to protect yourself from unintentionally plagiarizing is to know how to conduct research well.

Get started early.
Start your research well in advance of your paper's due date, and conduct your research in more than one session. Remember to plan time to research as well as time to write. If you're not pressed by an 8 am deadline, you'll be able to keep a clearer head and remember what's yours and what's not, and you won't be tempted to cheat to make it to class on time with paper in hand.

Take careful notes.
As you do your research, always indicate in your notes the source of your information. Taking notes on index cards and recording the author, title, and publication information on the flip side may seem old fashioned in this increasingly computerized age, but this method will help you keep track of where you're pulling information for your paper or project. Also, avoid beginning your paper by plopping quotes into a word processing file and stringing them together with your own words. You may forget what's yours and what's not. Read several sources to learn about your topic, take notes, develop your own ideas and thesis, and go from there. Your professor is interested in your thoughts and ideas, not those of your sources.

Always quote or paraphrase the words and ideas of others.
It's okay to cut and paste short passages from a source into your paper IF you put the words in quotation marks and follow the quotation with a complete reference to the book, article, or website that it's from. (Ask your instructor for more information on what style, such as MLA or APA, to use when quoting.) To give someone else credit for his or her ideas--but not in the exact same words--is called paraphrasing. When you paraphrase, you summarize the author's ideas in your own words. This can be difficult to do because you must vary the words and sentence structure. Try reading a passage and then turning your source over so that you can't see it. Then, type a sentence or two using the author's ideas, but in your own words. Finally, flip your source back over and compare. Your sentence(s) should not follow your source too closely. And even when you paraphrase, you must give credit to your source. (Again, ask your instructor for more information about which citation style you should use.)

Type your works cited or bibliography as you're writing your paper.
As soon as you quote or paraphrase someone in the body of your paper, insert a page break and begin your works cited or bibliography. (To insert a page break in Microsoft Word, click "Insert" in the menu bar at the top of the page, then select "Break" and then "Page Break.") It's easier to compose this last page as you go along, and you won't spend the evening before your paper is due trying to remember all of the resources you've used. Also, more importantly, you won't forget to give credit to your sources, which protects you from unintentional plagiarism.

'Fess up!
If you think you may have plagiarized, talk to your instructor. He or she can usually tell when writing is not your own, anyway; moreover, it's better to come clean before you're discovered and have to face serious consequences. A plagiarized paper can result in a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, or worse, a negative comment on your academic record or expulsion from school. For HCC's policy, see the most recent edition of the Student Handbook.