How to avoid plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own. Most of it is not deliberate theft; it is not knowing how to use sources honestly. The skill is straightforward once you learn it.

What it is

Plagiarism is using another writer's work — words, ideas, structure, or images — without credit. It includes copying text, rewording a source too closely, and failing to cite an idea that is not yours.

Why it matters

It is dishonest, it can fail a student or damage a writer's reputation, and it can have serious consequences in academic and professional settings. The good news: it is easy to avoid with a few habits.

Step-by-step guide

Keep sources and your own words separate. Take notes in your own words, and mark anything copied verbatim so you know it is not yours.

Quote when you want the exact words. Use quotation marks around a direct quote, and give the source. Keep quotes short.

Paraphrase when you want to restate. Put the idea in your own words and your own sentence structure, and still cite the source. Paraphrasing is not just changing a few words.

Never paraphrase so closely it is basically copy. If you keep the source's exact structure and most of its words, you are plagiarising even without using quote marks.

Cite any idea that is not common knowledge. Facts, numbers, and conclusions that come from a source need a citation. Common knowledge (e.g. "water boils at 100°C") does not, but when in doubt, cite it.

Summarise for the big picture. When you compress a whole source into a few lines, still give credit.

Add citations properly and consistently. Follow the style you need (many institutions use APA, MLA or Chicago), and keep a bibliography of everything you used.

When to quote vs paraphrase

Quote when the exact wording matters — a memorable phrase, a definition, or something you need to analyse. Paraphrase when you are conveying the idea to make a point of your own. Most of your writing should be your own words with sources used to support rather than replace them.

Common mistakes

Change a few words and calling it paraphrase. Forgetting a citation for an idea you read somewhere. Copying a whole paragraph in the belief that crediting the source makes it OK. Turning in work written entirely from sources with no original thought of your own.

Practical tips

• Write your own version before you look at the source again, so you are not copying its words.
• Keep a running list of sources as you go, not at the end.
• Ask yourself: if a reader saw this passage, would they think it is mine? If not, credit it.

Checklist

• I quoted exact words and cited them.
• I paraphrased in my own words and cited.
• I did not copy the source's structure.
• I cited facts and ideas that are not common knowledge.
• I used a consistent citation style.
• The main argument and writing are genuinely mine.