Skip to Main Content

Library DIY

I Need Help Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you present someone else's work or ideas as your own. It can be accidental or intentional and is considered academic cheating.

Plagiarism is viewed as a serious form of academic misconduct and against the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct, so it's essential to acknowledge and include citations for information taken from other authors or sources. 

Plagiarism can be:

  • Copying someone's words or other creative work (like an image or video) without giving them credit
  • Quoting someone's words incorrectly or out of context
  • Using or repeating someone's ideas or concepts without giving them credit
  • Misrepresenting someone's ideas or concepts
  • Copying images or music without permission or without proper attribution
  • Citing the wrong source or having incomplete or inaccurate citations
  • Intentionally presenting someone else's work as your own 
  • Failing to acknowledge the contribution of others in work produced collaboratively

This visual guide can help you avoid plagiarism:

Flowchart of information to help you avoid plagiarism.

Detailed Description of "A General Guide to Understanding Written Plagiarism"

 

For more on citing and using sources see Quoting and Paraphrasing, and Integrating Sources into your Paper.