The simple definition of plagiarism is: taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own or neglecting to give credit to the sources you used.
Even with a simple definition, it's sometimes hard to identify just what is and what isn't plagiarism. Take some of these things into account, and read even more in our Plagiarism handout:
- Plagiarism can range from a simple forgotten citation error to full-blown word-for-word copying.
- Plagiarism often occurs in the form of incorrect citations and/or using improper forms of paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing.
- Buying a paper from a friend, online, or using a paper you wrote for another class is also plagiarism.
