Fahrenheit 451

Whether you've come straight to RSU after high school or have returned to school after a long time in the real world, you’ve probably heard the same message from instructors and librarians: Don’t plagiarize. That seems pretty simple, but when you start researching and writing a paper, you might start to get confused. According to the Rogers State University student code, Plagiarism is defined as the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s own, including:

•  Direct quotation without both attribution and indication that the material is being directly quoted; e.g. quotation marks
•  Paraphrase without attribution
•  Paraphrase with or without attribution where the wording of the original remains substantially intact and is represented as the author’s own
• Expression in one’s own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments, lines of reasoning, facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where such material is learned from the work of another and is not part of the general fund of common academic knowledge

In plain English, if you use another person’s words or ideas, you must give them credit for them. Plagiarism can be as simple as copying and pasting a few sentences from a website, as accidental as forgetting to cite an idea you paraphrased from another author or as extreme as buying a paper written by a ghost writer at a paper mill (itself probably plagiarized from other sources) and attaching your name to the top. However, all forms of plagiarism come with consequences.  Understanding what plagiarism is and how to avoid it is crucial to academic success.

The guide below, provided by Indiana University at Bloomington, outlines the different types of plagiarism most common in colleges and universities and discusses how it can be avoided.

Indiana University at Bloomington: Plagarism Guide

Check your work for plagiarism here: Plagarism checker

1. Define your topic

    Decide which topic interests you the most, whether the topic meets the criteria for your research paper, and if the topic is relevant.  

2. Locate sources

   Use resources including library databases, library materials, and Google scholar to locate appropriate sources using keywords applicable to research topic. 

3. Evaluate the sources

   Gather additional facts related to the sources, research the author, locate additional sources including books and articles. Determine whether your sources are scholarly articles or popular articles and what is applicable to your paper.  

4. Cite your sources

   Consult writing sources to correctly cite sources using the appropriately determined citation style. Library staff and the the Writing Center staff are available to assist you with citing your sources!  

Citing Your Sources

• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 
• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing 
• Guide to College Writing 

Websites

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Citation Resources

Citing and Formatting Guide from RSU Libraries

The librarians at RSU are here to help you find the best resources for your assignments.  However, if you need writing your papers, the RSU Writing Center should be your first stop.  The Writing Center is staffed by tutors who can answer questions and provide valuable feedback on your written assignments.

The Writing Center is located in Baird Hall, Room 206.  To learn more about how the RSU Writing Center can help you, visit their website below.