Plagiarism and How to Avoid It

Take Good Notes

Do:

• Take careful notes so that you can distinguish your words from someone else's.
• Jot down the page number and author or title of the source each time you make a note.
• Maintain a working bibliography while you research

Don't:

• Expect to remember days later where you found a piece of information.
• Wait until the last minute to start researching your paper. 
• Carelessly copy and paste from online resources.

Cite your Sources

Do: 

• Cite the source of your information whether you paraphrase or quote directly (unless it's considered common knowledge).
• Cite ideas given to you in a conversation or correspondence.
• Become familiar with the citation style you must use for your paper.
• Acknowledge your sources in all your academic work, including oral presentations, computer programs, and research posters.
• Err on the side of caution—cite whenever in doubt.

Don't:

• Falsify any part of a citation.
• Submit someone else's work as your own. 

Paraphrase Correctly

Do: 

• Restate someone else's ideas in your own words.
• Give credit to the author

Don't: 

Use Quotes

Do:

• Use quotation marks around an exact phrase or sentence.
• Choose to quote an author's exact words when the phrasing is unique or strengthens your argument. 

Don't:

• Rely too much on quoting other's work; make your own ideas the focus of your paper.

Many of the library databases, including EBSCOHost and ProQuest, offer citation generators.

• When working with your search results, look for links such as "cite this" in the document view in ProQuest or the "cite this article" icon in EBSCO.
• Be sure to proofread the citation (they are not always correct!).

These free and simple online citation building tools builds citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian styles.

Citation management software helps you take notes, organize research, import citations from electronic databases and catalogs, format reference lists in standard styles (MLA, APA etc.); insert footnotes and endnotes directly into your papers.

• Zotero Bib Create one citation at a time. 
• Zotero A free online citation management tool.
• RefWorks Web-based program, licensed to everyone in the NYU community.
• EndNote Licensed to everyone in the NYU community.

How Do I Choose Between RefWorks, EndNote, and Zotero?

Come to a Library Workshop or view this comparison chart.