Understand what plagiarism is - Citing sources; avoiding plagiarism - Writing Papers in MLA Style

Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Understand what plagiarism is
Citing sources; avoiding plagiarism
Writing Papers in MLA Style

To be fair and responsible, you must document the work of others by citing your sources. When you acknowledge and document your sources, you avoid plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty. The only exception to this requirement is common knowledge — but if you are unsure whether something is or isn’t common knowledge, acknowledge the source. (See also 52c.)

In general, these three acts are considered plagiarism:

1. failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas

2. failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks

3. failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words and sentence structure

Definitions of plagiarism vary; it’s a good idea to find out how your school defines academic dishonesty.