Preventing Plagiarism When Writing A Research Paper

PREVENTING PLAGIARISM WHEN WRITING In a research paper, you have to come up with your own original ideas while at the same time making reference to work that s already been done by others. But how can you tell where their ideas end and your own begin? What s the proper way to integrate sources in your paper? If you change some of what an author said, do you still have to cite that author? Confusion about the answers to these questions often leads to plagiarism. If you have similar questions or are concerned about preventing plagiarism, we recommend using the checklist below. PLANNING YOUR PAPER CONSULT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR Have questions about plagiarism? If you can t find the answers on our site or are unsure about something, you†¦show more content†¦TAKE EFFECTIVE NOTES One of the best ways to prepare for a research paper is by taking thorough notes from all of your sources so that you have much of the information organized before you begin writing. On the other hand, poor note-taking can lead to many problems-- including improper citations and misquotations, both of which are forms of plagiarism! To avoid confusion about your sources, try using different colored fonts, pens, or pencils for each one, and make sure you clearly distinguish your own ideas from those you found elsewhere. Also, get in the habit of marking page numbers, and make sure that you record bibliographic information or web addresses for every source right away-- finding them again later when you are trying to finish your paper can be a nightmare! WRITING YOUR PAPER WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE SOURCES Of course you want to get credit for your own ideas. And, you don t want your instructor to think that you got all of your information from somewhere else. But if it is unclear whether an idea in your paper really came from you, or whether you got it from somewhere else and just changed it a little, you should always cite your source. Instead of weakening your paper and making it seem like you have fewer original ideas, this will actually strengthen your paper by: showing that you are not just copying other ideas but are processing and adding to