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ENGL100 (Lacy)

Why Cite?

  • to acknowledge the information you used (and did not create yourself)
  • to acknowledge the cited author's experise,
  • to allow the reader to find the source you are referencing and
  • to enable your reader to use the references as a starting point for their own research...

Writing Tools

Common writing tools to avoid plagiarism include:

  • quotations 
  • paraphrasing 
  • summarizing 
  • signal phrases 
  • in text citations

Ultimately you need to be clear about which ideas are your own, and which ideas are those of others. This gives your reader context, and a way to do further research on the topic when you have sparked their interest.

Time Management

Another strategy is time management and organization throughout the research process. Allow enough time to manage citations and keep them organized so avoiding plagiarism is easier to accomplish.