Worried about plagiarism?

No one wants to be accused of plagiarism, a serious academic offence that can have major consequences. Keep the following suggestions in mind and you’ll stay clear of plagiarism:

• Stay organized. Believe it or not, staying organized will help you avoid plagiarism. Research isn’t something that happens overnight, and doing an assignment at the last minute can lead to stressful situations when you’re not at your best. If you plan ahead and keep track of your assignments, you won’t find yourself scrambling and accidentally making a mistake that could be seen as plagiarism.
• Keep track of your sources. Knowing where you found your information is vital. Plagiarism is often accidental because students forget where they found a piece of information and either don’t cite it or credit it to the wrong source. If you consistently write down your citations as you take notes, you’ll be able to avoid this plagiarism trap.
• Give credit where it’s due. Properly citing your sources in your final paper or project is the best way to avoid plagiarism. Citations show your teacher that you did your research, know your topic, and respect the work that went into creating those sources.
• It’s better to over-cite than under-cite. When in doubt, cite it! Very few students have gotten in trouble for too many citations. If you’re not sure whether you should cite a piece of information, always err on the side of caution. (For more tips on citing sources, jump to our tips on citations.)