What is it?
Plagiarism is using the words, ideas or thoughts from another person, source, book, or magazine and using them as your own.

Some tips to avoid plagiarism

Cite ideas, not just words that are not our own

Create your own method of tracking information (i.e. note cards, etc.) when conducting research

 Ask your instructor for help or clarification if you are unsure of a citation

When in doubt, cite it!

What happens if you plagiarize?
Should you choose to plagiarize, chances are you will be caught. There are several tools available to instructors that allow them to check and compare content from other student's work, textbooks, journals, web sites, etc.

Should you be found responsible for plagiarizing, your instructor can choose to give you a zero for the assignment, or issue an "F" for the course. Additional judicial action may be taken through the college and additional sanctions may be issued.