How do I avoid plagiarism?

To avoid plagiarism, a writer is required to cite all instances of information gleaned from an outside source if this information is not common knowledge. The statement that Sacramento is the capital of California does not need a citation; however, a comment that the San Andreas Fault does not actually cut through Los Angeles does need a citation because it is not common knowledge.

Nothing appears on the references page that does not have a corresponding citation in the text. The requirement for a citation can be quite broad if the information is not common knowledge. You are not guilty of plagiarism if you paraphrase the information from a source and give credit to the source of your information. The purpose of a citation in the text of your paper is to be a little tag that enables anyone interested to look at your references page and find the complete listing source of the information. Because the purpose of citations and references is to enable someone to look up the information you are citing, the citation must point to an existing real-world source.

You can find more information about avoiding plagiarism in the Center for Writing Excellence. To access the Plagiarism Guide, perform the following:

1. Click the Library tab
2. Click Center for Writing Excellence
3. Click Visit Tutorials and Guides under Tutorials and Guides
4. Click Plagiarism Guide under Academic Integrity

There is no additional information.