Frequently Asked Questions
Researching: Selecting and Using Sources
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is presenting another person's words or ideas as your own. In academic writing, any time you use a work's information or ideas, credit must be given to your source. The only exception to this rule is that commonly known facts do not require attribution.
Plagiarism includes not only the presentation of other's original ideas as your own, but the act of weakly paraphrasing another's writing style and passing it off as your own prose.
Plagiarism is a serious instance of misconduct. Several professional careers have been ruined by the discovery of an act of plagiarism.
As a general rule and whenever in doubt, it is always better to include a citation rather than risk the appearance of plagiarism. Please see the UWM Libraries guide Avoiding Plagiarism for more information.