WMU Research Guides: Information Literacy and Library Instruction: How Do I Avoid Plagiarism and Find My Own Voice?

Use Information - Part Eight: How Do I Avoid Plagiarism and Find My Own Voice?

Researchers will know how to avoid plagiarism by properly citing information from outside resources.
Researchers will understand the importance of introducing sources.
Researchers will know how to use sources ethically and effectively through summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting.
Researchers will know how to use information from outside sources while maintaining a strong voice of their own.

Determine what information is common knowledge and therefore doesn't need to be cited
keep track of which ideas are your own and which come from other sources
Using a single citation style, make sure every borrowed idea (whether summarized, paraphrased, or quoted) is properly credited to its author
Carefully introduce each source to (a) point out the credibility or expertise of your source and (b) indicate where a borrowed idea begins and ends
Use summaries to condense a sources' main idea into a few sentences
Paraphrase the sources you want to include in more detail
Quote sources when they are memorable phrased