Plagiarism is stealing the ideas and/or words of another and claiming them as your own. 

If you use the exact words of another, you must enclose the words in quotation marks and give credit to the source.

If you use the original ideas of another, even if you change the words, you must give credit to the source.

While you may know that this blatant form of plagiarism is dishonest, there are also subtle forms of plagiarism that may result in “unintentional plagiarism."

Unintentional Plagiarism occurs when you mistakenly use someone else’s ideas or words and do not properly give them credit.

If you are attempting to paraphrase an author’s statement, it is important to understand exactly what you are trying to convey.  Merely changing the grammar or sentence structure is not sufficient. 

Using the direct words of another without enclosing them in quotation marks.

Using the ideas of another without giving credit to the original author or source.

The essential purpose of a research project is to encourage you to investigate prior research and to use this information to formulate new ideas of your own. 

There are several standardized citation formats, which are accepted for formal research.  These include Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and the Chicago Style Manual to name the most popular.  Each of these citation systems has its own rules.  However, when you have learned to use one of these citation systems, you will be able to follow others systems as your ease of use increases. 

At BFS, we have chosen to follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) style.  This citation system is widely used in many colleges and universities.

The citation format in use at BFS is found in The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th Edition) by Joseph Gibaldi.  A condensed version is available in The Essentials of MLA Style: a Guide to Documentation for Writers of Research Papers* by Joseph F. Trimmer.

* A copy of this handbook is available in the MS/US Library.