Plagiarism: The appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas or thoughts of another author, and representation of them as one's original work (Random House Dictionary of the English Language). Another definition of plagiarism

To avoid plagiarism, be sure to:

• cite references to show the origin of the idea, illustration, or fact you are using (for more information see the section of this web site that discusses the Literature Cited part of a scientific paper.
• paraphrase another's words, rather than copying word for word. In science, the concept is important, but the actual words that another scientist used are rarely quoted. Note that this is very different from the style in the humanities disciplines where direct quotes are used extensively.

Be very careful about plagiarism. It is scientific dishonesty, and may be grounds for the professor to assign you a failing grade for the assignment and/or the course.

Citation and plagiarism resources (from T.H.E. Journal November 2002 and NSTA Reports Feb2003)

EasyBib.com (http://www.easybib.com) This site automatically creates citations from information provided by the user.

Cheating 101: Detecting Plagiarized Papers (http://www.coastal.edu/library/plagiarz.htm)

Cheating 101: Paper Mills and You (http://www.coastal.edu/library/papermil.htm)

Internet Plagiarism: Strategies to Deter Academic Misconduct (http://www.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed98/mhricko.html)

Play It Safe in Cyberspace (http://www.playitcybersafe.com)

Plagiarism and the Web (http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfbhl/wiu/plagiarism.htm) Suggestions for preventing and detecting plagiarism.

Click here for more information about avoiding plagiarism.