Avoiding Charges of Plagiarism
Executive Overview
In all assignments, if you express any ideas that you got from ANY source (including the text), even if it is not a direct quote, you MUST cite it (author, date) in the body of your assignment where the idea appears, then provide a full reference in a references section at the end of the assignment.
Here’s a rule of thumb: at least one cite (to the text book) per body paragraph, with at least one reference (to the text book) at the end. Of course, if your ideas come from other sources, cite and reference those, as well.
If the memo you just submitted did not have a reference section at the end with the text book listed...
1. Please immediately add the reference section and re-submit the assignment, so I can grade your assignment and get it turned around to you. (If you've already submitted the WritePoint and Plagiarism Checker, you don't need to resubmit either of those.) Late point deductions DO APPLY. Fortunately, this first assignment is only worth 5 points, so this won't have a huge impact on your grade -- but I hope it will have a huge impact on your memory!! Short form: Do Not Ever, Ever Again in Your Life (!) write something that you got from somewhere else as if it is your own, even if you paraphrase it into your own words. If the idea is not your own, you MUST cite the source!!!
2. In addition, please re-read the school policy on plagiarism, let me know that you have done that, and ask any questions you may have about it.
In the future, I will expect to see cites sprinkled throughout your assignment. Without both cites in the body of your paper and a reference section at the end, I will have to return your assignment ungraded, waiting for you to make properly attributions. Late deductions always apply.
Additional Information:
From a really quick look through your papers, it appears that a lot of the ideas you expressed came from the text (which is EXCELLENT and...