What is plagiarism?

The Random House dictionary defines plagiarism as"the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." Imitation or borrowing by themselves are not plagiarism. Drawing on other people's ideas is perfectly reasonable and in fact unavoidable when you write academic essays—but you must acknowledge the borrowing.

　　You are obligated, as an ethical obligation to other writers and as a defense for yourself, to acknowledge all borrowings you take from other sources, even if you don't copy the exact words used in the original—even if you never actually quote the original. Plagiarism includes:

　　1. Quoting material without attribution. The most obvious kind of plagiarism.

　　2. Passing off another's idea as your own, even if it's been reworded. Changing an original's wording doesn't avoid plagiarism. The underlying idea of plagiarism is unacknowledged borrowing of ideas, not specific words.

　　3. Imitating a passage's structure or argument without attribution. Suppose a source presents an assertion and three supporting points. If you adopt that particular structure, including the particular examples or supporting points, you need to provide a citation to the original. This holds even if you substantially revise the wording.

　　4. Concealing the extent to which you've borrowed from a text or other source. Citing a specific passage in a work doesn't give you license to draw on the rest of the work without citation. This can be the nastiest kind of plagiarism because it's so sneaky.

　　Not everything needs a citation. Typically you don't need to cite familiar or widely available facts or common judgments:

　　Shakespeare was born in 1564.

　　Mark Twain is widely regarded as America's greatest humorist.

　　Many people have suggested that a conspiracy lurks behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

　　But once you move beyond general statements, you need to be conscientious about citations:

　　Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, to a family originally from Arden （Levi 2, 8）.

　　It takes judgment to figure out what is"familiar" and"common" enough not to require citation. Students develop this judgment over time, as they learn more within particular fields. The simplest rule: When in doubt cite or ask.