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Manufacturing: Citing Sources

Plagiarism and Documentation

Plagiarism can be defined as using someone else’s words, ideas, images, or data without properly acknowledging the original source. Plagiarism is a serious offense and is a violation of this College's Student Code of Conduct.  Examples of plagiarism include:

  • copying exactly someone else’s work without acknowledging the original source
  • altering someone else’s words, ideas, images, or data and presenting them as one’s own
  • paraphrasing someone else's words without acknowledging the original source
  • claiming as one’s own work that was created, altered, or revised by someone else
  • copying exactly someone else's work, acknowledging the original source, but omitting quotation marks
  • obtaining a paper from a research service, a "term paper mill," or a "free term paper" website

Penalties for committing plagiarism are at the discretion of the classroom instructor; however, they may include disciplinary sanctions such as a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, or dismissal from college.

Plagiarism can be avoided by using information in an ethical way. Documentation ensures that the original creator of a source is properly acknowledged each time his or her words, information, ideas, or images are used in another work.

Proper documentation is done both in the text of a project and in a works cited or references list at the end of the project.  This serves several purposes, including:

  • providing complete publication information for a source
  • giving credit to the original creator of a source
  • enabling the reader to more easily find the original source
  • providing a standardized style for recording that information.

Each and every time information is taken from a source (whether it is taken as an exact quote, re-worded, or paraphrased) and used in a research project, credit must be given to the original source of information.  Typically, that is done in two ways:

  • parenthetical, or in-text citations provide a brief notation of the author, date and/or page number
  • lists of references, or works-cited provide complete publication or other information that would allow the reader to locate the complete source

Most research projects require both in-text citations and a list of works at the end of the project (aka a bibliography).

Plagiarism Tutorial

MLA Guide

Citing Sources from Databases

Helpful Websites