Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words, ideas, or work without giving proper credit. It can occur intentionally by copying and pasting text or unintentionally by not paraphrasing properly or not including the source.
Using outside evidence is important in academic writing, but those sources must be used appropriately. This can be done through proper paraphrasing and quoting. Be sure to include the source whether you are quoting directly or paraphrasing.
As mentioned in Step 2, you can paraphrase and quote pieces of evidence to include information from outside sources. However, all information must be cited in your paper by using in-text citations and a separate references list. To learn about these two requirements, see our MLA and APA pages.
It’s always a good idea to use a tool to check that you have properly used outside sources in your work.
