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BIOL 111: Perspectives in Biology: Global Change Biology (HC) Fall 2019

Biology 111: Perspectives in Biology: Global Change Biology (Becker)

Avoiding plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the work of someone else without giving that person credit.

Most plagiarism is unintentional.

Some examples:

  1. Copying text word for word from a book, an article, or the Web without giving credit.
  2. Paraphrasing text from a book, an article, or the Web without giving credit.
  3. Using the original ideas of someone else without giving credit.

Note: You do not have to give credit for information that is common knowledge! (e.g. the boiling point of water)

How not to do it:

  1. Use your own ideas as much as possible. 
  2. When taking notes, write them in your own words, making sure the wording is significantly different than the original. If you must copy word for word, use quotation marks!
  3. When taking notes, keep a detailed inventory of where you found each piece of information so you’ll be able to properly acknowledge it later. Best Bet: keep your notes and citations together in EndNote or Zotero.

Citation Management Software

With citation management software you can:

  • Collect citations and PDFs in one place
  • Automatically create a list of references in the style you choose
  • Automatically create in-text citations in the style you choose
  • Take notes associated with a particular citation
  • Share citations with fellow students and faculty
  • Save yourself a significant amount of time!

One option is Zotero. Here's how to use it:

Guide to Using Zotero