According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, to “plagiarize” means:
The following actions constitute plagiarism:
Common Knowledge:
You don’t have to give credit to common knowledge: facts and common observations that can be found in numerous places and are likely to be known by many people.
Common knowledge that you don’t need to cite: |
Below is a fact that is not generally known. You must cite this: |
George W. Bush was first elected President in 2000 |
According the American Family Leave Coalition’s new book, Family Issues and Congress, President Bush’s relationship with Congress has hindered family leave legislation (6). |
When in doubt if something you want to use is common knowledge, |
To avoid plagiarism, give credit whenever you use:
Plagiarism can be avoided simply by citing your sources. Acknowledge all borrowed material and providing your audience with the information necessary to find those sources. That is usually enough to prevent plagiarism!
Adapted from information at http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html
Courtesy of http://www.easybib.com/