Plagiarism

Of course, when your professor asks you to search out library source material for your paper, he or she expects you to use the ideas, data, interpretations, even words of other writers. No professional writer works solely on his or her own. We all borrow from other writers. The crucial issue that separates research from plagiarism is the "full and proper acknowledgement" of the writer from whom you are borrowing. Your professor will be more than glad to explain how to properly cite and acknowledge the writers from whom you borrow. In this age of electronic databases and indexes, of cutting and pasting, student writers need to work at conforming to the standards of academic integrity. Whenever another writer's words or ideas appear in your writing, they need to be clearly identified. Take great care in noting citation information for all materials you find in your research explorations, and make sure that this information appears in your papers in association with quoted or paraphrased words and ideas.

Plagiarism Examples and Guidelines: A Quiz (Boston College Political Science Department)

The Official Boston College Definition of Plagiarism

According to Boston College Policies and Procedures, " Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and presenting them as one's own. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged."