LibGuides: Research Process: 4a. Plagiarism

Avoid Plagiarism

4a. Plagiarism is a serious offense, with sanctions ranging from failing an assignment to expulsion from the university. Plagiarism is committed when you use ideas or words of another person without proper citation or acknowledgement. This may happen intentionally or unintentionally.

Academic Integrity (from Viterbo University Undergraduate Catalog, 2024-2025)

"All members of the Viterbo University community are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical manner and adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. Furthermore, Viterbo University students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic honesty befitting their enrollment in this Catholic Franciscan university. They will not engage in plagiarism, cheating, lying, or stealing, nor will they tolerate those who do so. Fundamental to the principle of independent learning and professional growth is the requirement of honesty and integrity in the conduct of one’s academic life. Academic dishonesty in any form is a serious offense against the academic community. Each academic program will review the standards of academic integrity and have students acknowledge their acceptance of the standards."

More information about Viterbo's policy on plagiarism can be found in the Academic Integrity section of the catalog.
Educate yourself by completing this tutorial from Indiana University.

To avoid plagiarizing someone else words or ideas, make sure you:

Paraphrase the original text into your own words. Be sure you are not just rearranging phrases or replacing a couple of words.
Use quotation marks around text that has been taken directly from the original source.
Cite every source of information you use to write your paper unless it is common knowledge or the results of your own research. This includes facts, figures, and statistics as well as opinions and arguments.

Plagiarism Tutorials

Avoiding Plagiarism
The Goodwill Community Foundation developed this tutorial which is aimed at both students and employees.
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Provider: Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc.
License: http://www.gcflearnfree.org/about/terms
Plagiarism Tutorial
You will see ten samples of source material and ten corresponding examples of student writing. It is up to you to determine if the student has used each source responsibly.
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Author: Kevin Gilbertson, Kyle Denlinger Provider: Wake Forest University
You Quote It, You Note It
Created by the Vaughan Memorial Library at Acadia University, this tutorial suggests that researching ethically is also researching efficiently. You will not only learn how to avoid plagiarism, but you’ll also pick up some good research tips too.