An act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author:
A piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation:
In essence, plagiarism is Literary Theft!
Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas and then calls the work his or her own. Copyright laws protect writers' words as their legal property. To avoid the charge of plagiarism, writers take care to credit those from whom they borrow and quote.
Use quotes to indicate that the text has been taken from another paper. The quotes should be exactly the way they appear in the paper you take them from.
3. Identify what does and does not need to be cited
Any words or ideas that are not your own but taken from another paper need to be cited.
Cite Your Own Material—If you are using content from your previous paper, you must cite yourself. Using material you have published before without citation is called self-plagiarism.
The scientific evidence you gathered after performing your tests should not be cited.
Facts or common knowledge need not be cited. If unsure, include a reference.
4. Manage your citations
Maintain records of the sources you refer to. Use citation software like EndNote or Reference Manager to manage the citations used for the paper
Use multiple references for the background information/literature survey. For example, rather than referencing a review, the individual papers should be referred to and cited.
