Blog Post 3

Plagiarism is when an author uses words that aren’t his or hers in a piece and claims them as theirs. It is very important to understand the definition of plagiarism and the many different ways that plagiarism can occur in order to avoid it in your work. Easy ways to make sure you’re not accidentally plagiarizing is to make sure you’re not paraphrasing or summarizing your source and to make sure that if you’re trying to convey a similar idea from your source, that you simply write it in your own words. Many schools take plagiarism very seriously and the punishments can be very harsh depending on the teacher and the institution. Some teachers might just give you a zero on the assignment, while other might report you to the university or school and have you expelled or suspended. There are also websites that can help you see if you have a plagiarized piece which makes it easier for teachers to note your plagiarism. Overall it is much easier to simply write your own content and not get in trouble for anything!