Say it in your own words!

Say it in your own words!

When writing and discussing what you have learned from various sources, including blogs, it is easy to make the mistake of using others’ ideas, words, or images without clearly acknowledging the source of that information.  This practice is called plagiarism!  You can learn to avoid plagiarism by making sure you credit others’ ideas, facts, quotations, etc.  Another way to avoid plagiarism is by paraphrasing, or restating a text in your own words.  This is a good way to test your comprehension. View a powerpoint on identifying plagiarism, and then view a powerpoint that helps you practice paraphrasing.  Another great resource on successful paraphrasing is provided by Indiana University’s writing tutorial services.  Check it out!