Citing Sources: Introduction

In a study of students at a very similar university to Rowan*, experts found that:

• ZERO students could correctly identify plagiarism in all 16 examples they were provided
• Students identified plagiarism correctly only 63% of the time
• When the example involved paraphrasing, students identified plagiarism correctly only 37% of the time - worse than if they had just guessed!

Unintentional plagiarism is a serious problem for undergraduate students. Many students don't know how to prevent it, even when they want to.

 

Worse, even unintentional plagiarism can have serious consequences. According to Rowan's Academic Integrity Policy (Links to an external site.), repeatedly plagiarizing unintentionally will be considered a more severe violation each time, with consequences that may include failing the course, probation, suspension, or even expulsion.

But there is good news. Citing sources correctly and avoiding plagiarism are skills that can be improved with practice.

 

This module will help you practice your skills at citing information sources, and become a better writer of research papers!

 

This video from the University of Rhode Island Libraries explains in more detail why it is important to cite your sources: