Academic integrity means acting fairly and honestly when engaging in academic activities (anything for which you receive a grade or credit). There are different types of academic misconduct, including plagiarism.
Plagiarism involves using the words, ideas, or work of others without providing proper credit. To avoid plagiarism, you must, for example, cite and reference all the sources you use in an assignment. For detailed information on plagiarism, please visit the Academic Integrity website.
Why Do I Need to Cite and Reference Sources?
Citing and referencing...
allow you to acknowledge the work of others (give credit where credit is due);
help you maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism;
provide support for your claims and place your ideas in conversation with existing research on a topic;
demonstrate your research skills (your ability to find reputable sources); and
allow people reading your work to fact-check claims and trace the origins of research.
How Can I Avoid Plagiarism?
To avoid plagiarism...
do not leave citations to the end of your writing process (just before you submit your assignment). As you complete your assignment, it's likely that you will forget where you got information from, so it's best practice to cite material as you write. If you are rushing to complete citations just before you submit the assignment, you will likely make mistakes and/or forget citations.
make sure citations have corresponding references at the end of the assignment;
ask your instructor about which citing and referencing style is expected in their course (e.g., APA, IEEE, Chicago, or MLA).
if possible, use Turnitin to review your work for signs of plagiarism (e.g., missing citations). Speak with your instructor about this.