Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. Most often students unintentionally plagiarize a published source. It is not enough to merely cite the reference that you are reading. You must either place the information that you are using in direct quotes or appropriately paraphrase the material. For example if you were to paraphrase the following quote:
"Detailed analyses revealed that with increased age adults in this time management activity were less likely to perform self-paced tasks and to attempt difficult auditory discrimination judgments" (Salthouse, Hambrick, Lukas, & Dell, 1996, p. 305).
It is possible to try the following paraphrase:
Analyses revealed that increased age adults in the time management activity were less likely to perform self-paced tasks.
This paraphrase attempt is insuficient, even with the appropriate citation. This constitutes plagiarism! Instead summarize the information in your own words. The following example is more appropriate.
Researchers found that age inhibited willingness of participants to initiate difficult tasks.
Notice that this information has been summarized and this is a better example of a correct paraphrase. This paraphrase must still be referenced appropriately.
More information from Dartmouth
Note: The above information is an excerpt from the APSU Psychology Research Guide created by Maureen McCarthy, Associate Professor of Psychology; Lori Buchanan, User Education Librarian; and DeAnne Luck, Electronic Resources Librarian.
Examples of Sources Cited in MLA Format
Examples of Sources Cited in APA Format
Other guides:
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