Citing the sources you use is important, because if you draw upon other people's work in your writing and research and do not acknowledge those sources, you can be accused of plagiarism. Citations also allow your readers to follow up sources you have referred to enabling the sharing of ideas. Sometimes a student might accidentally plagiarise. This is usually the result of a lack of academic writing skills, inexperience, sloppy note taking, or a combination of these.

Definition from Plagiarism.org.

Many people think of plagiarism as copying another’s work or borrowing someone else’s original ideas. But terms like “copying” and “borrowing” can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to “plagiarize” means:

• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
• to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward. But can words and ideas really be stolen?

According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• turning in someone else’s work as your own
• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on “fair use” rules)

Note: We took the definition above verbatim from the site Plagiarism.org. Is that plagiarism? Visit the page and scroll down to the “reprint and usage rights.” What if that statement wasn’t there, yet we still quoted all the information above, and cited our source?

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. Two good habits to cultivate to avoid plagiarism are:

1. As you find information, record all of the bibliographic information (descriptive elements) necessary to create a citation. It is a good idea to get into the habit of doing this as you go. Trust me, it makes the next step so much easier. Include information such as:

• Author(s)/editor(s).
• Title.
• Edition (1st, 2nd, reprint ed. revised ed. etc.).
• Page numbers for direct quotations.
• Place of publication.
• Publisher.
• Date of publication.
• Web address if online resources and Date Accessed.

2. When it comes time to use the information you have found, make sure that you reference where you found it and who wrote it. How you reference will depend on how you are presenting the information. The type of writing, assignment or format in which the information is being used. It can be a bit confusing, but with practice it becomes second nature. Check out our in-depth guide on referencing for more information.

It's important you understand what the Australian laws are pertaining to copyright. 

Copyright is a form of intellectual property that protects the original expression of ideas. It enables creators to manage how their content is used.

The copyright system provides an environment that fosters the creation of new content for the benefit of society as a whole by:

• providing an incentive for people to create and invest in new content by enabling them to set the terms on which others can use the content; these can (but might not) include payment

• providing a financial reward to people who have created content that others find valuable, and lack the skill or time to produce for themselves.

You can find the Copyright Act in the Federal Register of Legislation of the Australian Government.

There are many myths and misconceptions about copyright. For example, take a look at the following myths and fact: