International Students: A Guide to Using Pratt Libraries

Plagiarism is the uncredited copying of another person's words, images, or music. While it is acceptable to reuse and expand upon others' ideas, the exact words, organization of a text, and idea is the creation of the original author. 

In colleges and universities in the United States, including at Pratt, plagiarism is a serious offense. Upon entering Pratt, students agree to the Academic Integrity Code that lays out the penalties for copying another's work, and professors take it seriously. Plagiarizing another person's work fails to give credit to the original author and prevents the plagiarist from learning from the assignment.

While many students know that they are doing something wrong when they copy others' words and ideas without proper attribution, sometimes students do not realize that they are plagiarizing. Therefore, it is very important that you understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

As you write a paper or create original work, ask yourself:

"I. Am I deliberately recalling any particular source of information as I write this paper?

II. Am I consulting any source as I write this paper?

If the answer to these questions is no, the writer need have no fear of using sources dishonestly."

(from Pratt Student Handbook 2012)

• Purdue OWL's MLA Style Guide: Consult this guide to learn how to cite various print and electronic sources in MLA format. 
• Purdue OWL's Plagiarism and ESL Writers Guide: A guide to plagiarism for non-native English speakers and writers. 
• Purdue OWL's Safe Practices for Avoiding Plagiarism: Useful tips to help you conduct research without risking plagiarism.
• Turnitin.com: Trust us, your professor knows about this website. Turnitin checks student papers for possible and actual plagiarism.
• Real World Examples (from Money magazine): A list of people who got in trouble for plagiarism in their professional work.