Avoiding Plagiarism

How do professors become knowledgeable experts in their subject areas? Part of the answer is that they have been involved in many scholarly conversations.

These conversations take place in classrooms, offices, hallways, conferences, articles and books.

Engaging in conversations and asking questions throughout your education will prepare you to contribute in whatever field you choose. For these reasons, professors constantly warn their students to avoid plagiarism, because they know that plagiarism and cheating will not help students achieve their current and future goals. Instructors care deeply about the issues and substance of their field of study, and they hope you will also value the scholarly activity that takes place in the classroom.

In truth, assignments given by ISU faculty can be seen as an invitation to contribute and influence these scholarly conversations. Professors want to know how you think and recognize that you are in the beginning stages of developing your own expertise. 

The library has created many resources to help students avoid plagiarism, including an Academic Integrity Tutorial, YouTube videos about citing sources, citation software managers, and our library "Subject Guide" about documenting sources of information.

Watching these tutorials and videos will help you understand the consequences of plagiarizing. They will also help you realize the importance of doing your homework honestly.