Q. What is plagiarism?

Simply put, plagiarism is the submission or presentation of work, in any form, that is not one's own, without acknowledgment of the sources. Plagiarism may occur through incorrect documentation of sources, failure to cite sources altogether, or by paraphrasing improperly. Always provide appropriate citations for all quotations, summaries, paraphrases, or any other work that is borrowed from others.

When you use another person's words or ideas without clearly acknowledging the source of your information and giving proper credit, you are committing plagiarism. You must provide appropriate citations for all quotations, summaries, paraphrases, or any other work that is borrowed from others. 

Plagiarism is considered unethical and in some cases illegal. At Buffalo State, plagiarism is considered academic misconduct and is taken very seriously. The library offers style guides to help students give proper credit to the works they are citing. Style guides also ensure that the necessary information is included in a citation to allow others to find the material cited.