Plagiarism can be committed unintentionally. Make sure you always provide proper source references so that others can see which ideas are not your own but found in publications by other authors. Providing proper source references also enables other people to check these sources. See the boxes below for tips on how to avoid plagiarism.

You should always provide a source reference when you use someone else’s work in your own text, irrespective of whether you are citing directly from the work or describing it in your own words (paraphrasing).

Statements such as ‘The rise of the internet has had a major impact on the development of society’ do not require a source reference. This statement is so widely known and accepted that it can be regarded as a generally-known fact.

Unfortunately, it is not always clear whether a source reference is required. In such cases you will have to decide for yourself. Your decision should be based on the principle that you do not want to present someone else’s work as your own.