UVic Libraries FAQs

"Plagiarism" is "The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft" (Oxford English Dictionary Online, 2006).

• Give credit when you use other people's content -- words, ideas, images and so forth—in your academic work.
• Your assignments and exams must be your own original work, not someone else's. Otherwise you are plagiarizing: taking credit for another's work, whether in part or whole, and whether intentionally or accidentally.

Here are some tips to help avoid plagarism. You can read more about these on the Plagarism web page.

• Take careful organized notes while doing research. This allows you to be certain where you encountered an idea, later on.
• Manage your time effectively, so that time pressures and stress don't tempt you to plagiarize.
• Undertand how and when to cite, and follow the guidelines for your citations style of choice.