Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

According to USC's current Student Handbook [p. 9] plagiarism is:

• The submission of material authored by another but represented as the student’s own work, whether that material is paraphrased or copied in verbatim or near-verbatim form.
• Re-using any portion of one’s own work (essay, term paper, project, or other assignment) previously submitted without citation of such and without permission of the instructor(s) involved.
• Improper acknowledgment of sources in essays or papers, including drafts. Also, all students involved in collaborative work (as permitted by the instructor) are expected to proofread the work and are responsible for all particulars of the final draft.
• Acquisition of academic work, such as term papers, solutions, or other assignments, from any source and the subsequent presentation of those materials as the student’s own work, or providing academic work, such as term papers, solutions, or assignments submitted by another student as their own work.

An allegation of plagiarism is intent-neutral. In other words, the reader cannot discern whether the absence of a citation was done deliberately or you simply forgot to add a citation. Therefore, it is important to proofread your paper before you submit it to ensure that all sources used during your research are cited and that every in-text citation is included and refers to the correct, fully cited source in your list of references. This is why it is important to keep track of everything you have used while researching and writing your paper, so you can easily correct any omissions.

If you have any doubts about whether to cite a particular argument or statement, protect yourself from an allegation of plagiarism by citing the source or sources that support your statements. This will help the reader determine the validity of your work. Note that, most importantly, a citation error not only can raise concerns about the academic integrity of your paper, but it tells the reader that you did not conduct an effective or thorough review of the literature. A missing citation also inhibits the reader's ability to review the source in order to obtain further information about what is being discussed in your paper and the arguments that you have presented.

Academic Integrity. The Writing Center. University of Kansas; Avoiding Plagiarism. Academic Skills Program, University of Canberra; How and When to Cite Other People's Work. Psychology Writing Center, University of Washington; Proctor, Margaret. "How Not to Plagiarize." University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Plagiarism. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Plagiarism. The Writing Center. Department of English, George Mason University. Avoiding Plagiarism. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University.