Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be properly cited in the text or in a footnote. Acknowledgment is required when material from another source stored in print, electronic or other medium is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one s own words. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, only materials that contribute to one s general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography.
Plagiarism can, in some cases, be a subtle issue.
Any questions about what constitutes plagiarism should be discussed with the faculty member. Most of these definitions are self-explanatory. The University of California, Davis posts an excellent definition along with examples of acceptable and unacceptable quotation and paraphrasing. Connect to their web site for further information .