Most colleges and universities offer workshops on writing and research skills. In your writing, you will be expected to know when and how to paraphrase or summarize another writer s ideas in your own words. You will find that if you truly understand the ideas you are dealing with, you will be able to express them clearly. Find an instructor or US student, perhaps a volunteer tutor or conversation partner, who will read your papers, point out passages that are unclear and help you find phrasing that conveys your meaning. You may have to sacrifice the elegance of the original quotation, but your paper will gain coherence from the effort you put into synthesizing all of the material you use.
Plagiarism is the use of another s words or ideas without acknowledgment of their source.
Borrowed words and ideas must always be clearly documented. If you expect to experience writing difficulties, you should get help as soon as possible. An important distinction exists between group work and individual work. Studying with others is a good idea, but before you collaborate with others on homework, papers, or tests, make sure the professor has specifically authorized such collaboration. The ability to use computers is essential to success in an U.S. College or university today.