It will be clear to the reader just how much of your text came from someone else s ideas because the source material will be introduced and then explained. Furthermore, most of the writing will remain after you ve applied the blackout test. The paper is clearly yours because it is filled with your own words doing useful work. Plagiarism You might think that you could disguise your quilted paper simply by omitting any reference to your sources. But that would be an instance of plagiarism , and it s not such a good idea.
Plagiarism is a fancy word for stealing and fraud.
As I just suggested, it comes into being when you present someone else s ideas or results as your own. Even if you don t overtly claim the borrowed work as your own even if you just let your readers assume that the thoughts were yours you re still guilty, and you ll fry if your professor finds out. In an academic setting, there is the further assumption that people s work reflects who they are because they re doing it themselves. For this reason, many professors will simply fail you for the entire term at the first instance of plagiarism. Some will go back and change your final grade in a previous course if plagiarism in that course comes to light after the course is over.