I n writing, we draw upon others' words and ideas and the intellectual heritage underlying human progress. UC Davis students are responsible under our Code of Academic Conduct for ethical scholarship and for knowing what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
Plagiarism means using another's work without giving credit.
Using words, ideas, computer code, or any work by someone else without giving proper credit is plagiarism. Any time you use information from a source, you must cite it. If you plagiarize , you are cheating yourself. You don't learn to write out your thoughts in your own words, and you don't get specific feedback geared to your individual needs and skills. Plagiarism is dishonest because it misrepresents the work of another as your own.