But plagiarism can happen in any of the disciplines. A broad spectrum of misconduct falls into this category, ranging from obvious theft to uncredited paraphrasing that some might not consider dishonest at all. In a lifetime of reading, theorizing, and experimenting, a person's work will inevitably incorporate and overlap with that of others. Such privileged materials must not be exploited or disclosed to others who might exploit it. Scientists also must be extremely careful not to delay publication or deny support to work that they find to be competitive with their own in privileged communication.
Scrupulous honesty is essential in such matters.
Every written assignment that is constructed during the graduate years will come under the careful scrutiny of others. To make sure that all work is within the rules of documentation, be careful to consult a writer's manual that details citation procedures prevalent in your field. When in doubt, be cautious by acknowledging everything that is not irrefutably your own or is not clearly common knowledge. While attempting to operate within approved guidelines for documentation, use common sense. The precise form of documentation is far less important than the honest effort to clearly distinguish your contributions from those of others.