What plagiarism is (and why citing helps you)
If your friend draws a great picture and you show it to the class as yours, that isn't fair. Citing is like saying "my friend drew this part." It keeps you honest and gives credit to the person who made it.
- Plagiarism means presenting someone else's words, ideas, pictures or data as your own without giving credit.
- Common ways it happens:
- Copying sentences without quotation marks and a citation.
- Patchwriting: changing a few words of a passage but keeping the same structure and content. APA Style treats patchwriting as a form of plagiarism.
- Forgetting to cite a paraphrase or a statistic.
- Self-plagiarism: handing in your own old work again as if it were new, without permission.
- Using AI-written text when your teacher hasn't allowed it, or without saying you used it.
- Common knowledge (facts most people know and that appear in many general sources, such as "Ottawa is the capital of Canada") usually does not need a citation. When in doubt, cite.
- Every school has its own academic integrity policy. Read yours: it decides what counts and what happens if rules are broken.
- Citing helps you: it shows your research, lets readers check your facts, and protects you.
- Open your school website or student handbook.
- Search for academic integrity policy.
- Read the section that explains plagiarism.
- Write down two things it says count as plagiarism.
- Write one sentence about what happens if rules are broken.
- Check: you have two items copied in your own words and you know where to find the policy again.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Plagiarism isn't only copy and paste. Changing a few words of someone else's sentence still counts."
[Text on screen: Copying. Patchwriting. Uncited ideas. Reusing old work.] "Here are the four traps students fall into most."
[Host] "The fix is simple: give credit every time you use someone else's words or ideas."
[Screen: school academic integrity page] "And read your school's own policy. It sets the rules for your class."
Find your school's academic integrity policy (try your school website or student handbook). Write down two things it says count as plagiarism.
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Citing Sources & Avoiding Plagiarism (APA, MLA)" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "What plagiarism is (and why citing helps you)". What the lesson teaches: - Plagiarism means presenting someone else's words, ideas, pictures or data as your own without giving credit. - Common ways it happens: - Copying sentences without quotation marks and a citation. - Patchwriting: changing a few words of a passage but keeping the same structure and content. APA Style treats patchwriting as a form of plagiarism. - Forgetting to cite a paraphrase or a statistic. - Self-plagiarism: handing in your own old work again as if it were new, without permission. - Using AI-written text when your teacher hasn't allowed it, or without saying you used it. The exercise I'm working on: Find your school's academic integrity policy (try your school website or student handbook). Write down two things it says count as plagiarism. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "What plagiarism is (and why citing helps you)" from the course "Citing Sources & Avoiding Plagiarism (APA, MLA)". Here's what the lesson says: If your friend draws a great picture and you show it to the class as yours, that isn't fair. Citing is like saying "my friend drew this part." It keeps you honest and gives credit to the person who made it. The activity: Find your school's academic integrity policy (try your school website or student handbook). Write down two things it says count as plagiarism. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- APA Style, Quotations (also covers paraphrasing guidance): apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations
- APA Style, Guide to What's New in the 7th Edition (includes plagiarism and self-plagiarism): apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/whats-new-7e-guide.pdf
Quote, paraphrase or summarize?
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APA 7th edition in-text citations
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APA 7th edition reference list
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MLA 9th edition: in-text citations and Works Cited
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AI tools, citation generators and a final check
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Final project
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Quiz
What is patchwriting?
Changing a few words of a source but keeping its structure and content; APA treats it as plagiarism.
APA in-text citation for a work by three or more authors?
First author's last name + "et al." + year, e.g. (Kernis et al., 1993), every time.
In APA, what goes inside the brackets between two authors' names?
An ampersand (&).
What is the MLA in-text format?
Author and page number with no comma, e.g. (Baron 194).
What is the list at the end called in APA and in MLA?
References (APA); Works Cited (MLA).
How big is the hanging indent in both styles?
0.5 inch.
How is a DOI written in APA 7?
As a link starting with doi.org/.
In MLA, what is a container?
The larger whole that holds the source, such as a journal, website or streaming service.
Does a paraphrase need a citation?
Yes, always.
Should you list an AI tool as the author in MLA?
No.
Final exam
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Certificate
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