Plagiarism

Which of these writers is lying? The Hagia Sophia is very old. The Hagia Sophia was converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. The Hagia Sophia was “converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931” (Wikipedia Contributors).

Plagiarism is dishonest. If you got your ideas from someone else, you need to say so in a citation. Otherwise, you are saying, “This is my idea”. Readers (including teachers) assume that all the ideas in an essay are original. You need to tell them when the ideas are not original.

US universities are very strict about this. At most universities, plagiarism EVEN BY ACCIDENT is punished with an automatic 0 on the assignment. Universities will not give you the benefit of the doubt. At many universities, you may also be suspended or expelled. In other words, YOU WILL BE FORCED TO QUIT SCHOOL if you are not careful.

Two scenarios: The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. The building has changed many times. “The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931” (Wikipedia Contributors). Many people visit it.

Two scenarios: The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. The building has changed many times. It was a mosque for almost 500 years (Wikipedia Contributors). Many people visit it.

This is PLAGIARISM The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. The building has changed many times. It was converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. Many people visit it. No quote = plagiarism!

This is plagiarism too. The building was later converted into an Ottoman mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. The building has changed many times. It was a mosque for almost 500 years. Many people visit it. A teacher may not be able to find this on the Internet easily, but can usually tell when information is common knowledge or not.

When in doubt, cite. Most of your teachers are MA or PhD holders. They are written papers with hundreds of citations. It is better to have a weak citation (like Wikipedia) than to make your teacher think you are stealing others’ ideas. This is the last class where your teachers will give you a second chance.