Plagiarism The word plagiarism has come from the Latin word ‘ plagiarius ,’ which means to kidnap. Dictionary definition of “plagiarism” (from Merriam-Webster ): ● Plagiarism means stealing someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. ● In academic writing, you plagiarize when you use someone’s exact words or paraphrase their ideas without crediting the original source. Plagiarism explained ● Students sometimes plagiarize by accident, even if they don’t mean to cheat. To avoid accidental plagiarism, you need to understand how to properly use and cite sources. ● Plagiarism doesn’t only mean copying and pasting other people’s work. It can also mean paraphrasing ideas or information without citing the source. ● Using other researcher’s ideas is part of academic writing, but it’s im...