Plagiarism is a specific type of cheating. It when you copy another person’s work and try to pass it off as your own. It can be as small as a few words (“To be or not to be!”) or as big as an entire novel. If you did not create it, you must tell other people it is not your original idea by properly “citing” the work. In addition, anytime an outside source informs or influences your own work, you need to cite that outside work as well.  Confused? Check out these two videos on plagiarism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P05vgxDoPU&list=PL8B4D6095390F429F&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96QEIDznXI4&list=PL8B4D6095390F429F&index=3

Preparing citations may interrupt the flow of your creative thought at times and can be viewed, by some, as an inconvenience. But it’s an inconvenience that must take place. You will use citations for the rest of your academic career and likely far into your future, for many professions, not to mention to leave them out is dishonest! 

So, create those good habits now. First, learn how to properly cite (links provided below). Second, as you do research for a topic, jot down from where you found the information as you go along. That way you won’t have to go searching for it later. Good citation habits will make writing essays far easier now and in the future. 

For guidance on proper citing you can visit this page (or ask your teacher):

http://www.wikihow.com/Cite-Sources