All writers must cite their sources in order to give original authors credit for their ideas and phrasing. Citing a source means you show that you took information like words, ideas, images, and statistics from a particular location, such as a book, website, or database article. If you were to portray someone else's material as your own, you’d be committing plagiarism, which is a serious offense — in school and elsewhere, such as the music industry. To avoid plagiarism, simply cite your sources within your paper or presentation, and include the full source information in a works cited page (bibliography) at the end of the paper or presentation. At SMHS, students should follow Modern Language Association guidelines and may use NoodleTools for creating in-text and bibliographic citations.
Students should know that SMHS teachers evaluate essay drafts for originality and grade research papers carefully. Some may use Turnitin or other plagiarism detection services which scan student work and compare it to writing found in books, periodicals, and web sources, as well as other student papers.