Being in an online class is no different than being on campus when it comes to plagiarism. It is something that you need to avoid at all costs. Whether you are doing research, writing a speech, or creating a presentation, two key factors that you need to know are how to evaluate your sources and how to cite your sources.

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Evaluating your Sources

Evaluating the information you use in your work is part of critical thinking. Some of the things you should be asking yourself when you find a source (online or not) that you want to use are: Who wrote it? Who is it's intended audience? How current is it? What was the purpose in writing it?

Online Resources 

• Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources
• 5 Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages - Cornell University Library
• Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
• Bedford St. Martin's Tips for Evaluating Sources

Citing your Sources

Most courses require that you cite your source for the information that you use in your work. Depending on your area of study, you will use a spedific type of formatting. The most common ones are:

APA - typically used by the Social Sciences

MLA - typically used by English & the Humanities

Chicago/Turabian - typically used by History

If you are unsure, clarify with your instructor.

Online Resources

• The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue
• Style Guide--APA
• Handout on APA Style from the University of Wisconsin
• Handout--MLA from Cabrillo College
• Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide from the Ohio State University Libraries
• Bedford St. Martin's Research & Documentation Online breaks down the different styles and provides tips.

Plagiarism

Online Resources

• Statement on Plagiarism from the Sinclair English Department
• Avoiding Plagiarism - The Writing Lab & the OWL at Purdue University
• Bound By Law? - A graphic novel that describes Public Domain, Fair Use, and how complicated it can get.

Here is an entertaining video put together by the students at the University of Bergen in Norway. 

Last updated 8/23/2010