Follow the general rule: always give credit to the author of sources that you use in an essay or assignment.
Most instructors at Bow Valley College require learners to use APA style to give credit to authors. To learn about APA style, go to the library's APA Style 7th Edition Guide or take a self-paced Introduction to APA tutorial from the library's Workshops page.
Here are more details on the 12 things to know to avoid plagiarism.
Use this flowchart to help determine if you need to cite a source to avoid plagiarism:
Turnitin is a tool that analyzes student work and can detect plagiarism.
What does Turnitin do? Turnitin checks your work to see if it is plagiarized or not. When you submit your assignment, it checks it against a huge database of other work. After the check, it creates a report called a "Similarity Report." This report tells you if your assignment looks too much like something already in the database.
Important stuff to know:
1. Not everyone uses Turnitin: Your teacher might or might not use Turnitin for assignments. You've got to ask them to find out.
2. How to get help: If you have questions about the "Similarity Report," ask your teacher. The library can't help with this, but your teacher can guide you.
3. Rewriting help: If you need to make your assignment sound different, talk to your program tutor or the writing coach, who is available at the library.
4. The library has got your back: If you're confused about references and citations, ask the library. Come in person, ask on our library chat, or email us at ask@bowvalleycollege.libanswers.com.
5. Tech troubles: If you're struggling with submitting your assignment online, check out the tutorials on Student Support in D2L. If that doesn't work, ask a friend or go to IT Support on the third floor of the North Campus building for help.
Remember, Turnitin is there to keep things fair, so don't stress about it – just make sure to do your best work!