Important Terms
Attribution: The acknowledgement that something came from another source.
Bibliography: A list of sources used in preparing a work
Citation: 1) A short, formal indication of the source of information or quoted material.
2) The act of quoting material or the material quoted.
Cite: 1) to indicate a source of information or quoted material in a short, formal note.
2) to quote
3) to ascribe something to a source
Common Knowledge: Information that is readily available from a number of sources, or so
well-known that its sources do not have to be cited.
Endnotes: Notes at the end of a paper acknowledging sources and providing additional references or
information.
Facts: Knowledge or information based on real, observable occurrences. Just because something is a fact does not mean it is not the result of original thought, analysis, or research. Facts
can be considered intellectual property as well. If you discover a fact that is not widely
known nor readily found in several other places, you should cite the source.
Footnotes: Notes at the bottom of a paper acknowledging sources or providing additional references or information.
Fair Use: The guidelines for deciding whether the use of a source is permissible or constitutes a copyright infringement.
Intellectual Property: A product of the intellect, such as an expressed idea or concept, that has commercial value.
Notation: The form of a citation; the system by which one refers to cited sources.
Original: 1) Not derived from anything else, new and unique
2) Markedly departing from previous practice
3) The first, preceding all others in time
4) The source from which copies are made
Paraphrase: A restatement of a text or passage in other words. It is extremely important to note that changing a few words from an original source does NOT qualify as paraphrasing. A paraphrase must make significant changes in the style and voice of the original while retaining the essential ideas. If you change the ideas, then you are not paraphrasing – you are misrepresenting the ideas of the original, which could lead to serious trouble.
Plagiarism: The reproduction or appropriation of someone else’s work without proper attribution; passing off as one’s own the work of someone else.
Quotation: Using words from another source
Self-plagiarism: Copying material you have previously produced and passing it off as a new production. This can potentially violate copyright protection, if the work has been published, and is banned by most academic policies.