Sanford College of Education (SCOE): APA Style

Citing your work is about more than just fulfilling the requirements for your assignment; it is a legal and ethical issue. Under U.S. Copyright Law, the creator of an original work (for example, an author) has the right to be credited for their work. Citations help to give credit where it is due and tells readers where the information came from.

Academic integrity is closely related to professional ethics and requires that students honestly acknowledge their use of the ideas, words, and written work produced by any other individual, institution or source. Intentional or unintentional failure to acknowledge properly the use of another’s intellectual output constitutes a form of academic dishonesty

Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas or words as if they were your own. Viewed as a form of academic dishonesty, it carries potentially severe penalties ranging from failing the assignment and failing the course to expulsion from the University.