is the act of citing, quoting, or copying other work(s) without due acknowledgement of such author or authors

### Why this is right The deciding rule is that someone else’s words or ideas must be clearly credited to their source. Using another person’s work without that credit is plagiarism, whether the material is quoted, copied, or presented in your own words. ### The concept **Plagiarism** is presenting another person’s words, ideas, or work as your own by failing to acknowledge its source. A **citation** is information that identifies the source, such as an author and publication; it lets readers find the original. A **quotation** uses the source’s exact words and usually marks them with quotation marks, as well as giving a citation. If you **paraphrase**, meaning you restate an idea in your own words, you still need to cite its source because the idea is not yours. Copying or quoting with clear acknowledgement is different from plagiarism, though it must also follow any rules for permitted use. ### The other options - **A. Copywriting**: writing material intended to promote or sell something; it is tempting because the word resembles “copying,” but it does not mean using work without credit. - **C. Photocopying**: making a paper copy of a document with a copier. It describes a copying process, not whether the source has been acknowledged. - **D. All of the above**: these terms have different meanings, so they cannot all describe the act in the question. ### Terms - **Plagiarism**: using another person’s words, ideas, or work without properly crediting them. - **Citation**: a reference that identifies where information or an idea came from. - **Quotation**: the exact words taken from a source and presented as a quotation. - **Paraphrase**: a restatement of a source’s idea in new words. - **Copywriting**: writing used to promote or sell a product, service, or idea. - **Photocopying**: making a paper reproduction of a document using a copier. ### Remember If the words or idea came from someone else, credit the source, even when you have paraphrased it.