When using another author's wording, place the phrase in quotation marks. Direct quotes work best for ideas or phrases that cannot be captured by paraphrasing. Use direct quotes sparingly in research papers to avoid using too much of another author's content. After quoting the section, include a full citation of the author's name and the pages from which you drew the quote. Consult a style guidebook for specific instructions on citing direct quotations. Always include a full citation in the bibliography that includes the author's full name, publication name, dates, publisher, pages and other important information.
Another way to incorporate another author's work into your writing is to paraphrase. Unlike direct quotations, paraphrasing allows you to rephrase the sentence in your own words. Changing one or two words is not enough to avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing. Alter the vocabulary, sentence style, sentence length and syntax significantly. Even though paraphrasing does not use an author's exact words, you must include a citation to give the author credit for his ideas. Include an in-text citation as well as a full citation in your bibliography.
Plagiarizing extends beyond reusing another author's words to corrupting the original intent of the written content. Beware of pulling small phrases from larger sections, which can change the original author's meaning. Scrupulously read your sources and include information that supports your arguments without twisting the other author's words. Give contextual information when necessary to further illustrate the author's intent. Misrepresenting an author's words may cause you to be accused of plagiarism.
Many teachers and other professionals use plagiarism checkers to monitor potential cases of plagiarism. These software programs compare your written work to a large database of work by other authors. Using a free online plagiarism checker allows you to avoid plagiarizing by catching circumstances in which you failed to properly attribute others' ideas. Using these tools is not an absolute guarantee against being charged with plagiarism, but they can detect instances of plagiarized content that you may have missed.