How To: Research and Write without Plagiarizing

One challenge that students often encounter as they work through writing assignments is how to research and write well, drawing on a variety of sources, without committing the academic sin of plagiarism. Does every single sentence require a footnote? What about paraphrasing sources or common knowledge? Navigating this can add stress and delay to the already difficult process of writing a quality paper. Here are four tips that we’ve found to help students avoid unintentional plagiarism. 

Understand Plagiarism

Plagiarism is intentionally or unintentionally presenting any content, research, or idea that you’ve drawn from some other source without properly acknowledging it. In the context of an academic paper, properly acknowledging a source means citing it in a footnote in accordance with the SBTS manual of style. If you’ve learned information from a particular source, that source should be cited. If you use specific wording from a source, it should be in quotation marks or set off in a block quotation (if it is long enough). If a way of approaching a topic or shaping an argument comes from a particular place, it should appear in a footnote. 

Cite All Sources

When in doubt, always cite. Cite all sources. A quick footnote will save you the time and stress later of a conversation with your OTA or professor about proper credit if there is any ambiguity around the source of your ideas. 

Cite Sources Properly

Make sure you know your resources to help you determine whether you should or should not cite a particular source. The SBTS Manual of Style and the SBTS Citation Quick Guide can help you navigate the appropriate formatting for different types of sources so that your professor or online teaching assistant can easily see what you’re citing and how. The OTA for your course can also answer specific questions and help you know what and when to cite. It is always worth asking ahead of time to avoid questions of integrity after you complete an assignment. 

Work with Integrity 

One final comment on plagiarism: if you find yourself tempted to plagiarize in some seemingly minor way in order to finish a paper quickly, don't. Plagiarism is very obvious to your OTA and your professor. You will not get away with it. More importantly, plagiarism sullies your conscience before the Lord and will inhibit you in present and future ministry. It isn’t worth it!