The topic of discussion during our recent class was methods of avoiding plagiarism and MLA citation. I am quite familiar with MLA citation when it comes down to using sources such as books and websites in writing assignments. While in high school, I took a College Writing course, which focused on several aspects of writing such as the writing process, the basic elements of writing, and the forms of writing. The course, however, placed great emphasis on writing responsibly to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is known as stealing someone else's ideas and presenting them as your own. In order to avoid plagiarism, methods such as paraphrasing and quoting are available for one to use. To paraphrase is to use your words and your interpretations of and comments on the ideas you find in your sources. One should give credit when it is necessary. In such times, citing sources is important. There are numerous ways one could cite sources. It would be rather difficult to remember them all. I usually refer back to my College Writing textbook in order to properly cite my sources in any writing assignment. It's quite troublesome, but it is necessary.
at October 5, 2005 10:40 PM