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ENG 135 Greek and Roman Mythology In Translation Research Tutorial: Citing Sources

Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be DELIBERATE or UNINTENTIONAL. Whenever you borrow words or ideas, you MUST acknowledge their source to give the author/creator credit and to respect their intellectual property!

The following situations almost always require citation:

  • turning in someone else's work as your own
  • failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
  • giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
  • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
  • copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work [also called "fair use" in copyright law], whether you give credit or not 

--excerpt from Plagiarism.org

For more help understanding plagiarism and citation for research papers, consult the library's Citation Guide.

When to Cite?

General knowledge does not need to be documented. Important names, dates and events are considered general knowledge, but interpretations of facts are not.

  • For example, stating the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, is considered general knowledge, even if you had to use an encyclopedia to look it up. 

      What is general, or common knowledge? Read this!

Famous quotes or universal sayings do not need documentation.

  • For example, "Birds of a feather flock together" is a universal saying and does not need to be cited.

Highly specific facts should be cited. 

  • An historian's interpretation of what "all men are created equal" meant in the minds of the Founding Fathers should be documented. 
  • Specific numbers of casualities during the Vietnam War needs documentation.

Any information you have paraphrased, summarized, interpreted or have drawn conclusions from should be cited. 

  • Information you have translated into your own words (paraphrased) or a body of work you have summarized to explain more concisely must be attributed to the original source. 

If you are unsure when to document, document! 

Click here to access a handout on citation. 

Citation Style Help

Below is a list of reference books located within the MCTC Libraries to help you properly cite your resources.