Plagiarism is defined in Brock University's Academic Integrity Policy as "…presenting work done (in whole or in part) by someone else as if it were one's own". Plagiarism can be intentional (for example, buying or stealing another students' paper) or unintentional (for example, citing improperly), but is a serious academic offense.
You can avoid plagiarism by:
Watch this video to learn more:
Give yourself enough time: you might be tempted to plagiarize if you are panicking about completing your assignment on time!
Take careful notes and keep track of your sources. Consider using a citation management tool to help you organize your sources.
Know when and what to cite:
Adapted from: Avoid Plagiarism. (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://learningcommons.ubc.ca/resource-guides/avoiding-plagiarism
For examples of paraphrasing, see Successful vs. unsuccessful paraphrases (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
For more about using direct quotations, see Using Quotations (University College Writing Center, University of Toronto).