Researching for Biology Labs: Using What You Find

Plagiarism is an academic offense with potentially severe consequences at the University of Lethbridge.  The University of Lethbridge Calendar (2013/2014) states it this way:

"No student shall represent the words, ideas, images, or data of another person as his or her own. This regulation will affect any academic assignment or other component of any course or program of study, whether the plagiarized material constitutes a part or the entirety of the work submitted (p.78)."

Perhaps think about it this way:  how would you feel if someone used your ideas without acknowledgement?

Be sure to have a clear instruction from your instructor as to what style of citation to use to acknowledge your sources.

If no citation style is specified by your instructor, then consider using one of the standard citation styles:  APA, MLA, or Chicago. 

It is expected that you consult and use others' research in your writing; however, when you do, you must cite the source of the information. To fail to do so is plagiarism. The following paragraphs should help you determine when you must cite and when a citation isn't necessary.

When to Cite

Whenever you are presenting the words, ideas, images, or data of someone other than yourself, you must cite the source. This includes paraphrases, because even though the words are your own, the idea you're presenting is not. When paraphrasing, ensure that the wording is actually your own; simply rearranging a few of the author's words or replacing them with a few synonyms is not paraphrasing and constitutes plagiarism. When quoting directly, place quotation marks around the author's exact words.

Most citation styles require both an in-text citation (placed immediately following the words, idea, etc. borrowed from another source) and a bibliography or reference list entry at the end of your paper. See our Cite Sources guide for instructions on how to cite properly.

When Not to Cite

If the wording is your own and the idea being expressed is your own, no citation is necessary. It is not plagiarism, as you are not presenting the ideas or words of someone else.

In addition, if an idea or fact is widely known and not disputed, it is considered common knowledge and does not need to be cited. This information is generally known by everyone within the discipline and can be found in numerous sources. When unfamiliar with a discipline, as many students are, it can be difficult to know what is common knowledge and what is specialized knowledge that requires a citation. It is always best to err on the side of caution. When in doubt, cite it.

• Quick Tutorial on Reading Scientific Papers
  A quick, animated tutorial produced by Michael Fosmire from Purdue University that describes the component parts of a scientific paper, outlines the order in which to read a the component parts of a scientific paper (so it is not overwhelming), and identifies some questions you should be asking yourself as you read.  (Used with permission of Michael Fosmire; accessed 2012 July 18.)
   
• How to Read a Scientific Article (PDF)
  In this article, Mary Purugganan and Jan Hewitt of Rice University outline strategies for navigating a scientific articles and provide a template to help readers of such articles to get more from their investment of time doing so.  (Accessed 2012 July 18.)
   
• How to Read Empirical Articles
  Produced by the Writing Center of the University of Conneticut, this document describes what you, the reader, should be asking yourself as you work through reading an empirical article.