This document defines plagiarism and discusses why it is important to avoid. Plagiarism involves presenting someone else's ideas or work as your own without giving them proper credit. It is considered theft and cheating. If caught, it can result in failing grades or other penalties. While some information may be considered "common knowledge" and not require citation, students should always cite direct quotes, paraphrased ideas, and facts/statistics taken from other sources to avoid plagiarism. The document provides examples of proper citation formats and additional resources on plagiarism and copyright issues.