Using and acknowledging others' work is important

Learning about and acknowledging the authors who have contributed to the body of knowledge in your discipline is an integral part of the process of creating your own academic work.

When you use and acknowledge the work of others, you:

• Make meaningful connections between other authors’ ideas and your own.
• Question and evaluate the ideas of other authors.
• Provide credibility for your work and allow your lecturer to track down the original sources.
• Provide evidence that your ideas or argument are backed up or supported.
• Give credit to the original author or authors.

Not acknowledging correctly is considered plagiarism and may result in penalties.

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