Article: Plagiarism is often an honest mistake. Many students genuinely don’t understand what needs to be quoted. When you explain the assignment, take time to give students a lesson about what constitutes plagiarism.  You can say something like, “Anything that is not general knowledge or your own idea needs a citation. Direct quotes and statistics must always have a citation.” If your school has a policy on plagiarism, include it in your syllabus. If necessary, you can write your own. If students understand how to write proper citations, they are more likely to use them. Tell students what citation system you would like them to use and spend some time in class explaining the system. For example, if you want them to use APA, show them how to cite a book and a website. You can also include a link to the citation guide in the guidelines for the paper. Don’t give broad essay prompts such as “Write about Winston Churchill.” Instead, write more complex questions that paper mills won’t likely have in the archives. If you want students to write about Churchill, try something like, “How did Churchill’s personality impact the way he led Britain in World War II? Give specific examples of how his larger than life personality directly affected the outcome of his diplomatic efforts.” If you teach the same class every year, make sure to change up the paper topics each term. This will help cut down on students using papers that previous students wrote. If you do find evidence of plagiarism, make sure to follow protocol. For example, you might be required to notify the principal or guidance counselor. Some schools have a no-tolerance policy, which means that the student automatically fails the assignment or even the class.  If you aren’t sure what the policy is, ask a co-worker or your supervisor to provide you with that information. Meet with the student first if you think it was an innocent mistake. Many students plagiarize without even realizing it. Consider talking to the student first to see if they understand what they did wrong.

What is a summary?
Discuss and define plagiarism when giving the assignment. Go over the citation guide you want students to use. Write unique assignments so that students can’t easily find a paper online. Follow your school’s academic code of conduct to handle the situation.