Discussion Topic: Plagiarism is often thought of only in the context of academic institutions, but there are many reported situations outside of the classroom where individuals use ideas from other people without giving proper credit. While in school, the consequences may be reflected in a student's grade. Outside of school, the consequences may tarnish a professional's reputation and potentially bring legal action. The Learning Activities included resources to help you avoid plagiarism, and this Discussion will give you an opportunity to practice those skills. For another helpful overview of plagiarism, review the TED Talks Punishable Perils of Plagiarism.

Find a reliable secondary source related to your argument for change in your community or workplace. Then, choose a short passage that verifies or disputes your position. Respond to the following prompts in at least two well-developed paragraphs (not including the copied-and-pasted material from your secondary source):

• Describe the source you found, the process you used to find it, and why you selected it. What makes this a reliable source? Does it support or refute your argument?

• Paraphrase relevant information from a short passage in the source you found. Be sure to use in-text citations with any sentences paraphrasing ideas from the source, e.g., (Doe, 2013) or According to Jane Doe (2013).

• At the end of your post, provide a complete APA 6th Edition style references page citation for the source you found and copy/paste the original text that you paraphrased. Be sure to label clearly the part that is copied (e.g., original).

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers' initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. These responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and if possible, referencing concepts from the unit Learning Activities.

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard American English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

When you refer to concepts from the unit's Learning Activities, be sure to use a signal phrase like "According to . . .[name of reading]." If you are directly quoting the Learning Activities or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The Writing Center has resources on APA citation formatting.