What is Plagiarism?

...plagiarism is defined as "the deliberate or reckless representation

of another's words, thoughts, or ideas as one's own without attribution...

Did this information/idea come from my own brain?

If you answer "no"...then the information is not "common knowledge" to you.

In these cases, you need to cite your source(s)

and indicate where you first learned this bit of what may be "common knowledge" in the field.

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/plagiarism.html

"Common knowledge: facts that can be found in numerous places
and are likely to be known by a lot of people.

Example: John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960.

This is generally known information.

You do not need to document this fact.

However, you must document facts that are not generally known and ideas that interpret facts.

Example: According the American Family Leave Coalition’s new book,
Family Issues and Congress,
President Bush’s relationship with Congress has hindered family leave legislation (6).

The idea that “Bush’s relationship with Congress has hindered family leave legislation”
is not a fact but an interpretation; consequently, you need to cite your source."

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

plagiarism...

1.(uncountable) The act of plagiarizing: the copying

of another person's ideas, text, or other creative work, and presenting it as one's own...

Though plagiarism in and of itself is not illegal, it is usually frowned upon...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plagiarism

"Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use, as one's own, of work of another person,
whether or not such work has been published."

http://www4.caes.hku.hk/plagiarism/introduction.htm

Plagiarism...comes from a Latin verb that means, “to kidnap.”

If you plagiarize you’re kidnapping and stealing others’ hard work and intellectual property.

It is academic and public dishonesty.

You wouldn’t want someone stealing your hard work,

intentionally or even unintentionally, would you?

Of course not.

http://www.wadsworth.com/english_d/special_features/plagiarism/definition.html

"Do not use someone’s ideas without referencing the source.

...plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s
language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material
without acknowledging its source.

Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism

...submitting someone else’s text as one’s own
or attempting to blur the line between one’s own ideas or words
and those borrowed from another source, and

...carelessly or inadequately citing ideas and words borrowed from another source."

Council of Writing Program Administrators

http://www.wpacouncil.org