The most important reason for using other people's ideas is to support your claims. If you're trying to prove that there's life on Mars, what better evidence could you ask for other than an astronaut and astrophysicist expert who also agrees with you? Your task when using other people's ideas is to show why those ideas fit in your essay and what the reader should appreciate about those ideas.

If you represent someone else’s ideas as your own.

If you use or repeat a phrase or particular wording that is not yours without proper credit (citation or reference)(American Psychological Association, 2001, p. 349).

There are 3 ways of introducing other people’s ideas into your paper:

• Summary: When you summarize you present a concise explanation of a book or article’s main ideas.
• Paraphrase: When you paraphrase you use other people’s research and/or ideas but you present that research or those ideas in your own words.
• Quote: When you quote you copy exactly what the author has said. It is imperative that you indicate that you are quoting by using "quotes."

Don’t forget to record whether the information you take from a source is a summary, paraphrase or a quote.

Key Resources
The Fundamental Values Project
Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial The P Word tutorial is provided under license by the Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University (You note it, you quote it).
UM Student Advocacy Policies and Services
Cheating, Plagiarism, and Fraud
Temple University Tips for Teaching Students to Avoid Plagiarism