Unintentional plagiarism often results from sloppy note taking. Notes might contain direct quotations that are not surrounded with quotation marks, paraphrases that differ in only minor ways from the original passage, and summaries that contain original passages from a source. Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing accurately and appropriately as you take notes is the first — and arguably the most important — step in avoiding unintentional plagiarism.

For guidance on quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, see Chapter 3. To learn more about integrating quotations, paraphrases, summaries, numerical information, and illustrations into your document, see Chapter 19.