What is it?

The Little Seagull Handbook describes the act of paraphrasing as:

restat[ing] information from a source in your own words, using your own sentence structures (Bullock et al.)

Plagiarism can occur when one fails to attribute the ideas of others when paraphrasing, even when those ideas are structurally reworked. Conversely, plagiarism can also occur even when attribution is provided, if the final text is structurally/organizationally similar to the original work. For guidance on how to avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing, check out "How Should You Paraphrase Information From a Source" in The Rowman and Littlefield Guide to Writing with Sources.

 

Examples

Original Text from Edward Howe Forbush's The domestic cat; bird killer, mouser and destroyer of wild life (1916):
"Ehrenberg, however, considers all the cat mummies that he examined as remains of the Abyssinian wild cat, F. caligata. Temminick, Pallas and Blyth conclude that the domestic cat, Felis domestica, is a result of the interbreeding of many species, and as there are many small wild cats in various parts of the world, and as Felis domestica breeds freely with Felis catus, the common wild cat of Europe, there seems to be a probability that the domestic cat is the product of many species" (9).

Plagiarized Paraphrase:  Ehrenberg identifies cat mummies as Abyssinian wild cat remains, while others suggest the domestic cat results from interbreeding various species, considering the global presence of small wild cats. The domestic cat likely emerges from a mix of species due to its ability to freely breed with the common wild cat of Europe, Felis catus.
[Problem: no acknowledgement of Forbush's work]

Properly Cited Paraphrase Edward Howe Forbush traces the development of feline genetic taxonomies from Ehrenberg’s identification of ancient cat mummies as Abyssinian wild cat remains to the genetic admixture that resulted in the modern domestic cat (9).

What is it?

According to the Library and Academic Support Services of Concordia University, “[M]osaic or patchwork plagiarism involves rearranging pieces of many different sources into a work of your own without properly citing the sources.”

Examples

A: Original Text from The Report of the Prickly-Pear Travelling Commission (1914): “In regard to the Coleoptera, the following are capable of causing damage to prickly-ear:--The various species of Moneilema, Coenopoeus, and Gerstoeckeria. The adult of Moneilema is a large black wingless longicorn beetle, which feeds gregariously on the young segments of the host plant, while the larva is a large grub living in tunnels hollowed out by it in the stems and joints. Moneilema is widely distributed in the drier parts of the United States and Mexico” (Queensland Prickly-Pear Travelling Commission et al. x).

B: Original Text from The Biological Control of Prickly Pear in Australia (1927): “The internal-feeding, boring, or tunnelling [sic] caterpillars form one of the largest groups of cactus insects. Species occur in great variety everywhere in North and South America, where, as a rule, they are restricted to certain types of Cactacaea. For example, those that attach the flat-jointed species of Opuntia, or true prickly pears, do not attack the cylindrical species of the Devil’s rope type.” (Dodd 24).

Plagiarized Patchwork: While varieties of the prickly-pear are pervasive and invasive, there are insects that temper distribution. Internal-feeding, boring, or tunnelling [sic] caterpillars form one of the largest groups of cactus insects. In regard to the Coleoptera, the following are capable of causing damage to prickly-pear: Moneilema, Coenopoeus, and Gerstoeckeria. Moneilema is widely distributed in the drier parts of the United States and Mexico. Of note, not all pernicious cactus pests attack prickly-pear species globally. For example, those that attach the flat-jointed species of Opuntia, or true prickly pears, do not attack the cylindrical species of the Devil’s rope type.
[Problem: Although a topic sentence has been added, much of the following text remains a compilation of the original works. No attribution is given to the original authors. Additionally, the exact replication of portions from the original works does not meet the requirements for a paraphrase.]

Example of how to properly reference these sources ("I'm trying to create"):
Prickly pear cacti, common across the Americas, are susceptible to damage from various insects, including different types of beetles and caterpillars. Beetles such as Moneilema are particularly harmful, as they feed on young cacti and their larvae tunnel into the stems, a problem noted in the United States and Mexico (Queensland Prickly-Pear Travelling Commission et al. x). Additionally, specific species of internal-feeding caterpillars tend to specialize in certain types of cacti. (Dodd 24).

What is it?

Including charts, graphs, photographs and other visual information created by others in your work, without directly noting the origin, implies that you are the creator. This extends beyond the inclusion of visual elements in textual documents, including multimedia projects. Citation manuals often provide guidance on how to credit visual information.

Example