This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire work and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire work and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Common knowledge: What does that mean? Common knowledge refers to facts that most people are aware of, for example:
  • The sun rises in the east and sets in the West
  • Thirteen colonies formed the United States
  • John Lennon was assassinated.
• Your own opinions/ideas: "It is a mistake to overlook smaller, lower profile markets because..."

• Keep track of your sources: Start saving sources as you find them in order to stay organized. Save them to a citation management tool (like EasyBib or Zotero, see Citation Tools tab), email them to yourself, or print them out. 
• Take good notes: Keep track of page numbers and mark sections of text that you use. Keep a research log; copy the wording, punctuation, and spelling exactly as it appears in the original text. This will save you lots of stress later.
• Ask your professor: Always verify with your prof if unsure of whether a citation is required. 
• Don't procrastinate: Unintentional plagiarism is usually the result of disorganization. Follow these tips and don't wait until the last minute.