It is your first term at SFU and you have to write a ten page final paper for your History course. You find yourself pushed for time as you juggle completing your paper, studying for your final exams, and completing your volunteer work at your local charity. As you write the outline for your paper, you cut and paste sections from the internet that you find will be helpful in supporting your thesis statement.

As you finish your papers, you realize that you have forgotten where you got the information from. Since your paper is due, you do your best to cite what you can remember but do not make mention of all the sources you used when you submit the paper.

Is this considered plagiarism, even though you did cite some of your sources?

Question

It is your first term at SFU and you have to write a ten page final paper for your History course. You find yourself pushed for time as you juggle completing your paper, studying for your final exams, and completing your volunteer work at your local charity. As you write the outline for your paper, you cut and paste sections from the internet that you find will be helpful in supporting your thesis statement.

As you finish your papers, you realize that you have forgotten where you got the information from. Since your paper is due, you do your best to cite what you can remember but do not make mention of all the sources you used when you submit the paper.

Is this considered plagiarism, even though you did cite some of your sources?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The scenario centers on drafting a ten-page final history paper while time-pressed, with portions copied from the internet to support the thesis and later forgetting exact sources. This sets the stage for an important distinction in academic integrity.
Option 1: Yes. The essence of plagiarism here is that material was copied from other sources without proper attribution. Even though some sources were cited, failing to cite all sources or to account for every borrowed idea, phrasing, or data still constitutes plagiarism because you are presenting someone else’s work as your own, or not giving due credit where credit is due. In academic writing, accurate citation requires documenting all sources that contributed to the argument, including paraphrased ideas and exact phrases. The failure to track and cite every source used undermines the integrity of the work and can be considered plagiarism.
Option 2: No. Claiming that citing only some sources absolves you ignores the core issue: partial attribution does not negate the need for full and transparent citation. If key ideas, quotes, or even structure were influenced by external sources and you did not provide complete citations, you are still misrepresenting the origin of those elements. Another facet is that relying on pasted sections without proper quotation marks and citations can verge into improper paraphrasing or quoting—both of which require precise attribution and, in many cases, permission depending on the material.
Additional nuance: academic standards typically require a bibliography or references section listing all consulted works, and in-text citations for anything not original to you. When sources are omitted or memory gaps lead to incomplete attribution, the work fails to meet scholarly norms, reinforcing why this situation is considered plagiarism despite partial citations.
A practical takeaway: when in doubt, err on the side of over-citation—document every source used, indicate when you paraphrase, quote, or summarize, and ensure your bibliography captures all materials consulted during research. Continuous citation helps protect you from unintentional plagiarism and aligns with most university policies.

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