If you are presently having trouble with plagiarism and do not understand why, don't feel badly! Like any other cultural practice, writing styles are informed by the cultures in which they exist. One such culturally informed writing practice is the usage of sources in writing to provide information, prove an argument, and contextualize a topic. Different cultures use sources in distinct and unique manners, varying in the quantity of sources used, the types of preferred sources, and how the sources are referred to in writing.
It is important to note that different does not mean incorrect.
While one culture may require many sources that all must be cited specifically, another culture may require few sources and no mention of their original author. However, neither style is inherently better or more correct. So, when learning to write in academia and the United States, focus on the acquisition of academic writing practices as an addition to your own cultural writing practices rather than a replacement.
In the following module, we will review four steps to learning how to use sources correctly in Western academic writing cultures, the context in which you are presently writing as a student at a U.S. university. This will help you to avoid plagiarism concerns.