Hi,
My name is Paul, and I am a sophomore in Ramsey, NJ. I just received a failing grade on a science lab report because my teacher said that I plagiarized. In my report, I wrote about the germination of seeds. I referenced some information about the germination rates that I found from different sources. The rates that were given were all the same, so I did not cite them.
Is this plagiarism?
Thank you,
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your email and inquiry! It is important that authors, writers, and students cite their sources. Though it may be the case that the information that you've included in your paper may be appear to be "common knowledge," the determination of whether citation is necessary is your teacher's to make. I'd suggest that you try to speak to your teacher to see if you could resubmit your assignment with the proper citation and receive a new grade.
Hope this helps!
Sean Tupa