You may be plagiarising without realizing it. Plagiarism isn't only obvious theft such as buying a paper off the web or copying and pasting entire papers. Failing to properly cite the source of the words and ideas you use in your paper also constitutes plagiarism.
Plagiarism is theft of someone's words or ideas. "Plagiarism is pretending that an idea is yours when in fact you found it in a source. You can therefore be guilty of plagiarism even if you thoroughly rewrite the source's words. One of the goals of education is to help you work with and credit the ideas of others. When you use another's idea, whether from a book, a lecture, a Web page, a friend's paper, or any other source, and whether you quote the words or restate the idea in your own words, you must give that person credit with a citation." Harris, Robert A. Appendix. The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with Plagiarism. Pyrczak Publishing: Los Angeles, California, 2001. 132-133.
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Articles on Plagiarism
Trachtenberg, J.A. (2011, November 9). Spy thriller: An 'instant classic' vanishes amid plagiarism charges. Wall Street Journal online.
Real world examples of plagiarism, compiled by the Library at UC San Diego.
Gabriel, T. (2010, October 25). 'Generation plagiarism'? The New York Times Upfront.
Types of Plagiarism and How to avoid plagiarism, from Purdue University
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by 
Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 7th ed. by 
The ACS Style Guide by CRAAP Test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose
Created at Meriam Library, Cal-State Chico
