According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to "plagiarize" means:
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
to use (another's production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
Simply put, Plagiarism means passing off someone's work as if it were yours or, using someone's ideas without giving credit, whether you mean to (deliberately) or not (accidentally). It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterwards. It is very similar to theft, copying, piracy and poaching.
How to avoid plagiarism
By citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed and providing your tutor with the information necessary to find that source is usually enough to prevent plagiarism.
The best piece of advice is, "when in doubt, cite".
Common consequences include:
Reference
Hong, S.-T. (2017). Plagiarism Continues to Affect Scholarly Journals. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 32(2), 183 185. http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2017.32.2.183
| Types of Plagiarism | Definition | |||
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Directly copying a passage of text without citation. | |||
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Combining text and ideas from different sources without citation. | |||
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Inserting content from other works into your assignment without properly citing the original source. | |||
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Reusing passages and ideas from your own previously submitted work. | |||
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Failing to give all the necessary information in your source citation. |