Citation and avoiding plagiarism

Plagiarism isn't always intentional. Most cases we encounter result from not knowing the rules, carelessness in recording sources, or a wrong assumption about what must be cited. But intent doesn't affect the consequences — an incorrectly cited paper can be rejected, graded lower, or in extreme cases jeopardize an academic career.

In this guide we walk through the basic rules of citation, distinguish the main styles, and point out the pitfalls to avoid. The goal is that after reading you have clear guidance on what you must cite, how, and in which style.

1. What needs to be cited?

A rule without exception: anything that isn't your own original idea or a commonly known fact. Specifically:

• Direct quotes (word for word)
• Paraphrases of others' ideas (said in your own words)
• Statistical data and research findings
• Summaries of others' results or arguments
• Specific definitions from the literature
• Images, charts, tables taken from others
• Code, formulas, algorithms you've borrowed (even adapted ones)

You don't need to cite:

• Commonly known facts ("World War II ended in 1945.")
• Your own conclusions and interpretations
• Your own original data collected through research

2. The main citation styles

Most Croatian faculties prescribe one of the following:

APA (American Psychological Association)

The most widespread in the social and health sciences. Uses an author-year system in the text.

• In-text citation: (Marković, 2023, p. 45)
• Reference list: Marković, I. (2023). Book Title. Publisher.

Current version: APA 7th edition (2020).

Harvard

Similar to APA, but with minor differences. Often used in law, economics, and general social sciences in Croatia.

• In-text citation: (Marković 2023: 45)
• Reference list: Marković, I. 2023. Book Title. Publisher.

Chicago / Turabian

Traditional in the humanities — history, philosophy, theology. There are two versions:

• Notes-bibliography — uses footnotes or endnotes
• Author-date — similar to APA

Footnote: 1. Ivan Marković, Book Title (Zagreb: Publisher, 2023), 45.

Vancouver

The standard in medicine and biomedical sciences. Uses numbers in parentheses instead of author names.

• In-text citation: ...as research shows (1).
• Reference list: 1. Marković I. Article Title. Journal. 2023;15(3):45-50.

MLA, IEEE, OSCOLA, and others

MLA is used in philology, IEEE in engineering, OSCOLA in law (especially international). Each has its own rules; check what your faculty requires.

3. Types of plagiarism

Plagiarism comes in various forms — some obvious, some subtler:

Direct plagiarism

Copying text word for word without quotation marks and without citation. The most serious form, very easy to detect.

Paraphrasing without citation

You change a few words but keep the idea and sentence structure. It's still plagiarism — the idea isn't yours.

Mosaic plagiarism

Assembling text by combining phrases and ideas from different sources without clearly citing them. Hard to write, but often recognized by stylistic inconsistency.

Self-plagiarism

Using your own earlier work (a seminar paper, an earlier project) without citing it. Yes, you must cite even your own work if you reuse parts of it.

Improper citation

Citing sources you haven't read yourself. If you cite what someone else said about a third author — that must be clearly stated.

4. How to safely paraphrase

The largest number of plagiarism cases occur during paraphrasing. Proper paraphrasing means:

• Read the original text several times
• Close the text and write the idea in your own words — without looking
• Compare with the original — the terms, sentence structure, and word order are changed
• Add a citation — author, year, page

Bad paraphrase: "Marketing is the process of creating value for customers" → "Marketing is the procedure of producing value for consumers" (only words swapped)

Good paraphrase: "Marketing is the process of creating value for customers" → "Marketing involves a set of activities through which an organization seeks to address consumers' needs with its offerings (Kotler, 2023)."

5. Tools for checking

Most Croatian faculties use Turnitin to check originality. Before submitting, you can check yourself:

• Turnitin — often available through your faculty
• Plagscan, Grammarly Plagiarism Checker — commercial tools
• Plagiarisma, SmallSEOTools — free alternatives (less reliable)

A low match percentage (up to 15-20%) is usually acceptable if it relates to common phrases, quotes, and the bibliography. A high percentage is a signal of a problem.

6. Techniques that simplify citation

• Use a reference management tool (Zotero, Mendeley) — they automatically generate citations in the desired style
• Define the style at the very start — check what your faculty prescribes, don't change it mid-paper
• Keep a single notes document — for each idea, note where it comes from
• Write the citation right away — don't leave "I'll add the source later." Later, you often no longer know where the sentence came from.
• Check the formatting of your reference list — alphabetical, consistent, according to the prescribed style rules

In conclusion

Citation isn't an obstacle to creativity — it's an academic dialogue. You show whose ideas you build on, where you agree, where you differ, what new you bring. Without citations you have no foundation. With good citations your paper becomes part of a larger conversation.

Take the time to learn the style you use. It's an investment that pays off not just in one paper — you'll use it throughout your entire academic career.