Students who write essays may be committing a transgression and they don’t even know it. Taking another authors words and claiming them for your own, whether this is intentional or not, definitely frowned upon in the academic setting. This offense is also called plagiarism. Copying parts or entire sections of another material, like a textbook, an essay, or article is the worst form of this offense. If the teacher is not as vigilant, the students may get away with it. However, if the teacher is an avid reader, or is very vigilant about any change in tone or writing style, he or she will easily spot plagiarized portions of the essay. Of course, some students commit this offense just because of simple carelessness. They fail to properly cite their reference or forget to type the quotation marks. To avoid doing so, make sure to immediately credit the source of anything that you will use in your essay. Highlight these entries if they are still not credited. If possible, write your notes in your own words and avoid copying from the reference unless you plan on using exact quotes. Remember that plagiarism receives harsh punishments particularly in the college level. To see a sample of a good of mice and men summary that is not plagiarized, click on the link.