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LL.M. HANDBOOK 2011-2012notes from it as you would from any other source. Because internet material is often notsubject to editorial control, treat it with more than usual scepticism.(iii) Plagiarism, research and secondary literature"Copy from one, it’s plagiarism; copy from two, it’s research" (Wilson Mizner, 1876-1933).Not quite so simple. An essay that simply reports the ideas and findings of other scholars isnot transformed from "plagiarism" into "research" by exhaustive footnotes. Even if yourassignment is to review the literature on a given topic, you should be adding value throughcriticism and analysis.Where material is quoted from or based on primary or secondary sources, it must generallybe bibliographically referenced. Common knowledge, the kind of thing which you will find inalmost any textbook on a topic (“An injunction may be awarded to restrain a nuisance”),need not be referenced. But the distinctive views of particular authors should be credited,and any reasoning or evidence especially important to an argument should be credited (in afashion appropriate to the kind of exercise you are writing) when it is derived from someoneelse's work. This is so even when the material is not cited word for word.Finally: don't panic. The point of this advice is not to plunge you into a frenzy of worry overwhether your hard work is plagiarism. It is to inculcate good working practices and continuea long tradition of scholarly integrity.Last updated: 7 November 200868