One of the many factors that make us unique as individuals is the way we interrupt and process information. Daily we absorb information through reading, conversations and social media, Sometimes we subconsciously take ownership of others ideas; allowing what we take in to influence our thoughts and actions. Ultimately, this can lead to poor habits such as lying when it comes to being responsible for our actions. As college students, we are expected to challenge ourselves by writing good scholarly papers. Collecting our thoughts about our research and putting them on paper is easy for some but difficult for others. While researching, we can take notes and reflect on them; this can help with the content and flow in our papers (Kirszner & Stephen, 2012). Our papers should capture the reader’s attention by explaining our thesis statement and providing adequate explanations that supports our findings. Papers can be formatted and written in various ways; the most common forms of writing are APA and MLA. Some colleges may require MLA style (Modern Language Association); which is used for humanities such as arts, literature, and history. On the other hand, other colleges may require their students to write their papers in APA style. APA means American Psychological Association. It was designed by anthropologist, business managers, and psychologists as a way of arranging the components of writing and reading (Kirszner & Stephen, 2012). The APA format consist of the body, in-text citations, reference list, and if necessary, an abstract. After comparing the two writing formats, there are similarities; both are designed to help the students avoid plagiarism. When writing papers; we have to be conscious about giving credit where credit is due (Burkill, S., & Abbey, C. 2004). Taking credit for someone else’s research could result in being penalized for plagiarism (Kirszner & Stephen, 2012). We can get information from books, magazines, or the internet however; our works must be properly organized and cited if necessary. It had been over ten years since the adult learner had been in college. To her knowledge, the papers she wrote in the past were in MLA style. Therefore, when she was told by one of the professors at Bethel University to write her paper in APA format; she immediately sought help. The student coworker was enrolled at Bethel but was of very little assistance. Sadly, the information the student was given was incorrect and outdated. Confused and desperate, the student started seeking information from other students and books on how to write a paper in APA format. To her surprise, there are different editions to the writing style; which made learning APA format difficult to learn. However, learning the correct way to cite information is crucial for eliminating plagiarism. Some people may think using parts or rewording of someone else’s work is not plagiarism. When we write papers, it gives us more insight about the subject we are learning about. It is almost impossible for professors to determine our ability to write good papers if the content is not original. Therefore, we must research and learn material for ourselves. When we get an understanding, we can effectively convey our thoughts through our own words; not someone else’s.

References
Burkill, S., & Abbey, C. (2004). Avoiding Plagiarism. Journal Of Times New RomanGeography In Higher Education, 28(3), 439-446. doi:10.1080/0309826042000287009
Kirszner, L., & Stephen, S. (2012). The pocket wadsworth handbook. (5th end). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.