text: how do you write a research paper with out plagiarizing? i am really confused. my teacher says i have to write a research paper. everthing i know i learned from somwhere whether it was from a book, internet, or heard from someone. how can i write a research paper with out saying something that someone else once said? i dont get it. please help me! thanks. the best way to avoid plagiarism is to paraphrase or summarize documents in your own words.  but even though you make them into your own words, you still need to cite your sources in a "works cited" page (look for the link below to get help with works cited).    if you don't want to paraphrase, you can quote something word for word, as long as you clearly cite your source (in text as well as in a works cited page).