Which of the following constitutes an act of plagiarism?

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using someone else's work, ideas, or expressions without proper acknowledgment, thereby presenting them as your own. Copying text word-for-word without quotation marks is a clear example of this because it directly takes someone else's language and presents it without giving credit. When such text is copied, it is essential to either use quotation marks to denote that the words are someone else's or provide a citation. Failing to do so not only misrepresents the original author’s contributions but also violates ethical research standards regarding intellectual property.

On the other hand, paraphrasing with a citation, summarizing ideas with a citation, and including accurately collected data in a paper do not constitute plagiarism as long as proper acknowledgment is given. These practices, when done ethically, uphold the integrity of research by respecting the original sources while still advancing scholarly conversation.