When you work on a STEM project, it’s important to show what work is yours and give credit to the ideas, words, or information that came from others. Being honest about where your project content comes from is called academic integrity.

Not being clear about where ideas or information you used from others came from, or passing off someone else’s ideas or work as yours is called plagiarism. You can avoid common mistakes by following a few simple rules.

1. Use your own words

• The mistake: Copying information from websites, books, or articles without rewriting it yourself and saying where it is from.
• What to do: Write everything in your own words. All ideas, words, data, or images that are not completely your own should be referenced. If you use someone else’s words directly, put it in quotation marks “ ” and say where it is from (e.g. “The rocket went 45% higher with this design.”(Smith, 2025)). If you are talking about someone else’s ideas, work or information, you still need to give them credit and link to where you got the info. We encourage you to use the APA format for your references. Learn more about how to build your list of references (bibliography) and use the APA format here.

2. Make your project your own

• The mistake: Copying someone else’s project idea without making significant modifications or improvements, or letting a mentor (e.g., parent, teacher, expert) do too much of the work.
• What to do: It’s okay to get inspiration from other projects or mentors, but your project must be something you create yourself! If your idea is based on another project, consider asking a different question, adding a new angle and exploring the topic in a new way. If a mentor helps with steps you can’t do (like using special equipment), explain in your logbook exactly what they did and why… but you must do the majority of the project work!

3. Always give credit for photos and diagrams

• The mistake: Adding images, graphs, or figures without saying where they came from.
• What to do: Every photo or diagram in your project should have a caption that explains what it is (e.g. “Photo 1: …”). Also say where it came from, even images you created yourself – you can reference your own name! If people are in your photos, make sure you have their permission to use the photo.

4. Share your results accurately

• The mistake: Leaving out important data or making up results.
• What to do: Always report your data honestly. Your results may not always answer the question you were asking (and that is okay!) but record it all in your logbook anyway. You shouldn’t display raw data on your poster, but it should be in your logbook for judges to see. If you use data from other researchers, cite it properly.

5. Be careful when reusing your old work (self-plagiarism)

• The mistake: Copying parts of a project you’ve submitted before, without saying so.
• What to do: If your project is a continuation of past work, clearly explain what’s new and what was done before. Always write new content –  don’t copy-paste from your old project.

Academic integrity means being honest in your work. Your STEM project should reflect your own ideas, your own words, and your own data, with proper credit given when you use someone else’s work.

For further information, check out Youth Science Canada’s Academic Integrity policy.