Which of the following is NOT a form of plagiarism?

The reason why the choice about using another's idea word for word, even if the original source is credited, is not considered a form of plagiarism lies in the understanding of proper citation practices. When you use someone else's ideas and give appropriate credit to the original author through correct citation – such as quotation marks for verbatim text and a proper reference – you are acknowledging their intellectual property and thereby not committing plagiarism.

Plagiarism typically occurs when individuals fail to credit the source of their ideas or text, leading to misattribution of authorship. Therefore, using a source's exact wording with proper citation is acceptable academic practice. In contrast, the other options involve forms of academic misconduct by either failing to credit sources adequately or by misrepresenting another's work. This distinction is crucial for maintaining academic integrity in writing and research.