4. If the original source simply cannot be found, it is acceptable to say “As someone has once said … ” (Most sources, however, can be found. For online searches, www.google.com is indispensable. You might also try the new “Search Inside the Book” feature at Amazon.)
5. Restatements, in your own words, of the positions of general movements do not necessarily require citation. For example, it is OK to say, “Calvinism holds X” without detailing the history of the movement or even discussing its historical origins in general. However, a restatement of the Calvinist position that follows the structure or outline or unique wording of someone else’s prior work on Calvinism would require citation.
6. The preaching of another’s sermon is usually a bad idea, but is not plagiarism if the original author is clearly cited.
7. To base the structure of your sermon on someone else’s sermon, but to use your own words, is plagiarism. The author on whose work you are basing the structure of your sermon would need to be cited.
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