Is this really plagerism?

I was accused of plagerising but I didnt really plagerise...I didnt cut and paster everything exactly I changes the words so I didnt put it in quotes because the words arent exact...is this really plagerising (copying)? and not=w im on probation but I...

didnt copy word for word I just changes the words into different words with the same meaning and they said that I plagerised...

I learned that even if you paraphrase you need to have a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence.

like using the thesaurus?
no thats not.

Did you submit your paper with digital media, like to turnitin.com or something similar? Because generally, if the program picks up a hit they've found it somewhere online. Most schools have a policy that anything of 25% is considered to be plagiarized.

If they just looked at a paper copy and didn't run it through a plagerism program of some sort, that would be a bit suspicious. Either way, if you're on probation chances are you won't be able to get out of it. Just be more careful and don't take sentences. Use ideas and re-write them completely. Changing words isn't enough.

well if you put in your own words and you actually knew what you were saying, then it's not plaguirism.

technically it's not, and I don't think you should get punished for it, but the accusation is understandable. I think all that should hapen is that they ask you to do it over, and you can paraphrase the info.

This will be easy if you have the essay in digital form

It is plagiarism, you need to cite everything, even if it isnt exactly. It isnt your work. It is someone elses...