Neutral Point of View (NPOV)
Neutral Point of View means that the article provides information regarding the topic that is free of bias. The article cannot take a side, but instead must explain all sides. This also means that the article cannot read like an advertisement. NPOV is not only one of the five pillars of Wikipedia, it's also a core content policy. Wikipedia is not a soap box.
Wikipedia:Neutral point of view/FAQ
What happens if you don't follow this rule? Users who consistently add their POV to the detriment of an article are penalized. For more information, or to see some example of how the Wikipedia community handles cases like this, check out Wikipedia:Policypedia/NPOV
Plagiarism
Information based on Wikipedia: Plagiarism
You can avoid plagiarism by summarizing source material in your own words followed by an inline citation, or by quoting or closely paraphrasing the source, usually with in-text attribution (adding the author's name to the text) and an inline citation.
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Definitions |
Verbatim text, enclosed by quotation marks or set off by other formatting elements (such as block-indenting) |
Text based on a source, but rephrased in Wikipedia editors' own words |
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Attribution |
Both quotations and paraphrases must be attributed to their sources |
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Verbatim text |
Yes, usually an unedited, exact reproduction of the original source, with any alterations (such as corrections or abridgements) clearly marked as such |
No, the meaning of the original source is faithfully preserved, but is restated with different words |
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Formatting elements |
Yes, quote marks or formatting clearly indicate where the quotation begins and ends |
No, paraphrases are not distinguished from the running text |
Citations
Wikipedia, like many of your professors, require you to cite the sources used when researching a topic you are writing about. However, citing within a Wikipedia article is a little different than citing in a paper for class. For an overview in ensuring you are using a reliable source and citing it appropriately, follow along the Wikipedia Visual Editor. 
Help:Referencing for beginners - this "how-to" guide will help explain why citations are needed, and provide steps to walk you through how to cite in an article.