Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words or ideas without crediting the original author. This can be either deliberate or mostly unintentional. Since academic papers and essays are usually built upon the work of others by using various credible sources for evidence and other information, academic writings should be more carefully checked for plagiarism, even if you get an assignment writer service to help with your work.
Keep Track Of Your Sources
The most common ways students commit plagiarism is by now keeping track of the sources or forgetting where the idea came from, thus unintentionally presenting it as their own. This can be avoided by keeping your notes organized and listing the various citations as you proceed. Make clear labeling of thoughts that are yours and which aren’t. Also, highlight statements that need citations, and mark any text copied directly from a source with quotation marks. Get an assignment writer service which prioritizes all these things.
Manage your Sources Carefully
Ensure you note down the full details of every source you use. This will include everything from books, journal articles, magazine articles, websites, and videos. Writing this down will make it easy for you to go back and check where you have extracted a fact, phrase, or idea you want to add to your essay.
Avoid Plagiarism When Quoting
Quoting refers to copying a piece of text word for word. Ensure you introduce the copied text in your own words, which should be enclosed in quotation marks and appropriately attributed to the original author. Using quotations is appropriate when you are analyzing the use of language in the original text, using an exact definition as introduced by the original author, you want to maintain the authority and style of the author’s words, and when you can’t rephrase the original text without changing the meaning. Long quotations should be marked with block quotes, while it is better to paraphrase them for longer ones.
Avoid Plagiarism When Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is using your own words to explain something from a source. But note that it is not just switching a few words from a copy-pasted text. So, to avoid plagiarism and paraphrasing properly, make sure that you rewrite the author’s point in your own words. This will show that you have fully understood the concept.
Cite Your Sources Correctly
Each time you add quotations or paraphrase, ensure that you include a footnote citation or an in-text, clearly identifying the original author. Take care that each citation corresponds to a full reference in the bibliography or reference list at the end of your essay or paper. This helps acknowledge the source of your information, thus avoiding plagiarism, and helps your readers locate the source for themselves. Citations can be done in many styles, each with its own rules. MLA, APA, and Chicago are some of the most common types. Whether your instructor assigns a particular style for your work or you choose your own style, the important thing is to be consistent with one style throughout the text. If you are quoting multiple sources in one sentence, you will need to cite them separately so that it is clear which text has come from which source.
Use A Plagiarism Checker Tool
Potential plagiarism can be detected by using plagiarism checkers, which scan your document, compare it to a database of web pages and publications, and then highlight the passages that appear similar to other texts. These tools can be used to fix any instances of potential plagiarism easily. It is best to consider plagiarism checkers before handing over your work as it will allow you to identify issues that could lead to unintentional plagiarism, like missing quotation marks, misplaced or forgotten citations, and paraphrased material that is too similar to the original text.
Give Credit Where It Is Due
Even if you have inserted quotation marks around a copied passage, you can still commit plagiarism if you rely on someone else’s ideas or words without giving due credit to the person. Even if you have successfully paraphrased the original sentence, you still need to cite the original source to clarify that it is not your personal insight but someone else’s observation.
Beware Of ‘Cut & Paste’
When researching on the Internet, many of us have the habit of cutting and pasting the text of useful information into the text document and then using it as the basis of our work. This can be risky since you may mix your original writing with the copied material. Even if you are doing this, make sure you put the reproduced material in quotation marks and clearly indicate the source. You may even put the copied text in a different font or color so that you can easily identify it.
To Conclude
Plagiarism can have many harmful consequences, like academic integrity, penalties, loss of productivity, and cancellation, which can create difficult student situations. Hence, make sure that you follow the above precautions to avoid such consequences.
