“If you steal from one author it's plagiarism; if you steal from many it's research.” - Wilson Mizner
Research is critical towards a good argument and it usually builds on the work of others in the field. Responsible research means knowing how to avoid plagiarism at all costs.
The world of academia is filled with essays, dissertations, homework, and assignments where students and learners are required to research. Unfortunately, plagiarism is rife in this world too, but what is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is when people copy and paste the work that they find. Avoiding plagiarism means that you will need to rephrase, rewrite and credit the author in your bibliography.
Unfortunately, with the availability of content on the internet, an article on how to avoid plagiarism is important because it happens a lot, sometimes it is intentional and sometimes it is not. So how can plagiarism be avoided?
The first thing to remember is that you can reference someone else’s work. This is basic intellectual integrity. On the other hand, if you are unsuccessful in avoiding plagiarism, the consequences could also be huge.
Are you searching how can plagiarism be avoided? If your academic reputation is important and you want to make sure that you know how to avoid plagiarism, keep reading.
What is Plagiarism?
Throughout your academic career, you will be given assignments and homework that depends on research and crediting your sources.
In short, plagiarism is when you copy someone else’s work and then try to pass it off as your own. Whether this is done on purpose or by accident, you could run the risk of cheating and having your work invalidated.
From a legal perspective, plagiarism is a topic that falls under copyright. In a nutshell, by taking someone else’s work and representing it as your own, you are infringing on what is known as copyright.
In its harshest form, plagiarism is pretending that someone else’s work is your own because you have lacked to credit them as a source of your research. Many students don’t see this as an issue, but it is an important ethical issue.
In avoiding plagiarism be sure to reference or source the following:
- Images
- Illustrations and diagrams
- Quotes
- Ideas
- Websites
- Passages from an original text
- Documents
Avoiding Plagiarism: Common Mistakes
There are a number of ways to plagiarise: You could copy something verbatim, rephrase it as an idea as though it’s your own, or submit work that was not even done by you at all.
You should never do any of this, and it is worth noting that regarding national exams, suspicions of plagiarism are taken seriously and consequences are severe.
So how can plagiarism be avoided?
Ask yourself - are these words mine? If not, how do I reference the author?
Of course, coincidences do happen, and if you have a plagiarism checker your work could be flagged as plagiarised. Also, remember that even if the words are your own, you will need to ask yourself whether the ideas are too.
To be on the safe side, always cite your references because knowing how to prevent plagiarism means more than simply copying words directly. So if you’re wondering how plagiarism can be avoided, make sure that you take note of these important techniques.
- Using exact words from someone else’s work and then presenting it as your own.
- Copying and pasting content in order to rewrite it.
- Placing direct quotations into your work without distinguishing the two.
- Taking information from multiple places without referencing your source.
- Paying someone else to do your work and then submitting it under your own name.
By now, you should have a good idea of how to avoid plagiarism, if not keep reading or searching how can plagiarism be avoided.
Referencing in Research
You could have the best digital plagiarism checker tool out there to make sure that you are not directly copying work, but don’t make the mistake of not referencing your sources.
Adequately referencing your sources in academic research is important. One way of avoiding plagiarism is to try and build your reference list or bibliography as you go instead of trying to do it all at the end.
If you want to know how to prevent plagiarism, make sure that you mention every source in your bibliography whether it’s from a magazine, book, newspaper, or another academic paper.
Besides using a plagiarism checker like the one in Grammarly, if you use somebody else’s work or ideas, as a rule of thumb, always include the correct referencing format next to it and this will help you when it comes to how to prevent plagiarism.
In addition, create a bibliography at the end of your project. Today, there are many digital resources to help you create and manage references. They can make referencing much easier and will help you immensely when it comes to how to prevent plagiarism.
Have you read our guide on the best homework websites out there?
Crediting the Original Author
Educators agree that quality sources produce excellent research. Every student should be in the habit of crediting an original author as this is something that will contribute to your overall mark.
Next time you read an academic paper, notice how this is done.
Fortunately, it is possible to find a plagiarism checker that will also help you with your referencing.
Here are three tips for academic referencing:
- List your sources in a bibliography that includes the author’s name, the title of the original work, and the year it was published.
- Direct quotes should always be placed in quotation marks or separated from the main body of your text through formatting techniques or in a footnote
- Regardless of the above measures, make sure that everything is included in a bibliography at the end too.
If you need extra help, most teachers will be familiar with the type of referencing that the establishment accepts and which programs can help you. However, different schools and universities prefer different referencing styles so make sure you’re following the right protocol.
There’s a wealth of information on different referencing styles if you need help and, of course, tutors and professors can also guide you through it.
Managing Your References
Here are a few tips to ensure excellent referencing.
- Use software to help you manage your references.
- Include in-text references in your body copy or as a footnote as soon as you rephrase another author’s work.
- Follow the preferred format of your academic institution.
- Only cite reputable and relevant references.
There’s no doubt about it, methodical referencing is by the far the best ways for how to prevent plagiarism.
Using a Plagiarism Checker
You should always check for plagiarism in all work that you’re planning on submitting. As already mentioned, academic institutions take plagiarism very seriously.
Keep in mind that almost anything you submit will probably be checked for plagiarism.
Fortunately, there are many free online tools to help you double-check that your work will not be flagged as plagiarism. If you have inadvertently forgotten to cite a reference or made a mistake somewhere, you will have the opportunity of picking it up before incriminating yourself!
Many universities make use of digital plagiarism-checking software. Not only can these tools check that work is original, but they can also pick up where quotes originate from and even if your referencing is correct. If the software is licenced, some institutions will allow students access to help them.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with your professors if you have any doubts regarding the authenticity of your work. It is simply not worth the consequences of having your work branded as plagiarised whether it happened accidentally or on purpose.
Fortunately, there are free tools that can help you to avoid being disciplined for accidental plagiarism. More advanced tools come with free trials so that you can check them out before investing. Imagine failing your course due to the fact that your university’s plagiarism checker flagged your work as unoriginal.
For anyone who needs extra support when it comes to learning how to research or doing homework and assignments, private homework tutors like those found on Superprof are an excellent solution.
On Superprof there are literally thousands of experienced tutors on just about every academic topic imaginable. From foreign languages, maths, and science to music and art, the choices are endless. You could use the website’s location tool to find someone near to you, or opt to receive support online with a tutor from somewhere else in South Africa or even abroad.
One of the benefits of using Superprof is that in many cases you could receive your upfront lesson for free which will help you to find out more about the tutor’s background and plan to help you as well as imparting your own goals for needing support.
So, have we answered your question: how can plagiarism be avoided?
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