How to avoid plagiarism Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas without properly crediting the original author. Sometimes plagiarism involves deliberately stealing someone’s work, but often it happens accidentally, through carelessness or forgetfulness. When you write an academic paper, you build upon the work of others and use various sources for information and evidence. To avoid plagiarism, you need to correctly incorporate these sources into your text. Follow these four steps to ensure your paper is free from plagiarism: 1. 2. 3. 4. Keep track of the sources you consult in your research. Paraphrase or quote from your sources (and add your own ideas). Credit the original author in an in-text citation and reference list. Use a plagiarism checker before you submit. Plagiarism can have serious consequences, so make sure to follow these steps for every paper you write. Table of contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Keep track of your sources Quote and paraphrase Cite the original source Use a plagiarism checker Plagiarism prevention checklist Free lecture slides Frequently asked questions about avoiding plagiarism https://youtu.be/Uk1pq8sb-eo https://youtu.be/hhD4xaGAcRs Step 1: Keep track of your sources While you’re doing research and taking notes for your paper, make sure to record the source of each piece of information. One way that students commit plagiarism is by simply forgetting where an idea came from and unintentionally presenting it as their own. You can easily avoid this pitfall by keeping your notes organized and compiling a list of citations as you go. Keep track of every source you consult—that includes not only books and journal articles, but also things like websites, magazine articles, and videos. Then you can easily go back and check where you found a phrase, fact, or idea that you want to use in your paper. Step 2: Quote and paraphrase While writing your paper, if you want to share an idea or a piece of information from a source, you must either paraphrase or quote the original text. Quoting Quoting means copying a piece of text word-for-word. The copied text must be introduced in your own words, enclosed in quotation marks, and correctly attributed to the original author: According to Cronon, the concept of wilderness is a cultural invention: “Far from being the one place on earth that stands apart from humanity, it is quite profoundly a human creation—indeed, the creation of very particular human cultures at very particular moments in human history” (1995, p. 69). Paraphrasing Paraphrasing means using your own words to explain something from a source. It allows you to give only the most important information from a passage. Original text “Go back 250 years in American and European history, and you do not find nearly so many people wandering around remote corners of the planet looking for what today we would call ‘the wilderness experience.’ As late as the eighteenth century, the most common usage of the word ‘wilderness’ in the English language referred to landscapes that generally carried adjectives far different from the ones they attract today. To be a wilderness then was to be ‘deserted,’ ‘savage,’ ‘desolate,’ ‘barren’—in short, a ‘waste,’ the word’s nearest synonym. Its connotations were anything but positive, and the emotion one was most likely to feel in its presence was ‘bewilderment’ or terror” (Cronon, 1995, p. 70). Plagiarized text What today we would call the wilderness experience was not always so popular. As late as the eighteenth century, ‘wilderness’ in English most commonly referred to landscapes that carried far different adjectives than today, such as deserted, desolate, and barren. “Waste” was the word’s nearest synonym. It had negative connotations rather than positive ones, and was associated with emotions like bewilderment and terror (Cronon, 1995, p. 70). Paraphrased text What today we would call the wilderness experience was not always so popular. As late as the eighteenth century, ‘wilderness’ in English most commonly referred to landscapes that carried far different adjectives than today, such as deserted, desolate, and barren. “Waste” was the word’s nearest synonym. It had negative connotations rather than positive ones, and was associated with emotions like bewilderment and terror (Cronon, 1995, p. 70). In the paraphrased example, the author’s main point has been rephrased and condensed; the order of information and the sentence structure have been changed. In the plagiarized example, even though the text is not identical, many of the same phrases have been used, and the information is presented in the same order with the same structure. Even with a citation, this passage would very likely be flagged as plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism when paraphrasing, you need to make sure that your text isn’t too similar to the original. Paraphrasing vs. quoting In general, paraphrasing is better than quoting, especially for longer passages. It shows that you have fully understood the meaning of the original text, and ensures that your own voice is dominant in your paper. Quotes are appropriate when: You are using an exact definition introduced by the original author It is impossible for you to rephrase the original text without losing its meaning You want to maintain the authority and style of the author’s words Whether you paraphrase or quote, always build on your sources by adding your own ideas, interpretations and arguments. Step 3: Cite the original source Every time you quote or paraphrase, you must include an in-text citation (or footnote citation) that identifies the original author. It often also includes the publication year and a page number. Each in-text citation must correspond to a full reference in the reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper. This details exactly where the information came from, allowing your readers to locate the source for themselves. There are many different citation styles, and each one has its own rules for citing. Some of the most common include APA, MLA and Chicago Style. The most important thing is to apply one style consistently throughout the text. APA citation example In-text citation Recent research has shown that plagiarism is an increasingly widespread issue (Smith & Thomas, 2018, pp. 34–36). Reference list entry Smith, T.H., & Thomas, L. (2018). New challenges in higher education. New York, NY: Free Press. Step 4: Use a plagiarism checker Most universities use plagiarism checkers to detect plagiarism in student papers. This technology scans your document, compares it to a huge database of publications and websites, and highlights passages that are overly similar to other texts. You can use a plagiarism checker yourself before submitting your paper. This allows you to identify any parts where you’ve forgotten a citation, left out quotation marks, or included a paraphrase that’s too close to the original text. Then you can follow the steps above to easily fix any instances of potential plagiarism. Avoiding plagiarism When paraphrasing, you have to be careful to avoid accidental plagiarism. This can happen if the paraphrase is too similar to the original quote, with phrases or whole sentences that are identical (and should therefore be in quotation marks). It can also happen if you fail to properly cite the source of the paraphrase. To make sure you’ve properly paraphrased and cited all your sources, you could elect to run a plagiarism check before submitting your paper. Scribbr’s plagiarism checker scans your paper and compares it to a vast database of sources. It highlights any passages that are too similar to another source, even when the structure has been changed or synonyms used. Read more about the best plagiarism checkers for students in our in-depth comparison. Checklist: Plagiarism prevention When using someone else’s exact words, I have properly formatted them as a quote. When using someone else’s ideas, I have properly paraphrased, expressing the idea completely in my own words. I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source. Every source I cited is included in the reference list. I have consistently followed the rules of my required citation style. I have not committed self-plagiarism by using (parts of) a previous paper. I have used a reliable plagiarism checker as a final check. Quiz https://academicintegrity.uoguelph.ca/plagiarism/quiz-plagiarism https://sis.wayne.edu/students/policies/plagiarism-answers http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/exploring-plagiarism-copyrightparaphrasing-1062.html?tab=4#tabs Coming up with all the information you want to include in your paper is no easy task. With that, there are also a lot of rules you have to follow. It is not as simple as simply taking information from a source and including it into your work. Plagiarism is a serious offence and it can result in your paper being thrown out. No one wants that to happen after putting in hours of work. It is equated to stealing, even if you did not do so intentionally. Copying someone else’s work without giving credit is going to end up in disastrous results. You can easily find an article rewriter online and it should help, but there are some other ways you can avoid the issue. Once you understand the necessity of avoiding plagiarism, you stand a better chance at implementing steps to help you stay out of trouble. Here are some of the best tips to help you avoid plagiarism. 1. Start early An easy way to help you avoid plagiarism is to give yourself enough time when writing a paper. It is easy to miss something when you are rushed. Having sufficient time to do your research and pay attention to your content is going to put you miles ahead. When we are under pressure we stand a bigger chance of making unnecessary mistakes. 2. Cite correctly It is one thing to cite your sources, but that won’t mean much if you don’t do it correctly. Make sure you know what the standards are for the paper you are working on and apply it accurately. You might be trying to do the right thing and still get it wrong. 3. Proofread Proofreading is a requirement and it will also help with your plagiarism. You can find the best article rewriter but proofreading your work works. It does not take that much time to scan through your paper and make sure you have cited every source you used. This step is easy to apply and gives results. 4. Quote Another way to give credit is to use quotations when you are directly quoting someone. It really does not take up a lot of time and you want to do it as soon as you write it down. When you quote your references, you won’t be accused of plagiarism. 5. Paraphrase There is a way around using someone else’s work, but you want to still give credit where it’s due. Paraphrasing works well when you reword a sentence without it loosing meaning. You have to write it in your own words and cannot just take out one word and replace it with another. 6. Add Value Do not try to use all information you find in your sources. Try and add some value to the topic by including some of your own insights. This is going to score you better marks anyway. It shows that you understand what you are talking about. You can only do this by researching extensively until you get to a point where all the information clicks. 7. Plagiarism Checker There are a lot of good plagiarism checkers online. I can find the best article rewriter online in a second if I needed to. The same goes for the case to avoid plagiarism. It does not take much to put your work through a checker, just to be sure. 8. Reference Page Another easy way to avoid plagiarism is to include a reference page at the end of your paper. Just add to this list as you do your research and know what you want to include. Do not try to do it when you are done with your paper because it is easy to miss something important. 9. Ask your Teacher Spend some time with your teacher making sure you know the guidelines for the paper you are working on. Sometimes, we can save ourselves so much of time by simply asking. Ask if a reference page or in-text citation is required. This allows you to go into the task prepared. 10. Internet is a Source Just because you found something on the internet and not in a book does not mean you can use the information without citing. Be very careful with this one because it still is someone’s original work. You want to reference or cite the online sources you use in order to avoid plagiarism. Just because you found something on someone’s blog does not mean it’s there for you to use. Plagiarism Quiz 1. "Handing in significant parts or the whole of a paper or article from an author other than myself, granted that I acknowledge that this is from an author other than myself, is not plagiarism." FALSE. Work turned in as your own must be original; that is, it must be composed by you and contain your understanding of your textual or empirical materials. 2. "Common knowledge (composed of facts that can be found in a variety sources and which many people know) does not need to be cited." TRUE. What are examples of "common knowledge"? The earth is round, John F. Kennedy was a president of the United States, it becomes warm as the Spring progresses in the northern hemisphere of the earth, the earth is the third planet from the sun, the French word for the English word "dog" is "chien," etc. 3. "If I change a few words within a section of source text and then use that in my paper, then I am paraphrasing and not plagiarizing." FALSE. You also need to cite the original that you are using. Further, even if you cite it, changing a few insignificant words or changing the word or sentence order can still be plagiarism. If you want to use a passage verbatim (that is, word for word) in order to express each idea in it, then use it verbatim: quote and cite it. 4. "It is best to simply reproduce the text of an authoritative source on a topic if the instructor wants me to give an authoritative view." FALSE. What you are being asked for in a written, academic, paper is the product of your research on a topic. If that research is empirical, your paper involves the results of your empirical research. If that research is more conceptual in nature, it involves your thoughts and interpretations of concepts, including others' thoughts and interpretations. In either case, what you are being asked for is your work and your ideas, not the work and ideas of someone else. 5. "I didn't plagiarize; my paper has quotes all throughout the paper, almost sentence for sentence!" TRUE. You didn't plagiarize, but you demonstrated by your paper that your rhetorical style and your method of argument are immature and/or that you haven't spent the time and effort in thinking through the materials that were your sources. Your grade will reflect this. The paper must be your argument, and you must, indeed, make an argument. 6. "Plagiarism is punishable by failing the assignment." FALSE. It depends on the instructor, the department, and the institution in which the plagiarism occurs. Some institutions expel the student, some instructors fail the student for the course, and yet other instructors fail the student for the assignment. SIS instructors place plagiarism statements in their course syllabi. 7. "I guess that I'll find out if I plagiarize when I do it!" TRUE. However, the awareness of what plagiarism is or is not lies upon the student. Students of library and information science, particularly, are expected to use their research skills to gain this awareness. 8. "If I use, verbatim, a sentence from a source, then I need only to cite it in order to avoid the charge of plagiarism." FALSE. Besides being cited, the sentence needs to have quotation marks around it if it is used verbatim. 9. "It is ok to simply copy and paste sections from Internet sources into my paper." FALSE. Those sources need to be cited, and if verbatim, quoted and cited. Further, simply copying and pasting source materials rarely makes for an argument, much less for a good argument. Internet sources can be unreliable, as well. Better work is expected from undergraduate and graduate students. 10. "It wasn't plagiarism; I just didn't understand what you wanted/what the material was about, and I ran out of time, so that is why all this appears to be plagiarized!" FALSE. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it is, most likely, a duck. It is your responsibility to budget your time and to do a paper worthy of your name and person. Plagiarism is plagiarism; sloppy work is sloppy work. Your name is on that paper. The paper represents who you are. It is your argument for the subject of the class. Be proud of yourself and your work. 11. "My husband/wife/child/parent/friend--or other--helped me with the paper. S/he wrote or rewrote part or all of it in order to make it more interesting, more authoritative or 'smarter.' This wasn't plagiarism-I simply got some help." FALSE. If the work was dual --or more--authored, then you need to have all the names down as to whom the authors are, and since it is likely that only one of you is taking the class, the question comes down to how to reward that effort. Here, plagiarism coincides with academic dishonesty. It is the same as if someone else took a test for you or helped you take a test or did the whole or part of one of your class projects for you. It is plagiarism because you are representing someone else's ideas and efforts as your own. However, light copyediting is not authoring and talking things over with someone is not authoring, unless using that person is misrepresenting your writing ability in the given language or that person is giving you enough original ideas or interpretations so that such make up the thesis and major contents of your paper. Further, if someone does provide key suggestions upon your own, original, argument, then you should have the courtesy to acknowledge he or she in your paper. The key idea here, again, is that your paper should be your argument, your writing, your empirical work and/or conceptual reading of source materials. When doing empirical research, you must work through the experiments, when doing conceptual research, you must think through the source texts. In either case, the writing, thesis, and argument of the paper must be yours. You must be the author. 12. "I had my paper translated into English and have handed that in with just my name. Is that ok?" NO. As number 11, above, if the work is not yours, you must acknowledge it. It may or may not count as plagiarism, depending on the context. But, it most likely will be considered not being academically honest. If it is a translation of your work by someone else, then that person must be acknowledged.
