Plagiarism is a serious offense, since it falls under the legal definition of fraud. It is equivalent to stealing, which could mean lawsuits and penalties. Passing off someone else’s intellectual property as your own is unethical in many ways. It can lead to damaged reputation and career. So, always check your paper for plagiarism before submitting or uploading it, since there are times when content might be accidentally similar to that on another web page or research paper.
Here’s what you can do to ensure that you paper is plagiarism free.
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Use Plagiarism Checkers
To identify potential plagiarism in your content, make use of the free tools available online. They can detect identical and paraphrased content using artificial intelligence. These tools can go through millions of pages, databases, private archives, journals and websites to deliver the most comprehensive results. You can also scan the text to check a paper for plagiarism in multiple languages. In fact, if your publisher has not permitted you to reuse your own previous work, make use of duplicate checker tools. The software can cross check internal documents, without exposing them to others. You do not have to monitor the progress. Huge data files will keep getting processed in the background, while you focus on other important work.
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Paraphrase and Quote
These are two of the safest and simplest ways to escape plagiarism. Rephrase the main points and ideas well, so that they do not appear copied. But you have to make sure that the text is not too closely similar to the original one. So, whether you are sharing a piece or information or an entire idea, write it in your own words. You can change the order of the information for the best results. By quoting from the original source, you can ensure that you give credit to the original authors. Insert quotation marks around any text that you are copying directly. Quoting is acceptable when you are unable to reframe or simply want the style of the original author. Whatever you do, make sure your own ideas stand out through the entire paper vividly.
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Citing the Original Source
Be it maps, research findings, statistics or figures, it is crucial to cite the sources correctly. You need to follow the university/school guidelines for this. The correct way is to mention the full name and the date of the publication. This will allow your readers to reach the original sources, in case they wish to know more. Do not forget to arrange the elements appropriately to prevent any chances of plagiarism. The citation rules for printed and online papers will differ. There are ample websites with templates for you to check how to provide citations.
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Incorporate Original Ideas
Including your own thoughts in the assignment is the best way to ensure originality. This will prevent you from unintentionally presenting content that is not your own. In addition, you will be contributing to human knowledge, without repeating the information. Learn the difference between common knowledge and copyright ones. While the former can be used freely, the latter will require acknowledgements or permission. Lastly, make sure not to reuse you own previous works.
There is no harm in building upon the work of other authors. But make sure you are not committing any illegal act by following these basic guidelines.
