How To Avoid Plagiarism (Copy And Paste) In Research Writing
Reference & Education → College & University
- Author Etido James
- Published February 25, 2019
- Word count 569
What really is plagiarism? Plagiarism according to Wikipedia is the use of another person’s ideals/words and tries to pass them off as yours. It is hence" a wrongful appropriation" of another person’s thoughts, expressions, idea or languages as your own origin idea.
Another word for plagiarism is academic dishonesty and it constitutes a breach of academic ethics and can attract penalties which may include suspension or expulsion from school. Most schools do not joke with the crime of plagiarism that explains why they invest heavily in explaining to their students the ills of plagiarism.
Plagiarism can be in difference forms which include direct plagiarism (this involves taking another authors’ thought and expressions word to word without citing the author properly; another one is self-plagiarism ( this involves taking your own ideas from your previous published work and submit it as a current work without proper citation); another form of plagiarism is mosaic plagiarism (this constitute quoting ones idea/work intentionally avoiding quotation marks or even replacing someone’s idea with synonyms just to keep the structure and meaning of the idea) and finally we have accidental plagiarism (which involves misquoting, paraphrasing or forgetting to cite a source without acknowledging the source).
In academics, plagiarism is a serious offence such that there are lots of softwares used to detect a plagiarized work which have been adopted by many academic institutions. These softwares include the Turnitin, plagiarism checker X, Grammarly, etc. Hence, the need for research students to follow the following steps to avoid being booked for plagiarism while submitting their research outputs. These steps include:
i. Quote and Paraphrase Properly: whenever you use ideals relevant for your paper, it is advisable you read the idea and use your own word in presenting the idea. Avoid copying more than two words in a row verbatim unless you use quotation marks and when using quotation marks, quote exactly the way it appears in the work. Do not misquote an author and do not quote more than 40 words and make sure you cite every quote appropriately and recall that citing a quote usually involves adding a page or paragraph number.
ii. Make Sure You Cite You Own Material: if you use a material from your previous published paper, ensure you cite yourself properly. This may sound funny, but, self-plagiarism is a serious offence in the academic word, so, cite your paper as you would cite another person’s paper.
iii. Reference Properly: one of the major ways to avoid being penalized for plagiarism is to include a reference section in your assignments or research papers. This section must conform with any of the established/adopted referencing style for the institution you are writing for. The difference referencing styles include APA, Harvard, MLA, etc. The reference section shows the names of the authors cited, their date of publication, tile of their work and the publisher of the work.
iv. Finally check your work for plagiarism: after writing your paper or assignment, it is advisable that before you submit the work, you check the work’s similarity index using a good tool for plagiarism check. One of such good tool and the most widely used is the Turnitin, you can as well Google some of other free tools online. But make sure you check all your works to avoid being penalized for plagiarism. Plagiarism can take you to prison in some sane crimes.
Rate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- The Science (and Mystery) of Free Will: With Implications for Determinism, Morality and Law
- The Mystery of Gravity: An Exercise of the Imagination
- The Jewish Lobby
- Is college worth it?
- Biology in the Bible: Evolution in the Garden of Eden
- From Hand to Mouth: The Happenstance of Human Language Origins
- Uncovering Social Engineering: Shielding Your Digital Strongholds
- Pitfalls in IELTS exams
- Study of Bacterial Mastitis in Dairy Cattle of Pokhara Valley, Kaski Nepal.
- What is the best college counseling service for Ivy League schools?
- Are college admissions coaches worth it?
- How do I choose a college admissions counselor? — The Ivy Institute
- The Ivy Institute Recognized in “15 Best Ivy League Blogs and Websites” by Feedspot
- Reviews of The Ivy Institute Come in the Form of Acceptance Letters!
- What is Harvard looking for? Why this question is a student’s biggest mistake. — The Ivy Institute
- Do you need a college admissions consultant?
- Five digits may change admissions: Will zip codes become the new affirmative action? — The Ivy Institute
- Essay: Wave/Particle Theory Revisited: In Support of de Broglie's Model
- The South China Sea: Navigating a Geopolitical Hotspot
- Reasons to Get a Roommate: Enhancing Your Living Experience
- Rural Realities: iLembe District's Struggle with Technological Disparity
- Tips for managing funds effectively for college students
- AN ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS SPECIAL SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMMES IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA
- What happens after graduation from the Higher Institution of Learning?
- What You Need To Have Before Graduating College
- Best Scholarships for Women in USA
- College Scholarships Essay tips
- History of Texas A&M University
- Essay: Brain Genesis and the Frontal Cortex : An Approach/Avoidance Model
- Campus Involvement on College Campuses