How to Avoid Plagiarism in Essay - Ultimate Guide

How to Avoid Plagiarism in Essay

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How to Avoid Plagiarism in Essay

Plagiarism has been a hot topic in academics. Students have been reported to steal other people's work, either in assignments or exams. Various rules are outlined to curb plagiarism in the education sector. 

When writing an essay, compiling all the facts about it is not easy. You must gather information from various sources and write a presentable paper. As you write, you need a lot of creativity to present the information as original as possible. Using someone else content as your own is unethical, and that's why you need to learn how to avoid plagiarism in an essay.

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 Learn how not to plagiarize your essay. We will discuss various tips on how to avoid plagiarism and types of plagiarism and answer frequently asked questions.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism means using someone else content as your own without giving them credit. For example, you can copy-paste the content or paraphrase their idea without acknowledging them. So, plagiarism means using a published idea, expression, word, and image as yours. This action is considered academic theft or copyright infringement.

Depending on the information you will apply, either exact words or paraphrasing, there are several types of plagiarism, as discussed below. But before then, let’s explore ways of avoiding plagiarism.

So what kind of assignment do you have? Is it a research paper? Learn a few tips on how to write a research paper. This guide will help you present quality content and avoid plagiarism.

1. Start Your Research Early

When you allocate enough time for your research, you can easily read and interpret the content. Doing thorough research will help you to avoid plagiarism and be creative with your ideas. But when you are under pressure, it's easy to copy or even lift others' ideas just to hit the timelines without paying attention to copyright issues.   Again, you also have a chance of making mistakes by quoting the wrong references, which is still plagiarism.

Consider this technique to avoid wasting your valuable time writing and your work being rejected on plagiarism grounds. First, always make your notes in your own words as your research. Then, later refer to those notes rather than the original paper and this will reduce any chances of plagiarism.

2. Collect Your Sources Together

When researching, you will find various contents that help expound your ideas. To avoid forgetting the correct reference, create a list of the sources. You can store your references in two ways:

  • Use a citation software like Endnote, to manage your citations of the paper
  • Create a list of references and their external links in your essay outline. It will be easy to remember the citations when you list them.

3. Cite the Sources of Your Information Correctly

 As an academic rule, it's crucial to credit the author's work when you borrow an idea. When unsure that certain information needs a citation, it's best to add and let the readers decide if they need more exploration.  

Always use a citation when the idea is similar to your content. Your research will show that you are very thorough and you appreciate other people’s work. Sometimes it's easy to lose track as you write, so ensure you store the correct information in the citation software, such as the author's name, publication date, Title of the work, etc.

Again, ensure you cite the sources per the guidelines of the referencing method. There are various referencing forms, such as Chicago, APA, Harvard, and MLA. All these methods have unique citation rules; thus, you should follow them to avoid an incorrect citation, which is also plagiarism.

You should cite quotations or paraphrased content. For the quotes, use the recommended guidelines for the text you apply. While translating, ensure you understand the ideas in the reference source and then restate them in your unique words. Remember, you don't have to lift word-by-word content. 

Do you want to learn different methods of citations? Then, read our guide on how to write an essay in MLA, APA, Harvard, Chicago, and IEE.

4. Add Value to the Content

As you write an essay, ensure you don’t rely 100% on other people’s ideas. You can apply a unique style or consistent format to showcase your creativity. Add content to the topic that's valuable, like your own insights.

You can achieve this by doing intensive research on the essay. Your readers will know you understand what you are talking about, and thus you build trust in the content.

5. Read Widely on the Same Topic but by Different Authors

Reading will open up your creativity on the subject and also enrich your vocabulary. You will gather various sentence constructions and terminologies for the topic to help you paraphrase them effectively. Ensure that the work you read is of good quality and that the authors are credible to gather the best.

6. Remember to Reference Your Work

You can avoid plagiarism by citing your work if you use it. For example, if there is an idea that you have used in your previous work, a picture, or even a formula, give it credit as you do to other texts.

7. Check Your Document for Plagiarism

Before you submit your work, it's best to pass it through a plagiarism checker. The software will help you determine which sections are plagiarized, and you can correct them in advance. You can use some of the best plagiarism checkers, such as Turnitin and Copyscape.

Are you handling an analytical essay task? Do you want to present an original essay? Then, place an order for our analytical essay writing help for plagiarism-free paper.

Which are the Types of Plagiarism?

 The following are the various types of plagiarism:

  • Complete
  • Self-plagiarism/Auto
  • Direct
  • Mosaic
  • Accidental
  • Source-based
  • Inaccurate Authorship

Complete Plagiarism

It's a type of plagiarism where you submit someone else work as yours. For instance, if you have an essay assignment and you know a friend who did the same essay, you can decide to change the personal details and use them. So, this act is complete plagiarism, where you steal someone else work 100%.

Direct Plagiarism

Direct plagiarism means using the author's work without acknowledgment while maintaining the original expression and structure. This form is almost the same as complete the only difference is the length of the paper plagiarized.

In a complete method, you have plagiarized the paper, while in a direct one, you have plagiarized specific sections. For example, you have copied a few lines or paragraphs from the source without quoting or citing.

Self Plagiarism/Auto

Self-plagiarism applies in the professional and academic sectors. For example, submitting your previous work or some sections as an assignment without the professor's permission is plagiarism. Therefore, incorporating a part of your previous task into the current task is wrong.  

If you are an author, you can't reuse the work you submit to clients because this will affect your reputation. Even if you have the rights to the content, using the same content is not okay; try rephrasing and organizing it differently.

Mosaic Plagiarism

It refers to the type of plagiarism where you borrow phrases without using quotation marks or synonyms. Applying the same structure and meaning as the original phrases is academically unethical. This plagiarism may also be called patchwork, whether intentional or not.  

Accidental Plagiarism

This kind of academic cheating occurs when you fail to cite the sources of the content or cite it incorrectly. That's why learning how to cite any information accurately is essential. Use the appropriate referencing method for the subject.  

This type of plagiarism has the same consequences as other types. So, to avoid any excuses, always pass work through a plagiarism checker before submission. Again, you can also place an order for our services and get a free plagiarism essay.

Source-Based

It can occur when you reference a source that is incorrect or doesn't exist; this is a misleading citation. Source-based plagiarism can still exist when you use a secondary source of information but cite a primary source. Using false information in research is a form of plagiarism which can be an omission of data or incorrect use.

Inaccurate Authorship

This type of plagiarism can occur when there are issues with the content owner. In the first scenario, an author contributes to the content but fails to get credit for it. The second one credits an individual who hasn't contributed to the content.

You can fall prey to this plagiarism if a manuscript is edited by someone else. To avoid this mistake, ensure you acknowledge the contributors at the time of publication.

Which are the Sources of Plagiarism?

Some of the ways you can plagiarize your content are by using the following materials:

  • Using someone else's thoughts, words, and ideas like yours
  • Reusing your previous work or even sections without citing them
  • Copying content from a text, book, webpage, or any other material
  • Copying a code to create a webpage of an app
  • Downloading images, videos, or music that belongs to someone else without acknowledging them
  • Submitting your previous assignments for different classes
  • Using someone else paper that you got online like your own

Which are the Consequences of Plagiarism?

If you commit plagiarism, either intentionally or accidentally, you are liable for the following:

1. Legal Effects 

When you plagiarize your work, you can face legal repercussions that can ruin your academic career. The copyright laws prohibit you from using another person's work without acknowledgment. In addition, the author of the material has the right to sue the plagiarist. So as a student, a journalist, or a professional writer, you should be very vigilant of the copyright laws.

2. Destroyed Reputation

Plagiarism can ruin your academic, student, and professional reputation. First, as a student, you can get suspended or expelled if you steal other people’s work. If students are caught on the first offense, they are suspended from the university. But if the action occurs later, they are likely to be expelled.

As a professional, like a writer, or a journalist, it's unethical to steal others' work. You can be fired or even demoted to a lower position if you belong to an organization. You may also risk ruining your public stature and career, which can be hard to build again.  

3. Monetary Effects

In some cases of plagiarism, an author can sue the plagiarist and ask for monetary reimbursement. So depending on the content you have stolen, the penalty may be higher or even lower.

Why is Plagiarism Bad?

Plagiarism is wrong and amounts to theft. However, there are other reasons why it should be avoided because:

  • It hinders learning and creativity – when you teals ideas from other people, you fail to test your creativity and thus fail to learn.
  • It’s dishonest – plagiarism shows you aren’t honest about your work.
  • Hides the idea’s sources – in academic writing, scholars build on others' ideas, and it is essential for readers to trace the origins. So, when plagiarizing, you deny the readers a chance to explore the ideas.
  • Result in low-quality content – when you steal others' ideas, your work loses value since it's a product of several uncredited sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Plagiarism an Issue in Research?

In academics, plagiarism leads to false or misleading findings. One may copy the wrong data from someone else's work without understanding their topic, leading to incorrect conclusions. Failing to cite others' work is ignoring their contributions to research and taking away their recognition.

How Much Plagiarism Is Allowed in Academic Work?

When writing an original paper, you aim to have zero % plagiarism. However, sometimes it's impossible; you have to borrow some ideas here and there. Furthermore, the acceptable plagiarism level varies with the kind of academic document and institution. For instance, journals can accept a plagiarism level of up to 15%.

Are there Free Plagiarism Checkers that I Can Use Online?

Before submitting your work, it's best to pass it through a plagiarism checker to verify if your work is original. Some of the best free tools you can consider are:

  • Turnitin
  • Grammarly
  • Quetext
  • Plagiarism CheckerX

Sometimes you may need help to paraphrase your content in the plagiarized sections.   Instead of searching for who will rewrite my essay without plagiarizing online, place an order for our academic writing services.

Which are the Three Methods You Can Use to Provide In-text Citations?

  • Endnotes are the texts that appear at the end of a document or even a chapter.
  • Footnotes – these texts appear at the end of a page with numbers at the bottom.
  • Parenthetical citations – the cited phrase appears in parentheses for a quote or even a paraphrased text

You can read our guide to learn how to write footnotes and endnotes.

In a Nut Shell

You have now learned what plagiarism is and different ways of writing plagiarism-free essays. The trick to avoiding plagiarism is learning and practicing the writing art. Again, adhere to all citation style guidelines to present quality papers.

If this process still sounds hectic for you, don’t worry. Instead, please place an order for our rewriting services and write an essay from scratch.

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How to Avoid Plagiarism in Essay - Homeworkmarket

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Melanie is a seasoned writer with more than 8 years of experience. She is passionate about academia and works off the clock to ensure she write the topnotch content for her readers.

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