How to Avoid Plagiarism

If you get something that is not yours and claim it as your own, that’s stealing. And that’s a crime. Now, it’s not just objects or tangible items that one can steal. Other people steal ideas as well. That’s the reason why we have these patents and trademarks for breakthrough ideas like inventions and innovations. And it doesn’t stop there. Even written content can be stolen from you. To date, a lot of people commit or are victims of plagiarism. For some, they define it as simply copying one’s work. But there is more to that and that’s what we will expound in this post. So how to avoid plagiarism? Read on to find out.

What is Plagiarism?  

Again, plagiarism isn’t just copying one’s literary work. It is a serious offense and you have to understand its repercussions. It’s a tricky concept. In fact, a lot of people might not be aware that they are already committing the offense. Or on the other side of the spectrum, someone out there might be using your content without due referencing. It’s an act of fraud – nothing less. If you commit plagiarism, you are stealing and lying at the same time as you claim it to be your own. 

Consequences of Copying Someone’s Work 

What can happen if you commit plagiarism? What are its long-term effects? 

Wrecked Reputation 

First of all, you will have a tarnished reputation. If you are a student or already a professional, plagiarized work will never look good on your record. It would be hard to get accepted at an Ivy League University or to get a decent job. 

Legal Impact 

We did mention that plagiarism is a serious offense. In fact, if proven, you can get a prison sentence. If you write regularly, then you must take all necessary precautions to avoid copying any written work. In addition, this can also have huge monetary implications. Both of which, we are sure you want to avoid. 

How to Avoid Plagiarism 

So how can you avoid plagiarizing others’ work? 

Learn How to Paraphrase 

Let’s just say that you found the best information for your article or for your research paper. You should avoid copying it word per word. Instead, read it thoroughly, understand the entire context, and write it using your own words.

Follow the Right Citation Format 

If it is necessary to use the exact wordings for your research or for your academic paper, you can still do that. But remember to use the right citation. Take note that there are different citation formats or styles. 

We have the American Psychological Association style or APA which is used for Sciences, Psychology, and Education. And then we have the Modern Language Association style or MLA that is used for Humanities. Lastly, there is the Chicago/Turabian style commonly used for Fine Arts, History, and Business. 

It is recommended that you consult with a professional to validate which style is appropriate for your research paper. 

Quoting  

When you quote someone, make sure that you quote them as it is. No more and no less.  

Using Links 

Writing and publishing online is now easy. But that also increases the rate of plagiarized works. If you write online, whether it is for your personal blog or for companies, always link it back to your original online source.   

Check if Your Work is Plagiarized 

It is easy to validate if your work is plagiarized or not. There are a number of online tools that gives you instant results. Some of the tools are paid, while others are free. You can try the following: 

• Copyscape 
• Plagiarism checker by Small SEO Tools 
• Grammarly 
• Unicheck

Regardless if you are writing an academic paper, scientific research, or a blog post, you must check if your work is free from plagiarism. 

Controversial Plagiarism Stories

Have you ever wondered what the biggest plagiarism controversies over the years were? If you want to know how to avoid plagiarism, don’t do what these famous people did:

Martin Luther King Jr 

Surprising, isn’t it? The civil rights leader was accused of plagiarism a couple of times. In 1955, it was said that Martin Luther King Jr defended a dissertation that has plagiarized content. When his papers were donated to Stanford University, the group assigned to organize the files found out that there were plagiarized parts in the dissertation. He also received allegations of stealing ideas for his speech, “I Have a Dream.”

According to one article, if King’s recognitions and accomplishments were academe-related, the plagiarism allegations would have been a massive issue. But since he chose a different path, a leader of civil rights, then the issue only impacted a very minute part of his life. 

Lisa Rein of The Washington Post 

In 2016, The Washington Post issued an editor’s note. This was about the three articles that have duplicated contents found from Government Executive. Lisa apologized for what happened and addressed it to the Government Executive and of course, her readers. It was really a hit on her career. The Government Executive was pleased that the issue was acknowledged as soon as possible. 

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari

When Muhammadu Buhari addressed his nation, a lot of people noticed that one of his passages was directly copied from President Obama. When the news broke out, President Buhari immediately apologized. The responsible person was also relieved from work. It didn’t affect the president’s reputation that much. But we can clearly see how plagiarism can make or break one’s career. 

Shaun King of The New York Daily News 

A couple of years ago, Shaun King was fired from The New York Daily News as he used content found in The Daily Beast. But the story became more interesting when King revealed his side using Twitter and proved that he did not plagiarize.

It was found out that his editor made the mistake when he removed the sources or references before publishing. Of course, the editor was immediately fired from the position. This now becomes a lesson for all writers out there to save all copies of your original work.  

Melania Trump 

Melania Trump has her fair share of controversies and this includes the speech she delivered at the Republican National Convention. But it was found out that the speech was very similar to what Michelle Obama used in 2008. Trump’s speechwriter wanted to resign but Trump did not accept it. 

If you are writing a speech for someone, you have to do your research when writing, and again cite your references. This is to save the embarrassment for both you and the speaker.

Conclusion 

Plagiarism is rampant but can be avoided if you are careful. Now that you know the basics on how to avoid plagiarism, you can now write fresh and original content. Now, if you plan to write for public consumption, make sure that it is free from copied passages. Otherwise, use proper referencing, citation, or links. Again, a lot is at stake and one error can kill your entire career or company for that matter. If you want to avoid such, you can work with reliable writers for your content needs.