It is known that plagiarism is an unethical practice in the academic industry. Copy-pasting someone else’s work without proper citations is a serious offense that might jeopardize your academics. Despite the harsh penalties, plagiarism in colleges is still rampant. Fortunately, you can learn tricks from this article to avoid getting caught. Read on to gain more insight into how to plagiarize successfully.
What is Plagiarism? Definition
Plagiarism is copying another person’s work and claiming it as your original work. Whether the material is published or unpublished, using the work is considered plagiarism if you don’t cite the original owner. Usually, plagiarism can be avoided by citing copied information or thorough paraphrasing.
What is the Difference between Plagiarism and Copyright?
Many people need clarification on the terms plagiarism and copyright violation. The primary difference between the terms is that plagiarism is mostly an ethical concern, while copyright violation is a legal matter.
As stated above, plagiarism is presenting work that is not yours with the aim of cheating. In contrast, copyright is where you use copyright-protected material without the patent holder’s consent.
Plagiarism and copyright are similar because both practices presuppose using other people’s work without authorization.
What is Considered Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is common in colleges and universities, and many students often get caught. Apart from academics, plagiarism is also found in the entertainment industry. People steal movie ideas or songs from other scriptwriters or musicians. However, many associate plagiarism with essays, term papers, research papers, and other academic papers.
Learners who lift information online or duplicate essays hope their professor will not find out. But many are caught because the papers pass through plagiarism checker tools like Turnitin or its analog. Let us take a look at what is considered plagiarism in academics:
- Incorporating someone else’s work and presenting it as your own (if you downloaded information directly from the Internet and used it in your paper).
- Copying and pasting certain paragraphs, even if a major part is your original work. In such a case, your paper will show a specific percentage of the copied content, depending on the paragraphs you plagiarized.
- Duplicating one sentence in a specific paragraph. No matter how small the text, the plagiarism checker tools will detect unoriginal content.
- Lifting information from different academic sources without citing the owners is also considered plagiarism.
All the above cases qualify as plagiarism since you have used other people’s work on purpose and claimed it to be yours. It doesn’t matter if it is a simple sentence or one paragraph. You will still get severe punishments for plagiarism.
Self-plagiarism Definition
This is another type of plagiarism that happens when you decide to reuse your own work on a new publication. It can entail:
- Resubmitting academic papers.
- Duplicating or paraphrasing sections of your essay.
- Publishing the same research articles separately on different platforms.
However, there are situations where students who did not copy any information online find their work has plagiarism issues. It could be because of accidental plagiarism, which is also an academic crime. But how does it happen? Let us find out in the next section.
How to Avoid Accidental Plagiarism
Which of the following does your textbook recommend as a way to keep from plagiarizing? While you might think you are avoiding plagiarism, you must also be keen not to get caught.
Here are ways you can avoid accidental plagiarism:
- Rewriting text
When it comes to rewriting texts, ensure you apply top-notch writing skills. Using synonyms and changing sentence structure might not be enough. There are detection tools like Turnitin that will immediately pick your rewritten sentences, resulting in plagiarism claims.
- Writing ideas in your words
You should write copied ideas into your own words to avoid accidental plagiarism. But be careful not to overuse this rephrasing tip.
- In-text citations
While direct quotes in your research paper are acceptable, you might be a victim of accidental plagiarism without proper formatting of those quotes. Only use direct quotes if it is necessary, as most professors ask for direct quotes not to exceed 10% of your text.
Follow these tips if you don’t want to be a victim of accidental plagiarism. Besides, there are some proven ways to plagiarize and walk scot-free without getting caught by your professor or instructor.
How to Plagiarize Without Getting Caught
As a student, you might find yourself in a fix, facing plagiarism claims from your tutor. You must understand the concept of crafting new content within the same subject. The tips below will help you write authentic sentences without content duplication.
Add Adverbs and Adjectives
One of the best methods to use during your composition is to include adverbs and adjectives. This trick confuses the detection tool and passes your document as the original. If the words you have added are not found in the source article, the text will come out as a unique document.
Alter the Word Order
Don’t copy word by word from the source document. The sentences shouldn’t be an exact analog to prevent the detection tool from flagging your work. You need to alter the order of words in your new document. It is a challenging option, but eventually, it will work out.
Avoid Copying Exact Words
As mentioned above, avoid copying the same words into your academic paper. It is advisable to use synonyms and change the overall sentence structure to avoid plagiarizing your work. If you must copy, quote the words in the first sentence and proceed with content presentation in your words. Ensure you incorporate proper citations even for reworded materials.
Write Short Sentences
Another tip to avoid getting caught is to write short sentences. If you compose long sentences without pauses, the chances of plagiarizing your work are high. The plagiarism checker tool will detect copied content on your paper.
Use a Different Sentence Structure
Make sure you alter the sentence structure in your new composition. The sentences shouldn’t be similar to the original document. Using this option will guarantee a plagiarism-free paper.
Add Your Opinion
Even if you are copying someone else’s work, the trick lies in making it seem original. You can make your text authentic by including your opinion. It makes the work more unique with a personal touch. Your professor won’t know that you used another person’s idea. Besides, plagiarism checker tools will not detect copied information in your paper.
Paragraph Re-arranger Tools
Suppose you are stuck and don’t know how to paraphrase copied text. You can use a word re-arranger for essays to get customized text. The re-arranger tools are accessible online to help you change the order of paragraphs or sentences. The best about them is that most are free. You can research further to find the best tool to assist you during challenging situations when you have an urgent paper to submit.
How To Paraphrase Without Plagiarizing
Paraphrasing is rewriting text using different words to explain a similar concept. You can use the paraphrasing idea to craft a new document. But you must be careful not to use close synonyms or follow the same sentence structure that might plagiarize your work.
Another way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your work properly, especially if you use direct quotes. Craft your text using different words to submit an original paper.
How To Summarize An Article Without Plagiarizing
Before summarising, you should carefully read the original document to pinpoint the main ideas. Ignore the unimportant concepts in the article to avoid copying irrelevant information. Write the summary in your own words to avoid plagiarism.
Make sure you cite the original author by incorporating an in-text citation as well as a full reference in the bibliography. It will help your readers to locate the source easily.
What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?
Many students don’t know what to say when caught plagiarizing their academic papers. If you are a student, the first step is to apologize to your professor for the grave mistake immediately. Sit down with your instructor and understand why you have been flagged and the consequences.
Let s explore some of the repercussions of plagiarism:
- Grade penalty or zero marks.
- Failed course.
- Academic expulsion.
- Strained relationship with your tutor.
- Flawed academic reputation.
Therefore, remember that plagiarism is a serious academic crime that might compromise your education. So, if you must copy and paste any information into your papers, ensure you do it right to avoid these repercussions.
Conclusion
There are many tips you can adopt to avoid getting entangled in plagiarism cases as a student. Use multiple sources in your research paper for best essay writing. Using one source might result in plagiarism because it will be easier to trace the source.
Furthermore, don’t plagiarize information from authoritative sources because you might land yourself in legal battles, and it won’t be easy to justify your reasons. Lastly, make sure you paraphrase copied work carefully. Alter the sentence structure and words to make the text unique. Following the above tips will make you a pro at plagiarizing content without getting caught.
