How to Avoid Plagiarism in Academic Writing: Tools and Best Practices One grave error in scholarly writing, or copying the ideas or the words of another person and failing to acknowledge him or her, is called plagiarism. It is not necessarily done deliberately-it is usually done through carelessness, neglect or through an insufficient mention of a source.
Whether it is in a research paper, assignment, or thesis you will utilise information using the work of other people. That is okay, as long as you indicate the source clearly and reproduce the material the way you understand it.
Following these, you can prevent plagiarism–
Be sure to have a record of the sources consulted on the way to the research
Make reference when paraphrasing or quoting
Along with quoting or paraphrasing, include an in-text reference and a list of references
One should use plagiarism checker prior to submission of work
Act responsibly when using generative AI tools
Do not forget that even accidental plagiarism may be accompanied by severe consequences
Keep a record of your sources
Many times students commit plagiarism because they do not remember which idea they got from where. The simple solution to this is to prepare notes systematically and note down the source at the same time.
Clearly mark in your notes which idea is yours and which is someone else’s. Highlight the facts or claims that need a source and if you are directly copying someone’s sentence, put it in quotation marks
Examples:
- Red – Claim that needs a source
- Blue – Paraphrase or Summary
- Green – Direct Quote
Besides, you should also mention complete details of each source including the book, article you found in a journal, a video, a website and so on. It will be less time consuming to produce a reference list at the end.
Quote sparingly
Quoting involves repeatment of what another person says word to word. Yet before adding it to your own there are three things you must do:
- Introduce the quote with your own words
- Place the sentence in quotation marks
- Name the original author and year/page number (citation)
When is it appropriate to quote?
- When you want to give a definition in its original form
- When changing words might change the meaning
- When you are analyzing the author’s language or style
- When it’s important to keep the author’s words effective
Incorrect example:
In the twenties, the arts and culture clearly thrived in the US with births of radio broadcasting, popular magazines and films.
Correct example:
In the 1920s, “arts and culture undoubtedly flourished” in the US due to “the advent of radio broadcasting, widely circulated magazines and movies” (Thulin, 2021).
Paraphrasing Correctly
Paraphrasing is an act of taking an idea and conveying it in your own words and your own sentence style so that it appears that you completely comprehend it.
Making the changes of a few words and preserving the same sentence structure is incorrect paraphrase.
The proper paraphrase entails rewriting the words and clarity of meaning.
Its harm to wildlife is numerous as the article states, and further, they can also make animals feel full when they are not, thus not eating anymore (Dzombak, 2021).
Incorrect paraphrase: Plastics make animals suffer in numerous ways… animals become artificially full, hence, develop a reduced incentive to eat.
Correct paraphrase: Dzombak (2021) cited that the intake of plastic material may harm internal organs or the animal and leave them with a false sensation of satisfaction, so they cannot continue consuming.
Using sources Appropriately
Where you have quoted or paraphrased the idea of someone else you should:
- In-text citation
- Lastly put the name of the author and year
- conclude a list of references or bibliography
- The most common examples of styles:
- APA (American Psychological Association)
- MLA (Modern Language Association)
- Chicago Style
You should observe the same style throughout the file no matter what your teacher or the institution has set as its rules.
Go through plagiarism checker
Before you hand in your work, go through your work on a quality plagiarism checker.
- Turnitin
- Scribbr
- Grammarly
These tools indicate the sentences that belong to your source, and those that must be altered.
Be responsible with AI instruments
It is possible to use AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, QuillBot) to generate research and ideas, however, remember–
- Published AI-generated content can also be checked by plagiarism detector
- Do not copy-paste AI output without checking and editing
- Always add sources by writing in your own words
Checklist to avoid plagiarism
- Are all sources recorded?
- Are all citations marked correctly?
- Are paraphrasing done correctly?
- Are all citations and reference lists complete?
- Has the document gone through a plagiarism checker?
- Has the AI output been checked and revised?
Conclusion
It is not only about problem of completing a task with academic integrity, but also about your credibility and research skills. Proper citing of sources is not just to cover your legal and ethical backs, but also enhances your work to come out stronger and more credible.
