Undoubtedly, it is challenging to come up with all the information you want to present in your paper and follow all the rules along the way. Writing a paper is not as simple as directly copying data from a source into your work. It requires hours of hard work researching, analysing and presenting information from diverse sources in your own words. Plagiarism is a severe offenсe that might lead to your paper being rejected. After all, it is considered theft, even if you didn’t do so on purpose.
Copying someone else’s work without providing credit will surely wind you up in a tragic situation. Of course, you can simply delegate this task to a professional essay writing service, which will handle this for you and deliver a flawless copy at the time needed. Still, there are also other ways to prevent plagiarism.
Best tips to help you understand how to not plagiarize
Avoiding plagiarism is actually quite simple when you have an understanding of the basic principles. Here’s how to avoid plagiarism essay and other types of work to help you steer clear of this taboo.
Read your institution’s policies on citation and plagiarism
Each educational institution has its own set of regulations about what constitutes plagiarism. Similarly, each high school, college and university has its own set of citation guidelines. Make sure you have a copy of the plagiarism and citation guidelines to help you come up with plagiarism-free work.
Study the context
Before starting to write any type of work, be it an essay or a research paper, first take the time to understand the context. Knowing it will help you generate some good ideas on which you can research the given topic.
Don’t wait until the last moment
You might ask, What is a good rule to follow to avoid plagiarism? Definitely, it’s allowing oneself ample time when working on a paper. When in a rush, it is easy to overlook something and make unintentional errors, but having enough time to research and focus on your content will put you miles ahead.
Keep track of the sources
Another important tip for preventing plagarism is to keep all your notes organised and develop a citation list as you go. In your notes, clearly define which ideas are yours and which aren’t, underline claims that require citations, and carefully mark any words copied from a source with quotation marks.
Use proper citations
Giving credit to your sources is one thing, but if you don’t do it correctly, it won’t mean anything. When referring to someone else’s ideas in your writing, add a reference that includes the complete name of the source, the publication date and any other citation elements required by the particular style guide.
These examples follow the APA Style:
You can also use a citation generator to create properly formatted citations on the go.
Quote
If you use a source’s words verbatim, one of the simplest yet most apparent ways to avoid plagiarism is to surround the borrowed parts of the text with quotation marks to indicate that these words aren’t yours. It can be done through a direct quote, which includes the source for readers to know who it is from. Remember, you will never be accused of plagiarism if you quote your sources.
Paraphrase
The act of rewriting a source’s ideas into your own words without changing its meaning is known as paraphrasing. However, if done incorrectly, paraphrasing might turn into plagiarism.
It takes a bit of a dance to successfully paraphrase without plagiarising. Try to avoid utilising too many identical terms or phrases from the source while rewording your content. The goal is to do so without changing the meaning of the idea. Keep in mind that you’re still borrowing someone else’s ideas, so make sure to include a citation.
Proofread the completed paper
Proofreading is a must, especially if you’re just learning how to write an essay without plagiarizing. It does not take long to go through your paper and ensure you have cited every source you used. This step is simple to implement but yields results.
Always add value
Rather than just repeating the source’s ideas, think about what you have to say about it. Consider what unique perspective or insights you can include in your writing. It not only shows that you understand the topic but will definitely help you score better marks. Remember, when you use a source’s ideas or words to create your point, you must follow the above tips to avoid plagiarism.
If you are writing on the same topic for another project, it can be tempting to reuse some of your earlier words. But be careful, as this is known as “self-plagiarism.” The risk of self-plagiarism is equally as high if the instructor did not give you permission to reuse your previous work.
Use a plagiarism checker
While researching a topic, some sentences might stick with you so strongly that you unintentionally integrate them into your work without citing them. When in doubt, an online plagiarism-checking tool can assist you in detecting these issues before submitting your paper.
There are a lot of great plagiarism checkers online (e.g., Copyscape and Grammarly), and it doesn’t take much time to scan your work with a checker, just to be sure.
Here’s what the checked text looks like in Scribbr:
Mind the Sources Cited page
A Sources Cited page at the end of your work is another one of the highly effective tips on how to avoid plagiarism. Simply add to this list as you conduct research and know for sure what you will include. Don’t try to do it after you have finished your paper because you may overlook something crucial.
Don’t be afraid to ask someone if you’re not sure
Spend some time with your professor to ensure you understand the guidelines for the paper you’re working on. Yes, not all professors are patient in explaining the material again, but it’s better to hold on for a while than to get penalised for involuntary plagiarism.
Note that the Internet is also a source. Just because you found some relevant information on the Internet rather than a book does not mean it is available for you to utilise without citing it. Be cautious with this one because it is still someone’s original work.
To avoid plagiarism and not google “how to unplagiarize an essay” later on, you should make sure to reference or cite any internet sources you use.
Wrapping up
Plagiarism is often an overwhelming topic. However, it is possible to avoid it with a little bit of research, dedication and proper planning.
If you are not careful, it can lead to a whole lot of issues that will likely be difficult to avoid. But if plagiarism already happened, it is best to submit your “rewrite my essay without plagiarizing” request with qualified subject-matter experts like the ones we have here at royalessays.org. Doing so will not only ensure your originality score is within an acceptable range but also save you time and struggle and provide an excellent reference for your next paper.
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