Plagiarism is when you steal somebody else's words, thoughts, or work and rewrite it in your own words like it's your work without credit. Not only is this wrong, but it can also get students into a lot of trouble. If you are working on a school essay or research paper, it's a good thing to learn what plagiarism is. You can also use a plagiarism check free tool to avoid it Here we will explain various kinds of plagiarism that must be understood by students.
Types of Plagiarism One Needs to Know for A+ Academic Writing
Let’s discuss the common types of plagiarism that students must avoid while maintaining academic integrity.
1. Direct Plagiarism
Direct plagiarism is cut and paste what someone else has said or done word for word and never citing the source. This is also one of the easiest plagiarism to sidestep.
Example: Cut and paste a paragraph from a book, website, or article into your essay without citing the source.
How to prevent it:
Always enclose the copied section in quotation marks and duly credit the source or author in your work.
2. Self-Plagiarism
Self-plagiarism is when you reuse your work in a new task without permission or proper citation. This is dishonest because you are presenting the work for the first time even though it's reused from the past.
For example: Doing the same project or paper last year's class took as though it's new homework.
How to prevent it:
Always make fresh work on every assignment. In case you need to include some of your prior work, be sure you get permission from your instructor and cite it appropriately.
3. Mosaic Plagiarism
Mosaic plagiarism is the act of mixing the words or concepts of another person with yours, without citing. This may be changing some words, rewording the sentence, or using synonyms.
For example: You plagiarize a paragraph online and later rephrase it but the same idea or sentence structure, purporting where you could not discover.
How to prevent it:
Always paraphrase information properly and reference the source, even if you've reworded it.
4. Involuntary Plagiarism
Involuntary plagiarism is when you accidentally leave out your sources. You might do this when you neglect to put a citation or you don't know how to cite a source.
Example: You copy a statistic or quote from a book without including the author or source.
How to prevent it: Double-check your work so that you have properly quoted all that you have borrowed from elsewhere.
5. Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Paraphrasing plagiarism occurs when you paraphrase different types of sentences within a passage but still use the same meaning without a reference to the source.
Example: You have plagiarized a sentence you read and paraphrased it in your own words but without crediting where the idea was obtained.
How to avoid it:
While paraphrasing, make sure you read and comprehend the original idea, rephrase it in your language, and also credit where credit is due.
6. Failure to Properly Cite Plagiarism
It is plagiarism if you are supposed to cite an authority but end up doing so in the wrong manner. Perhaps you leave out very crucial information or fail to use the appropriate way of citing.
Example: You cite the name of the author but not the title of the article.
How to prevent it:
Ensure your citations are done in the right format (APA, MLA, or Chicago style).
7. Collaboration Plagiarism
Collaboration plagiarism is when students are in a group completing an assignment but one of them simply copies the other's work without putting in equal effort.
Example: One student plagiarizes the work of his/her partner without putting his/her effort or ideas.
How to avoid it:
When you are on a group project, ensure each member of the group puts in an equal number of hours. Admit what everybody did, and credit each one of them.
8. Idea Theft
It happens when you use someone else's idea, theory, or concept and fail to give credit to the contribution even when you reproduce it in your own words.
Example: You borrow an idea from a research paper but do not give credit to the paper or author when you refer to it in your project.
How to prevent it:
Always recognize the creator of the idea even if you put it in your own words.
Conclusion
Understanding plagiarism and avoiding it is the secret to quality academic writing. When you borrow someone's ideas, quote, or paraphrase, remember to acknowledge where credit is due. Understand the types of plagiarism and how to avoid them so that not only will you avoid academic dishonesty but your writing will be enhanced as well. Use a plagiarism check-free tool to ensure originality. You will earn the respect of your professors as a trustworthy and honest student.
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