What are the (Five) 5 Practical Steps for Students to Avoid Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the most severe academic offense a student can commit. It isn’t delightful when others pass off the already published work as theirs. To avoid making this blunder, students should be mindful of some rules and regulations in different situations. So, here are (five) 5 practical steps for students to avoid plagiarism, which will significantly reduce the chances of committing plagiarism. From the definition of plagiarism to its types to the five proven techniques on how to avoid plagiarism as a student, let’s discuss everything here.

What is Plagiarism?

In simple terms, plagiarism means copying the words from already published materials without crediting the original author.

Types of Plagiarism:

Plagiarism can be of many kinds. But the following are the most common types of plagiarism in any form of writing:

1. Source-Based Plagiarism:

The act of not giving the proper citations to the original source is known as source-based plagiarism.

2. Direct Plagiarism:

When a student intentionally uses a piece of content (as-it-is) in his writing without citing the sources or using double-quotes, he commits direct plagiarism. It is the most common type of plagiarism in the writing industry.

3. Mosaic Plagiarism:

Mosaic plagiarism is defined as the plagiarism in which the copied bits of text are interlaced with some original content in order to make the whole thing look original. This is harder to detect, but it still falls in the category of plagiarism.

4. Self Plagiarism:

If a student uses a piece of content from his previously submitted paper, he commits self-plagiarism.

List of the (Five) 5 Practical Steps for Students to Avoid Plagiarism:

Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it is necessary to avoid it. So, let’s discuss the five proven steps to prevent plagiarism as a student.

1. Use Original Ideas and Opinions:

The most straightforward technique to avoid plagiarism as a student or writer in any form of writing is to use original ideas and opinions.

When a student or writer wants to write on a new topic, he will read several books and blogs regarding his subject during the research phase. so if a student wants to write about any random topic like What is the factorial of hundred then he have to do a proper research for that particular topic or phrase. But researching doesn’t mean using the same information (from the published material) and presenting it yourself. Instead, a student should determine the missing points in already published materials.

So, suppose he addresses those points in his writing. In that case, he will create better and unique content than the already published material.

2. Use Paraphrasing and Quotation Marks:

The second step in the “(five) 5 practical steps for students to avoid plagiarism” guide is to use paraphrasing and quotation marks.

Paraphrasing is a technique of changing the wordings and sentences without changing the actual meaning of the content. It is the go-to technique for writers to avoid plagiarism. There are different ways to paraphrase a piece of content. But the following is the most common set of guidelines:

• A student can start the sentence from a different point to paraphrase the (original) content successfully.
• Similarly, he can change the voices of sentences to achieve successful paraphrasing. For example, suppose the original content contains more active voices. So, a student can convert those (active) voices to passive voices and vice versa.

On the other hand, using quotation marks is another essential method of avoiding plagiarism. So, if a student wants to know how to copy and paste without plagiarizing, using double quotes is the only way. For example, suppose a student wants to use a phrase or quotation in his writing from (already) published sources. In that case, he will have to use double quotes to inform the instructor that this sentence or phrase is taken from (already) published material.

Whether a student paraphrases a piece of content or uses double quotes, it is necessary to cite the sources properly. Otherwise, it will fall in the category of plagiarism.

To learn the process of paraphrasing used in the IELTS English language test, Click here

3. Use Plagiarism Checkers:

In this “(five) 5 ways to avoid plagiarism” guide, the third method is to check if the written content is original. So, in this case, students can use plagiarism checkers.

As the name depicts, a plagiarism detector is a tool that scans the uploaded text against online databases to search for similarities. If it finds any similarities, it will inform the user with percentages and highlight the text with several colors to differentiate the plagiarized and original content.

4. Keep Track of Your Sources:

The fourth proven step in this “(five) 5 practical steps for students to avoid plagiarism” guide is to keep track of the sources.

It is common to forget about the sources of information while researching and writing a topic because most people cite the references in the end. This common mistake falls under the umbrella of accidental plagiarism. Therefore, students and writers must keep track of their sources.

A good practice is to cite the sources instantly during the writing and researching phase and not leave anything for the end phase other than proofreading.

5. Consult with Your Instructor:

Instructors can also help the students avoid plagiarism during academic writing because they are professionals in their respective subjects. So, the last technique in this “how to avoid plagiarism in academic writing” guide is to consult with your instructor. You can listen to podcasts and take Online IT Courses & Technical Certifications.

For example, most students don’t know that the images and graphs they copy from the published materials are also considered plagiarism. So, if they ask their instructors, they will instantly tell them to create their images by using tools like “Adobe Illustrator,” “Canva,” “Adobe Photoshop,” etc.

Final Verdict – the Conclusion:

Plagiarism is a severe problem, especially not just for college students but for everyone. It’s essential that when dealing with sources, students should always cite and credit the work of others if they use it as part of their own. So, the techniques discussed above are the universal and proven guidelines for students to avoid plagiarism.