Plagiarism in College and How Students Can Avoid It

Writing a research paper can take weeks of extensive research, writing, and editing. Working on a research paper is not a walk in the park. That’s why you’ll find most students hiring a professional essay writer to do the work for them or copying other people’s works.

Plagiarism is intolerable in most colleges and universities in the United States and other parts of the world. From failing to cite sources to copy-pasting test answers, plagiarism has become a huge issue in most colleges and universities. While plagiarism rules might be different in every country, students are expected to adhere to the school policies.

Defining plagiarism

Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s work and submitting them as your own. Some of the common forms of plagiarism include:

  • Using someone else’s ideas or words and failing to give them credit
  • Failing to include quotation marks
  • Paraphrasing articles or essays without including citations
  • Using a photo or video without the owner’s permission

Colleges and universities in different parts of the world take plagiarism seriously. For instance, in the US, plagiarism is a serious violation of integrity in the academic world. Students with academic integrity are honest. Learning institutions in the US grade students based on the value of their work, their academic honesty, and creative ideas. If a student is found cheating or copying, they can be expelled from school.

Plagiarism is illegal. You need the approval of the author to use their works. Violating this law will lead to fining, expulsion, and damage to one’s reputation.

Types of plagiarism

In the academic world, there are two common types of plagiarism namely accidental and intentional. Accidental plagiarism is where a student meant to ask for the author’s permission or cite sources but forgot to. On the other hand, intentional plagiarism is using another person’s work and choosing to not credit them. A research study conducted by Turnitin found that copying and pasting is one of the leading forms of plagiarism in most colleges. Students who use this method take sections of an individual’s work and pass them as their own.

Paraphrasing is another common form of accidental plagiarism. This is where a student rearranges words in another person’s writing to make them their own. In most instances, students confuse paraphrasing with summarizing.

How to avoid plagiarism

Now that you understand what plagiarism is, you need to avoid it to stand a better chance of getting good grades and achieving your academic goals. Here are a few simple tips that you can use to avoid plagiarism:

Use a plagiarism checker

There are lots of amazing plagiarism checkers on the internet. You should use a plagiarism checker for students that your school recommends. It doesn’t take much time or energy to hire an online service writer for students to check your essay.

Start writing early

One of the best ways to avoid plagiarism issues is by starting early so that you can have ample time to research extensively and write your paper. When you are doing things quickly, it’s easy to make silly mistakes. Having enough time to write and edit your paper will put you on the side of the angels.

Always include citations

You have to cite your sources if you used them to research and write your paper. Apart from that, you need to cite correctly. You should be aware of the standards that your paper should have. If you don’t know how to cite correctly, you should seek help.

Proofread

You should never submit your paper without proofreading. If you don’t have ample time to proofread your work, you should consider hiring a professional rewriter to do the work for you. Always go through your paper at least three times before submitting it.

Always add value

You should avoid using every bit of information that you find in your source. Instead, always look for ways to add value to the topic that you are searching for. When you do this, your professor will award you with high scores. The best way to add value is by conducting extensive research.

Conclusion

Coming up with original information to include in your research paper is not an easy task. With lots of rules to follow and a tight deadline, research papers can be hectic for most students. And this can lead to them submitting papers with plagiarism. Plagiarism is an offense that will not only lead to loss of marks but also expulsion. Most professors equate plagiarism to stealing. To avoid such consequences, you need to do everything in your power to avoid plagiarism. Always start working on your assignments early and seek professional college help if you get stuck. After writing, don’t forget to proofread and use a plagiarism checker.

Author Bio:

Helen Birk is a professional proofreader and writer. She enjoys cultivating students’ talents and helping them get good grades. She loves meeting new people and camping in new areas.