Ask yourself what unique perspective or point you can contribute in your writing that’s entirely your own. Instead of parroting the source’s ideas or words, explore what you have to say about it. Remember, you’re still using another’s idea so you’ll need to include a citation to the source. The key is to do so without altering the meaning of the idea itself. Reword and format your writing in an original way, and try to avoid using too many similar words or phrases from the source. Successfully paraphrasing without plagiarizing involves a bit of a dance. But be careful-paraphrasing can slip into plagiarism if done incorrectly. Paraphrasing is rewriting a source’s ideas or information into your own words, without changing its meaning. A direct quote should also cite the source so that readers know who the quote is from. If you insert a source’s words into your writing, verbatim, one of the most simple yet obvious ways to avoid plagiarism is by using quotation marks around the text to denote that the words aren’t your own. When alluding to an idea or wording that’s not your own, add a citation in your writing that identifies the full name of the source, the date it was published, and any other citation element that’s required by the style guide you’re adhering to. To help you steer clear of this taboo, here’s how to avoid plagiarism in your writing. Avoiding plagiarism is actually easy to do now that you have a foundational understanding of what it is. 5 ways to avoid plagiarism in your writingįortunately, it’s not all scary. Here’s a tip: Grammarly offers a plagiarism checker that detects plagiarism in your text and checks for other writing issues. If you’re still in school, plagiarism may result in lost financial aid or leadership roles.Īdditionally, it takes credit or profit away from the original creator of the work which may mean more trouble if the source takes legal action against you. Aside from losing the respect of your mentors and peers, it could cost you valuable professional referrals and future career advancement. This is true whether you’re turning in a school paper to get an “A” or are a writer by trade expecting monetary compensation.Īvoiding plagiarism is paramount as a writer because it compromises your integrity. A writer who submits plagiarized work is committing theft with the hope of benefiting from that theft. In our tech-forward culture, the simple act of copy-and-paste can seem harmless, but it has serious consequences in academic and professional settings.Īt its core, plagiarism is an ethical issue. Even accidentally using another’s ideas or words without proper citation, due to carelessness, falls under this definition since your work tries to “pass off” another’s work as your own. The inclusion of the word “steal” in this definition, includes instances when another’s ideas or words are intentionally used without crediting the source. “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own : use (another’s production) without crediting the source” Try Grammarly Table of contentsĥ ways to avoid plagiarism in your writing What is plagiarism?Īccording to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the verb to plagiarize means:
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