3 Ways to Avoid Academic Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious offence that can even lead to explusion in many academic institutions. Plagiarism essentially means copying someone else' work without giving them due credit. Plagiarism can be either intentional (when you actually sit down to copy someone's work), or accidental (when you use somebody's work unconsciously). Whatever the case might be, plagiarism can cut short your academic career.

Here are a few ways to steer clear of plagiarism:

1. Cite Your Sources
This might sound very basic, but you will be surprised at the number of students who simply don't cite their sources. You can blame it either on ignorance or laziness. Many times, students are just so relieved to finally complete a paper that they forget to cite the sources at the end. Other times, a student might not be aware that he has to cite the source when he uses somebody's work.

2. Careful Revision
Go through your paper after you write it down. It is very easy for references from other works to creep into the paper unconsciously. If you find words or sentences that you believe were copied from someplace else (consciously or unconsciously), delete them immediately from the paper. There is no difference between intentional or unintentional plagiarism.

3. Use Exact Words
If you are paraphrasing somebody else, use their exact words in the paper. Don't feel tempted to replace even a single letter from the original work. When paraphrasing, always wrap it up in quotes, and cite your sources either at the end or in-line.

Plagiarism is easy to avoid if you know the rules to follow and go through your paper religiously. Never be lazy with your paper and comb through it rigorously. The penalty for not doing so could be disastrous.