According to The Center of Academic Integrity, 80% of students admitted that they plagiarized when writing researched content. Therefore, it’s important to not only avoid being one of the 80%, but it’s also essential to understand how.
In this article, we’ll define plagiarism, its causes, and what you can do to avoid duplicity in your research papers. So, let’s begin.
A Short Definition Of Plagiarism
In most dictionaries, plagiarism is when the writer uses another person’s original words or ideas without giving credit to them. Plagiarism can be accidental or intentional, but it’s unethical and unacceptable all the same.
In academia, plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty. That’s why it can lead to expulsion from school or termination of employment. It also violates copyright law. On top of that, The word “plagiarize” comes from the Latin word “plagiarius,” which means a kidnapper or a pirate.
The Reasons Behind Plagiarism’s Frequency: Causes Of Plagiarism
The most common cause of plagiarism is that people are unaware of the rules, regulations, and standards that must be followed when writing content. This leads them to believe that they can get away with this act without any consequences.
Nowadays, finding plagiarism in content is as easy as it can be. All you need is a plagiarism detector to check any content, and you’ll know whether the content is duplicated or not. However, the four most common causes behind plagiarism are as follows:
Unoriginal Ideas
Nothing screams plagiarism more than unoriginal ideas. If your essays or research papers are based on another writer’s work, then the chances of plagiarism increase significantly.
The first thing about an original idea or topic is that it requires original research. So when you take that away, the chances of plagiarism increase significantly.
Simultaneous & Monotonous Topics
Simultaneous topics and unawareness of common topics also lead to plagiarism in research. If you’re writing something repeatedly, the chances of accidental or self-plagiarism also increase. So, it’s ideal to come up with new and fresh ideas.
Laziness & Lack Of Research
It is not surprising laziness & lack of research are the main reasons to plagiarize. Students are often too lazy to research, and they wrongly believe plagiarism is a victimless crime.
In order to prevent plagiarism, teachers should make sure that their students understand the consequences of their actions.
Shortcuts Everywhere
Shortcuts and easiness provided by the internet are perhaps the ones most responsible for plagiarism. So, a writer’s intention should be to use those shortcuts ethically and come up with original content for research.
5 Ways To Avoid Plagiarism While Writing A Research Paper
The best way to avoid any problem is at its root. In this section, we’ll explore how you can prevent plagiarism from the ground up of your research paper by removing it with the help of a paraphrasing tool. So, let’s explore five different ways you can take.
1. Pick A Unique Topic
The more unique your topic is, the easier it will be for you to avoid plagiarism. Remember this, common topics in research lead to a lot of plagiarism in academic research. So, targeting any recent studies for your research paper might have a few drawbacks.
That’s why it’s important that you pick a unique topic that’s not often spoken of. But, it’s also important to pick something you understand from your heart and mind. It’ll give you more opportunities to write originals.
2. Create Drafts
Another viable way to prevent plagiarism is by creating multiple drafts. The thing with plagiarism is that it can happen when a writer:
- Doesn’t have enough time
- Wants to rush to the finish
Either case isn’t ideal for any research paper. Research takes time, and that’s why it should be allowed to flourish. Creating multiple drafts is the only way to do that in your research paper.
You don’t have to write multiple 5000-word essays. Just change the same one until it’s perfected and plagiarism-free.
3. Read & Research Extensively
The more you read, the easier it’ll be to avoid plagiarism. But that’s when the titular part of a research paper comes in—the research itself. Nowadays, you have search engines and various online databases to research from.
Therefore, it’s necessary to research as much as you can and read about your topic extensively. This will give a lot of original ideas and coverage of the topic, which is essential in avoiding duplicate content.
4. Gather Sources for Quotation & Citation
The more backup you have, the better it’ll be for your research. The thing about research is that it can be a vast topic. Consumer conducts their research before buying a product. But, so does a scientist regarding scientific breakthroughs.
The difference between them is the intensity. So, your research paper will rely on people’s opinions, expert analysis, or other capable sources. Thus, the more you gather credible sources to cite, the better it’ll be for your content.
5. Paraphrase Responsibly
Paraphrasing properly and responsibly is a research writer’s primary responsibility. If you paraphrase poorly, plagiarism in your content increases significantly. So, how should you avoid this?
The easiest way is to understand the concept/idea, then describe it in your own words—while citing the original source. This is something that’s taught in early schools. So, it shouldn’t be hard for most writers. But, you can also use a paraphrasing tool like this:
So, why should you use a tool if you can paraphrase manually? Here are a few reasons:
- Tools help you paraphrase efficiently, almost a guarantee to avoid plagiarism;
- Save a lot of time compared to paraphrasing manually;
- Save time and create multiple drafts.
These reasons should be enough to pursue any research writer to use a paraphrasing tool. Besides that, paraphrasing is one of the adamant solutions to avoid plagiarism. And, a tool gives you enough leverage to steer clear of plagiarism—granted that you cite the original source.
Conclusion
These are a few ways you can avoid plagiarism in your research papers. Thus, you need to employ these tactics to ensure that your research paper’s content is original, unique, and plagiarism-free.
