Third-party sources, such as an interview with a subject-matter expert or the presentation of significant results from a writer report, can add credibility to your work. There is a distinction, though, between incorporating other sources into your writing for credibility’s sake and plagiarizing the ideas or words of another person without giving them proper credit.

The significance of preventing plagiarism in your work and strategies are discussed below.

Define plagiarizing.

Plagiarism is defined as “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source” by the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

This definition of “steal” encompasses deliberately using another person’s ideas or words without giving them due credit. Because your work “passes off” another’s work as its own, even thoughtless use of another’s ideas or phrases without proper citation falls under this criteria.

Copying and pasting may appear innocuous in today’s world of instant information sharing, but it can have grave implications in the workplace and the classroom.

What are the risks of plagiarizing?

Plagiarism is a moral problem. Someone who uploads copied writing does so with the intent to gain financial gain. Whether you are a student submitting a paper for an “A” or a professional writer seeking payment, this holds.

As a writer, you must refrain from plagiarizing other people’s work. It could cost you the respect of your superiors and peers and opportunities for networking and promotion in the future. Plagiarism can get you kicked off student government or expelled from college.

In addition, if the original author decides to sue you for appropriating their work without permission, you might be in much more trouble.

A word of advice: Grammarly provides a plagiarism checker that scans your text for plagiarism and other writing errors.

Here are five strategies to keep your writing original.

It’s not all terrifying, thankfully. Once you know plagiarism and why it’s a problem, avoiding it is simple. Here are some strategies for avoiding this ethically gray area when putting pen to paper.

Do not plagiarize!

Referencing someone else’s work requires a citation that includes the author’s complete name, publication date, and any other information about the source that is mandated by your referencing style.

Provide direct quotes

One of the most straightforward and apparent strategies to avoid plagiarizing your writing is to use quotation marks around words taken directly from another source. If you’re going to use a straight quote, you need to provide credit to the original author.

Three-Way Syntax

When paraphrasing, you take ideas or facts from one source and restate them in your own words without altering the original meaning. However, if you are not careful, paraphrasing can turn into plagiarism.

It takes some finesse to paraphrase without plagiarizing. Avoid using too many of the source’s terms or phrases directly, and reword and format your writing uniquely. The trick is to update the look and feel without changing the core message. Remember that you still need to credit the original author of your idea.

To put forth one’s notion

Refrain from repeating what the source has said; think about what you can add to the conversation. Think about what you can bring to the table as a writer that no one else has. Remember that you still need to follow the preceding principles to prevent plagiarizing if you are using the ideas or language of a source to formulate your thesis.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of “self-plagiarism” while writing on the same topic for many projects. If you don’t have permission to reprint your old work from the publisher or the instructor, the chance of being accused of plagiarism is excellent.

Make use of a plagiarism detector.

Some phrases or sentences you read during research may linger with you so much that you end up using them in your writing without properly attributing the source. Avoid embarrassing mistakes by running your work via a plagiarism checker before turning it in.

Additionally, Grammarly provides a free plagiarism detector that examines your writing for instances of copied material. Plagiarism can be detected in your essay using these technologies; in some cases, reproduced passages are highlighted, and their sources are shown.

Following these tips can assist you in avoiding plagiarizing your work and is well worth the time and effort it takes. Knowing what constitutes plagiarism is the first step; learning to avoid it takes regular effort.