Types of Plagiarism and How to Avoid Them

Plagiarism is a never-ending problem in academia. Some people resort to plagiarism unknowingly, while others see it as a shortcut to meeting deadlines. As per a survey at Rutgers University (on 24000 students), nearly 58% of students have admitted to plagiarism. Whatever the reason to copy, the implications of plagiarism are serious, so it makes sense to submit the work without violating the cardinal rule.

Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when you pass off someone else’s thoughts, material, or work as your own. In other words, deceiving the readers about the origin of the concept and getting credit by fraud. With the increasing penetration of the internet, plagiarism has become a major problem, and people resort to different types of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a morally reprehensible and unethical practice. Owing to copyright infringement, you can find yourself in a legal fight. The most popular types of plagiarism detected are listed below.

Direct Plagiarism

Direct plagiarism is the appropriation of another writer’s work without crediting or referencing the source. Most of the words copied are found in the structure of the content created in this case. This is a serious offence that could result in harsh penalties.

Self Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is the practice of reusing previously submitted work. Even though it is your original work, submitting it again without informing the authorities is a dishonest practice.

Mosaic Plagiarism

Synonyms are used as a substitute for the writer’s original language. Here, the structure and the meaning of the content remains the same. Mosaic plagiarism, whether deliberate or unintentional, is a dishonest practice.

Accidental Plagiarism

If a writer resorts to paraphrasing or unintentionally fails to recognize or quote the source, it is called accidental plagiarism. 

How to Avoid Plagiarism?

One can check for plagiarism using an online plagiarism checker, however different ways to avoid plagiarism are mentioned below.

Track All Your Sources

It is important to keep track of all the sources from which you gathered your information when writing your material. It may be books, journals, videos, blogs, or some other source in the public or private domain. As a result, you can conveniently search the content whenever you need to.

Properly Quoting Your Source

If you paraphrased or directly copied the content from a source, you must give credit to the original author through citation (in-text- citation or footnote citation).

Create Original Content

The aim of creating content is to present an original concept and provide readers with new knowledge. It is best to address your concerns with your guide before writing independently, without any influence or copying.

Use a Plagiarism Checker

It is best to review the quality of your work using a plagiarism checker before submitting it. It can detect all types of plagiarized material. After that, you can fix the issue and take corrective action.

Understanding plagiarism and taking preventative steps is worthwhile. This is because copying is not only a misleading and morally incorrect activity, but it also has legal consequences due to copyright infringement. As a result, it is better avoided.