HOW TO AVOID PLAGIARISM IN ESSAY WRITING
PLAGIARISM IN ESSAY WRITING
We are here to discuss how to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is the bane and a problem faced by many students and universities. It's easy to fall into a trap very quickly without understanding; that's why students hate it. Universities despise plagiarism because it is too difficult for students to understand what it is and how to avoid it.
Many people ask us questions about plagiarism, such as what it is, how to avoid it, and to what extent it is acceptable or not. Luckily, we also have a lot of know-how about plagiarism. We can overcome many common misconceptions about plagiarism.
This article will discuss the essential features of plagiarism as well as what to do (and not do) when writing academic articles.
What Is Meant By Plagiarism
What does plagiarism mean? Let's look at the Cambridge Dictionary's definition to find the answer to this question.
"Plagiarise (verb): to use another person's ideas or work and pretend that it is your own."
The word "pretend" is essential in this definition. You can't try to copy (copy of a copy) other writers' words, phrases, or ideas in an essay or project for university or higher.
What kind of attitude is allowed by university guidelines and rules?
First and foremost, you can not simply buy an essay from someone else and then hand it to your instructor as is. It is cheating, imitation, and using another person's work. It is also not good practise to have someone else write it or copy portions of another student's work. It will harm both and get you in trouble as well as your friend. Furthermore, it is said that your friend is a better writer than you.
Let's continue; it will not stop here. Did you know that an assignment submitted for another class cannot be resubmitted? It is called self-plagiarism, and it is strictly prohibited.
All universities throughout the world take academic quality very seriously. Each university has a code of conduct, rules, and regulations that students should read and follow. One thing you, as a student, should be aware of and understand is that plagiarism is a part of academic integrity. It is necessary to keep in mind that rules from high school might not be applicable in your country. Although the rules are not difficult to learn once you get them down, it is important that you actually understand and are aware of them.
You may be questioning why you should care. Here the answer is if
You will be trapped in plagiarising; it could have a worse impact on your work and also bring bad results.
First of all, it is necessary to discuss negative things; then, we will look at ways you can avoid plagiarism. If you are blamed for committing an academic violation, such as plagiarism, at any university, you must first discuss it with your instructor or trainer. If the accusation of plagiarism is detected, you will get a zero mark/ failing grade or be reported to the Head of Department or Dean for punishment. Furthermore, a panel for a hearing may be arranged if it becomes a severe problem, and lastly, you can be fired from the educational institution. So instead of dealing with an academic mistake, why not spend your time doing something else?
It's a common thing for students to claim things like: "But I did not know I was committing an academic violation!" to instructors, professors, and administrators. Universities usually take a stance that you are responsible for knowing because it is not a reasonable justification. As stated in the sentence above, we remind you to read your university's rules and regulations. As a student, it is your responsibility to be aware of the rules, so your plea of ignorance is not acceptable.
This type of negative information is not intended to try to upset you. It is intended to make clear your understanding of what is unacceptable. It is also essential to know what one can and cannot do. In the article, the most common questions and their answers are listed.
QUOTES AND REFERENCES
Your thoughts and ideas are an essential part of academic writing. However, professors will expect more than your point of view when you reach the university level.
They expect you to read the academic work and then incorporate that reading into your writing practice, which will assist them in constructing and supporting your claims. It implies that you will need to cite the writing of others.
WHY SHOULD I USE REFERENCE?
Referring to the text is essential because it shows your instructor that the reading was done, which is the one reason for referral. At the very start of the topic, it was said that those who have read should be given credit. Your instructor should know that you have read many sources and can prove them effectively in your argument. It would help if you also referenced other opinions, as they may not be yours. If you are using anyone else's point of view, you must also credit them.
SO WHEN SHOULD I REFER TO IT?
Students often believe they need to refer to each sentence, but it is unnecessary. You would just use relevant resources that you have found on the subject of your topic. How to write an academic paper is another story. You will refer to someone else's idea in your work. It will help you avoid plagiarism. If you are stating something well-known, you don't need to cite sources.
HOW DO I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OPINION AND COMMON KNOWLEDGE?
It would be common knowledge if you asserted, for instance, that Ottawa is the capital of Canada, that Leonardo da Vinci produced the Mona Lisa, that World War I started in 1914; and that the habit of smoking is not suitable for health. Your reference wouldn't be required because it is easy to verify or consider as a given. When you depart from general concepts or ideas and toward ones that identify the author's perspective in some manner, it is time to start referencing; if it is anyone else's idea, referencing is required.
HOW DO I USE IT AS A REFERENCE?
First, determine which referencing style is used by your department. Most instructors will give you this information in your course syllabus. Consult your teacher or instructor if you are unsure and have difficulty understanding it. Various formatting rules apply to different referencing styles, so be sure to learn about the one that applies to you. You can find very helpful guides online. Every referencing type has its own website with particular rules that will help you quickly. Some are simpler to understand than others.
You can use several methods to get or combine ideas from other people in your own work if you are using direct quotes or paraphrasing. You will need quotation marks if you use direct quotes. It is also essential to identify the source of the quote, such as the page number. It is crucial to take good notes. Let's take, for example, a passage you find in a textbook that you believe is very important, then highlight it. This passage is then copied into your notebook.
You are now trying to complete your assignment through reading after three weeks. The passage you came across is now your assignment or work. But you do not need to refer to it. Coping is plagiarism. You would have maintained academic integrity by taking careful notes.
Consider the phrasing of longer quotes as well. Longer quotations should be set further from the margin and separated from the surrounding text according to their preferred reference styles. To achieve success, first of all, confirm which principles you are using to reference your style is applicable.
Reading and understanding another person's work means highlighting the important points in your own work after it. A citation is still required, though you are paraphrasing. You will need to provide the page number, name of the author, and the year it was published if you highlight a specific passage. You are just mentioning the writer and the year of the work you will do if you are just talking overall about it. Please find out the rules of your referencing style to ensure you are following the correct steps; it is vital to recheck them. It is unacceptable to just change a few words and claim it as your work while paraphrasing. A reference is always needed.
WHAT SHOULD APPEAR IN MY FOOTNOTES AND LIST OF REFERENCES?
The works listed in your reference list or footnotes should be cited in your paper. It is a general guideline; you should cite an author in your bibliography, reference list, etc. if they are included in your paper. There is no need to include a reference if the author is not mentioned in your report, but you have just read something else. You are only supposed to correctly cite the thoughts or ideas of the correct author in the paper.
SEEKING ASSISTANCE?
ENGLISH IS NOT MY MOTHER TONGUE, AND MY ESSAY WILL NOT BE EDITED OR HAVE THE CORRECT GRAMMAR. CAN I GET HELP FROM THIS ARTICLE?
Of course! You are welcome to get assistance with problems with grammar or structure. In this article, there are some things to be aware of and understand related to plagiarism. If you send it to an editor and they make significant changes, it is possible that it will be considered or interpreted as plagiarism. The reason for this is that the original piece has now been changed in a way that does not represent your actual ideas and can lead to you being charged with plagiarism.
Some rules are not clear for grammar. Every university has a different code of conduct. Several universities will permit you to hire a professional to check your grammar; others demand that you mention in your essay that the proofreader was hired. Some of these universities limit proofreading to students at the graduate level and prevent students from using this type of service; others are more liberal. So, before you ask someone else to edit your essay, you should check the rules and policies of your school.
Furthermore, you should not write your essay in your native language, then use a translation programme (e.g., Google Translate). It is commonly known as plagiarism. The reason is that the words you receive from the software for translation aren't technically your own words. It would be best if you didn't do this because it is also not a very wise tactic from a practical standpoint. The translation software isn't in a position where sentences are coherent; the grammar of the sentences is usually questioned. When writing paragraphs, the way things are written in a foreign language isn't the same as how they are written in English. Although plagiarism might be a problem with this technique, it's generally not a problem, but it should not be used.
CAN I ASK FOR HELP IF I'M COMPLETELY LOst WITH AN ASSIGNMENT?
Yes, of course. It's good to ask for assistance. It is not good practise to try to complete an assignment on your own, particularly when you are confused or not aware of the subject. There are some people that you should be more focused on. First of all, ask your instructor or teacher for assistance. They are an excellent first point of contact because they will mark your work.
On the other hand, it is not a good idea to ask your friends for help, especially if they are your classmates. Because if you collaborate with someone in your class to complete an assignment/work, it can lead to conspiracy. Although you do not need to know all the details, this can lead to both having serious difficulty.
If you want to get rid of this difficulty, external assistance is a good solution. There are many options. You could first look for a personal tutor to help you organise your thoughts and show you how a paragraph or paper should look.
A professionally written example essay can also be beneficial in your writing process. Remember that you can not provide a sample essay and pretend it is yours. Only you can learn from the model essay by paying complete attention to the language, how sentences and arguments are constructed or put into order, and the flow of the essay.
You should be cautious as there are many poorly written essays available on the internet. You not only waste your money; you might also have to pay for substandard work. It will not only be costly and not offer much assistance, but it could also weaken the skills of your essay writing and abilities. Instead, choose a trustworthy British company such as Oxbridge Essays.
We take great care in selecting professional authors to hire. We make sure they study at the best universities and colleges, such as Oxford and Cambridge, as well as being experts in their respective fields. Our work is high-quality and meets academic standards. Trusting a company like ours will assist you tremendously with your educational career and you will spend less money and time looking for the right resources. We write essays from scratch, which means that you can rest assured that we will not just rewrite essays you have already purchased. Our valuable service is to fulfil each learner's specific requirements.
There are usually fewer rules regarding tutoring at universities. While they encourage students to be independent, they know that many students need some extra support. It is where tutoring and support can be of real help in this situation. This support can be expensive. It may pay off in the end if you earn a distinction grade in the class. Finally, this will lead to more job opportunities and employment options.
SUMMARY/SYNOPSIS
After long interpretation, plagiarism might appear as a complex problem but is very closely related to trust. The university where you are registered expects you to conduct yourself honourably and take responsibility for your work. It is essential to learn the university's rules from the beginning and not just after the fact when you have made mistakes and are trapped in the error of plagiarism. Ask for help when needed, and offer credit where credit is due.