How to avoid Plagiarism in Content Writing

Oluwafemi Smith
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1.5K Views
May 25, 2021

The word Plagiarism in mass media is frequently encountered due to its sensitivity to intellectual property and copyrights. The ignorance to this loose end has caused many some legal suits and many have likewise been sanctioned fines that cringed or dug a hole to their pockets.

What is Plagiarism?

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, plagiarism is described as; “to steal and pass off ideas or words of another as one’s own”.

Plagiarism could also be said to be the act of deliberately attempting to deceive one’s audience by tendering content that is not yours.

In our technologically advanced culture, the simple act of copying and pasting may appear innocuous, but it has serious consequences in academic and professional settings.

While plagiarism is not a crime in and of itself, it can be punished in court for prejudices caused by copyright infringement, as well as violations of moral rights. Similarly, it is a serious ethical violation in academia and industry.

In the cause of writing this article brought to you by The Watchtower - Web Design Agency Dubai, it was observed that there are more than 4 types of plagiarism, however, for this article and according to ranking, I will identify 4 most encountered Plagiarism before I proceed on how to avoid them.

Here are 4 types of Plagiarism, namely:

1. COMPLETE PLAGIARISM

This intellectual theft is the most severe form of plagiarism where a researcher takes a created material and submits it under his or her name pretense thereby owning the rights and benefits of the original.

2. SOURCE-BASED PLAGIARISM

This occurs when there are multiple sources. It could be when a researcher references an incorrect source. It could be when a researcher uses a secondary source of information but cites just the primary source of information.

Many people may not know this, but data fabrication and falsification also form this type of Plagiarism. Shocked? If you are fond of making up data and research findings or changing or omitting data to give a false impression, kindly desist, as these are illegal.

3. SELF PLAGIARISM

This can also be said as Auto-plagiarism, which happens when an author takes excerpts from previously published work without quoting them. Writers and researchers are common villains here.

4. PARAPHRASING PLAGIARISM

This entails using someone else's writing with minor changes between sentences and then claiming ownership of it. This is the most common type of plagiarism. Even if the words are switched, the original idea is the same and would still count for Plagiarism.

4 Easy Ways to Avoid Plagiarism in Content Writing

1. CREATE YOUR CONTENT

The safest way to avoid plagiarism is to create your information. You can bury yourself into extensive research on case studies for better understanding and then carefully write in your own words based on your perspective.

This gives you the unique feeling of owning your content and free from any form of litigation.

2. CITE REFERENCES

Should you have dug through materials and had found contents that would apply to your paper, it would be best you make use of the contents as excerpts and you site references where necessary. A good number of authors do this and still make best sellers.

3. USE TOOLS

There is a tool for every writer, the Plagiarism Checker Tool; it would save you from possible Subpoenas.

It could be strange that you can mention some things from the heart that you forgot are from a source, hence I urge you to use this tool once you complete your articles.

You can make use of Grammarly as a safe Plagiarism Checker Tool.

4. USE QUOTES

Using quotation marks around texts to indicate that the words aren't yours is one of the easiest ways to avoid plagiarism.

The best way to avoid Plagiarism is to consciously put in work. Do extensive research on your paper or research, start early were necessary to avoid a rush and shabby or a copied job. Once done with your materials, review for errors and implore the use of a Plagiarism checker tool just for confirmation.

Don’t be caught in a situation due to things you’re aware of but chose to neglect.

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