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Plagiarism is a difficult concept for students to understand. Perhaps, you have a vague idea that to plagiarize is copying other people’s words.
However, the general idea is that plagiarism creates a false sense that you’re okay to take or change someone’s work. That is, plagiarism is the action of stealing an individual’s words, content, or phrases without giving proper credit.
Credit can be in the form of citation, quote with citation, paraphrase with in-line citation, and summary with citation. The toughest part for high school and college students is to understand the grade when teachers scrutinize a plagiarized essay or research paper.
So, take precautions when submitting your work and avoid plagiarism with some simple tips.
Major Mistakes When Writing and Researching
Problems with plagiarism don’t just lie in copying someone’s work. Plagiarism occurs from multiple aspects when students feel stressed or lack understanding of assignments.
Regardless of how you interpret assignments or instructions, it would help if you had a clear and concise foundation of what not to do.
For instance, many students misinterpret essays for a collection of ideas without citation. You might often start a writing project without thinking about referencing correctly.
You just wanted to get the assignment done. However, take the necessary steps to plan and organize a research paper.
In that way, you ensure that you will not rush through the steps to properly cite a reference, place proper quotes, or paraphrase correctly. Another mistake most college students make is how to use a paraphrase.
While paraphrase and summaries may sound similar, they are very different. As you research for sources for your paper, paraphrasing is most likely a useful tool.
For example, you have substantial reading materials, and you need to grasp the meaning quickly. You don’t have time to write down or jot down every little detail.
You have to use critical thinking and reading strategies to analyze the text. So, paraphrasing helps you write ideas discussed by the author within a chapter book, text passage, or a scholarly article.
As a result, paraphrasing aids you to capture the author’s perspective while you write them in your own words.
On the other hand, summarizing is a brief account of the main ideas or concepts addressed by the author. Also, a summary provides a snapshot of the author’s point of view.
Whether you need a study plan to help you stay organized with your references and deadlines, consider essential tips to avoid plagiarism.
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