The problem of plagiarism is getting bigger with time and there are two possible reasons for that rise: lack of knowledge regarding plagiarism or intentional act of theft. No matter what and for whom we are writing, it is important to avoid plagiarism because it is an act of theft. It doesn't matter if it was intentional or unintentional.
For those who don't know, plagiarism is an act of taking someone's work and claiming that work as their own. The definition includes stealing the idea from somewhere and claiming it to be yours. According to Wikipedia, plagiarism comes under the heading of academic dishonesty and we all know that plagiarism is subject to sanction and penalties which can be severe.
For those who intentionally plagiarize text, shame on them for their laziness. But, for those who fall into this act unintentionally, it is important to learn the ways to stay safe. In this article, we'll discuss a few ways that will help you avoid plagiarism.
1 - Paraphrase and use quotation marks
The internet is full of text, both garbage, and informative things. The garbage should be avoided and the informative text is what one should be reading. It's beneficial to study a topic on the internet. After all, we have to start learning from somewhere and the internet is a great place to learn many things.
You've studied the topic and now you can share your study with others. However, you can't copy and paste someone's work and claim it to be yours. Use different words and provide even more clarity, and never use the same arrangement of sentences. Create your own content with the genuine purpose of educating others by providing even more clarity and accuracy. If you must use specific sentences, make sure to put them in quotation marks.
2 - Cite your sources
A citation is an act of saying that you've received your information from XYZ site and it shows your honesty. It is an effective way to avoid plagiarism and even if someone accuses you of copying the concepts, you can say on the spot that you've given full credit to them and never claimed it to be yours. Citing is important in everything that is learned from someone else (except when you're given the rights to do otherwise).
The sad part is that people often use deceptive font size to hide the credit and citation link. Some people use transparent colors while some reduce the font size so that it could become less visible to others. These are the tricks to make people assume that it is original and shared for the first time on the web but in reality, it's not. Never use these dirty tricks!
3 - References
If you've studied something in-depth and you want to share the whole story to others, simply write a few paragraphs and include a reference link to show that it's not your study but someone else's work. In case a person wants to learn more, he will read the details from your given reference link.
Citation and references are a bit different from each other. You cite the source when you use some information and you can cite within the text of your article. References are commonly given at the end of either a list or a complete article.
Never engage yourself in fraudulent activities for your own good. If you do, get ready for the penalties that you might face someday. Using the plagiarized text for commercial purposes can lead to serious penalties.