What is Plagiarism in Research?

Plagiarism is the unethical practice of using words or ideas (either planned or accidental) of another author/researcher or your own previous works without proper acknowledgment. Considered a serious academic and intellectual offense, plagiarism can result in highly negative consequences such as paper retractions and loss of author credibility and reputation. It is currently a grave problem in academic publishing and a major reason for paper retractions.

It is thus imperative for researchers to increase their understanding of plagiarism. In some cultures, academic traditions and nuances may not insist on authentication by citing the source of words or ideas. However, this form of validation is a prerequisite in the global academic code of conduct. Non-native English speakers face a higher challenge of communicating their technical content in English as well as complying with ethical rules. The digital age affects plagiarism. Researchers have easy access to material and data on the internet which makes it easy to copy and paste information.

How Can You Avoid Plagiarism in a Research Paper?

Guard yourself against plagiarism, however accidental it may be. Here are some guidelines to avoid plagiarism.

1. Paraphrase your content

Do not copy–paste the text verbatim from the reference paper. Instead, restate the idea in your own words.

Understand the idea(s) of the reference source well in order to paraphrase correctly or you may directly use an online paraphrasing tool to paraphrase your content effortlessly.

2. Use Quotations

Use quotes to indicate that the text has been taken from another paper. The quotes should be exactly the way they appear in the paper you take them from.

3. Cite your Sources – Identify what does and does not need to be cited

The best way to avoid the misconduct of plagiarism is by self-checking your documents using plagiarism checker tools.

Any words or ideas that are not your own but taken from another paper need to be cited.

Cite Your Own Material—If you are using content from your previous paper, you must cite yourself. Using material you have published before without citation is called self-plagiarism.

The scientific evidence you gathered after performing your tests should not be cited.

Facts or common knowledge need not be cited. If unsure, include a reference.

4. Maintain Records of the Sources You Refer to

Maintain records of the sources you refer to. Use citation software like EndNote or Reference Manager to manage the citations used for the paper

Use multiple references for the background information/literature survey. For example, rather than referencing a review, the individual papers should be referred to and cited.

5. Use plagiarism checkers

You can use various plagiarism detection tools such as iThenticate or HelioBLAST (formerly eTBLAST) to see how much of your paper is plagiarised.

Tip: While it is perfectly fine to survey previously published work, it is not alright to paraphrase the same with extensive similarity. Most plagiarism occurs in the literature review section of any document (manuscript, thesis, etc.). Therefore, if you read the original work carefully, try to understand the context, take good notes, and then express it to your target audience in your own language (without forgetting to cite the original source), then you will never be accused of plagiarism (at least for the literature review section).

Why is Plagiarism Bad?

Plagiarism is wrong because it doesn’t give credit where credit is due—to the original creator of the work.

Plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty, is particularly pertinent in the realm of Research Paper Writing. Whether you’re a student submitting a paper for a class or a researcher submitting to a journal, the work you submit should be your own. Getting credit for work you haven’t done impacts your learning and misleads your readers.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use others’ work. Drawing on existing ideas and research is a key part of academic writing. But it’s important to clearly distinguish your own words and ideas from those of your sources.

This not only gives proper credit to the works you referenced but also helps your readers track where your ideas came from and verify the evidence for themselves.

How is Plagiarism Detected?

Most academic institutions use some sort of plagiarism checker tool to ensure submitted assignments are original and Plagiarism Free Essay. If your text is too similar to the existing text found by the checker, you may be accused of plagiarism. If you’re worried about accidental plagiarism, consider running your content through a commercial plagiarism checker prior to submission. You upload your document and the checker scans it, checking for any similarities to published sources within its database. There are many plagiarism checker tools on the market, and they vary in service provision and quality. The biggest difference is between free and paid services:

• Most free checkers will only detect directly copy-pasted content. If plagiarized content has been even slightly tweaked, these checkers likely won’t detect it.
• Paid checkers have access to larger databases. They’re often able to detect similarities in paraphrased content as well. Some paid checkers are subscription models, but there are also pay-per-use options.

Types of Plagiarism

In academic writing, there are various types of plagiarism you might encounter:

• Global plagiarism means plagiarizing an entire text. This includes purchasing an essay or turning in an assignment completed by someone else.
• Verbatim plagiarism means directly copying someone’s words, without using quotation marks or citing the source.
• Paraphrasing plagiarism means rephrasing someone else’s ideas and presenting them as if they were your own original thoughts.
• Patchwork plagiarism means copying phrases, passages, and ideas from different sources and compiling them into a new text.
• Self-plagiarism means recycling previous work that you’ve already submitted or published.

Consequences of Plagiarism

Depending on the context, the consequences of plagiarism range from failing an assignment to serious legal trouble. If you’re a student submitting work that you don’t intend to publish, there likely will not be legal ramifications for plagiarism. However, it can have serious consequences for your education, from a failing grade to academic probation or expulsion. If you are seeking to publish your work, plagiarism can damage your reputation and land you in legal hot water. Not giving the original artist or creator credit could lead to loss of gainful income or other financial ramifications for them. Stealing intellectual property is against the law if it’s copyrighted, and often has legal implications even if it isn’t.