how to write a research paper without plagiarism

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How to Avoid Plagiarism | Tips on Citing Sources

Published on October 10, 2021 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas without properly crediting the original author. Sometimes plagiarism involves deliberately stealing someone’s work, but more often it happens accidentally, through carelessness or forgetfulness.When you write an academic paper, you build upon the work of others and use various credible sources for information and evidence. To avoid plagiarism, you need to correctly incorporate these sources into your text.

You can avoid plagiarism by :

• Keeping track of the sources you consult in your research
• Paraphrasing or quoting from your sources (by using a paraphrasing tool and adding your own ideas)
• Crediting the original author in an in-text citation and in your reference list
• Using a plagiarism checker before you submit
• Use generative AI tools responsibly (outputs may be detected by an   AI detector )

Even accidental plagiarism can have serious consequences , so take care with how you integrate sources into your writing.

Table of contents

Keeping track of your sources, avoiding plagiarism when quoting, avoiding plagiarism when paraphrasing, citing your sources correctly, using a plagiarism checker, using ai tools responsibly, checklist: plagiarism prevention, free lecture slides, frequently asked questions.

One of the most common ways that students commit plagiarism is by simply forgetting where an idea came from and unintentionally presenting it as their own. You can easily avoid this pitfall by keeping your notes organized and compiling a list of citations as you go.

Clearly label which thoughts are yours and which aren’t in your notes, highlight statements that need citations, and carefully mark any text copied directly from a source with quotation marks.

In the example below, red indicates a claim that requires a source, blue indicates information paraphrased or summarized from a source, and green indicates a direct quotation.

Notes for my paper on global warming

• Greenhouse gas emissions trap heat and raise global temperatures [cite details]
• Causes more severe weather: hurricanes, fires, water scarcity [cite examples]
• Animal habitats across the world are under threat from climate change [cite examples]
• Just this year, 23 species have been declared extinct (BBC News 2021)
• “Animals are changing shape… some are growing bigger wings, some are sprouting longer ears and others are growing larger bills” in order to cool off (Zeldovich 2021)

Managing sources with the Scribbr Citation Generator

To make your life easier later, make sure to write down the full details of every source you consult. That includes not only books and journal articles, but also things like websites, magazine articles, and videos. This makes it easy to go back and check where you found a phrase, fact, or idea that you want to use in your paper.

Scribbr’s Citation Generator allows you to start building and managing your reference list as you go, saving time later. When you’re ready to submit, simply download your reference list!

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

Prevent plagiarism. run a free check..

Quoting means copying a piece of text word for word. The copied text must be introduced in your own words, enclosed in quotation marks , and correctly attributed to the original author.

In general, quote sparingly. Quotes are appropriate when:

• You’re using an exact definition, introduced by the original author
• It is impossible for you to rephrase the original text without losing its meaning
• You’re analyzing the use of language in the original text
• You want to maintain the authority and style of the author’s words

Long quotations should be formatted as block quotes . But for longer blocks of text, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead.

Paraphrasing means using your own words to explain something from a source.

Paraphrasing does not mean just switching out a few words from a copy-pasted text. To paraphrase properly, you should rewrite the author’s point in your own words to show that you have fully understood it.

Every time you quote or paraphrase, you must include an in-text or footnote citation clearly identifying the original author. Each citation must correspond to a full reference in the reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper.

This acknowledges the source of your information, avoiding plagiarism, and it helps your readers locate the source for themselves if they would like to learn more.

There are many different citation styles, each with its own rules. A few common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago . Your instructor may assign a particular style for you to use, or you may be able to choose. The most important thing is to apply one style consistently throughout the text.

The examples below follow APA Style.

Citing a single source

Citing multiple sources.

If you quote multiple sources in one sentence, make sure to cite them separately so that it’s clear which material came from which source.

To create correctly formatted source citations, you can use our free Citation Generator.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

And if you’re citing in APA Style, consider using Scribbr’s Citation Checker , a unique tool that scans your citations for errors. It can detect inconsistencies between your in-text citations and your reference list, as well as making sure your citations are flawlessly formatted.

Most universities use plagiarism checkers like Turnitin to detect potential plagiarism. Here’s how plagiarism checkers work : they scan your document, compare it to a database of webpages and publications, and highlight passages that appear similar to other texts.

Consider using a plagiarism checker yourself before submitting your paper. This allows you to identify issues that could constitute accidental plagiarism, such as:

• Forgotten or misplaced citations
• Missing quotation marks
• Paraphrased material that’s too similar to the original text

Then you can easily fix any instances of potential plagiarism.

There are differences in accuracy and safety between plagiarism checkers. To help students choose, we conducted extensive research comparing the best plagiarism checkers .

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be helpful at different stages of the writing and research process. However, these tools can also be used to plagiarize in various ways (whether intentionally or unintentionally). When using these tools, it’s important to avoid the following:

• AI-assisted plagiarism:   Passing off AI-generated text as your own work (e.g., research papers, homework assignments)
• Plagiarism :   Using the tool to paraphrase content from another source and passing it off as original work
• Self-plagiarism :   Using the tool to rewrite a paper you previously submitted

It’s important to use AI tools responsibly and to be aware that AI-generated outputs may be detected by your university’s AI detector .

When using someone else’s exact words, I have properly formatted them as a quote .

When using someone else’s ideas, I have properly paraphrased , expressing the idea completely in my own words.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

Every source I cited is included in my reference list or bibliography .

I have consistently followed the rules of my required citation style .

I have not committed self-plagiarism by reusing any part of a previous paper.

I have used a reliable plagiarism checker as a final check.

Your document should be free from plagiarism!

Are you a teacher or professor who would like to educate your students about plagiarism? You can download our free lecture slides, available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Accidental plagiarism is one of the most common examples of plagiarism . Perhaps you forgot to cite a source, or paraphrased something a bit too closely. Maybe you can’t remember where you got an idea from, and aren’t totally sure if it’s original or not.

These all count as plagiarism, even though you didn’t do it on purpose. When in doubt, make sure you’re citing your sources . Also consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

Plagiarism can be detected by your professor or readers if the tone, formatting, or style of your text is different in different parts of your paper, or if they’re familiar with the plagiarized source.

Many universities also use plagiarism detection software like Turnitin’s, which compares your text to a large database of other sources, flagging any similarities that come up.

It can be easier than you think to commit plagiarism by accident. Consider using a plagiarism checker prior to submitting your paper to ensure you haven’t missed any citations.

Some examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying and pasting a Wikipedia article into the body of an assignment
• Quoting a source without including a citation
• Not paraphrasing a source properly, such as maintaining wording too close to the original
• Forgetting to cite the source of an idea

The most surefire way to avoid plagiarism is to always cite your sources . When in doubt, cite!

If you’re concerned about plagiarism, consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission. Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, November 21). How to Avoid Plagiarism | Tips on Citing Sources. Scribbr. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/how-to-avoid-plagiarism/

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A publication of the harvard college writing program.

Harvard Guide to Using Sources 

• The Honor Code

How to Avoid Plagiarism

It's not enough to know why plagiarism is taken so seriously in the academic world or to know how to recognize it. You also need to know how to avoid it. The simplest cases of plagiarism to avoid are the intentional ones: If you copy a paper from a classmate, buy a paper from the Internet, copy whole passages from a book, article, or Web site without citing the author, you are plagiarizing. Here's the best advice you'll ever receive about avoiding intentional plagiarism: If you're tempted to borrow someone else's ideas or plagiarize in any way because you're pressed for time, nervous about how you're doing in a class, or confused about the assignment, don't do it . The problems you think you're solving by plagiarizing are really minor compared to the problems you will create for yourself by plagiarizing. In every case, the consequences of plagiarism are much more serious than the consequences of turning in a paper late or turning in a paper you're not satisfied to have written.

"...the consequences of plagiarism are much more serious than the consequences of turning in a paper late..."

The consequences of accidental plagiarism are equally daunting and should be avoided at all costs. Whether or not you intended to plagiarize, you will still be held responsible. As a member of an intellectual community you are expected to respect the ideas of others in the same way that you would respect any other property that didn't belong to you, and this is true whether you plagiarize on purpose or by accident. The best way to make sure you don't plagiarize due to confusion or carelessness is to 1) understand what you're doing when you write a paper and 2) follow a method that is systematic and careful as you do your research . In other words, if you have a clear sense of what question you're trying to answer and what knowledge you're building on, and if you keep careful, clear notes along the way, it's much easier to use sources effectively and responsibly and, most of all, to write a successful paper. If you have questions about plagiarism at any point in your research or writing process, ask. It's always better to ask questions than it is to wait for an instructor to respond to work that you have turned in for a grade. Once you have turned in your final work, you will be held responsible for misuse of sources.

With these principles in mind, here are some guidelines for conducting research responsibly:

Keep track of your sources; print electronic sources

While it's easy enough to keep a stack of books or journal articles on your desk where you can easily refer back to them, it's just as important to keep track of electronic sources. When you save a PDF of a journal article, make sure you put it into a folder on your computer where you'll be able to find it. When you consult a Web site, log the Web address in a separate document from the paper you're writing so that you'll be able to return to the Web site and cite it correctly. You should also print the relevant pages from any Web sites you use, making sure you note the complete URL and the date on which you printed the material. Because electronic sources aren't stable and Web pages can be deleted without notice, beware of directing your readers to sources that might have disappeared. Check when the Web site you're using was last updated and update the URLs as you work and once again right before you submit your essay. If an electronic source disappears before you submit your work, you will need to decide whether or not to keep the source in your paper. If you have printed the source and can turn it in with your paper, you should do so. If you have not printed the source, you should consult your instructor about whether or not to use that source in your paper.

The library has several helpful resources for managing your sources, including RefWorks .

Keep sources in correct context

Whenever you consult a source, you should make sure you understand the context, both of the ideas within a source and of the source itself. You should also be careful to consider the context in which a source was written. For example, a book of essays published by an organization with a political bias might not present an issue with adequate complexity for your project.

The question of context can be more complicated when you're working with Internet sources than with print sources because you may see one Web page as separate from an entire Web site and use or interpret that page without fully understanding or representing its context. For example, a definition of "communism" taken from a Web site with a particular political agenda might provide one interpretation of the meaning of the word—but if you neglect to mention the context for that definition you might use it as though it's unbiased when it isn't. Likewise, some Internet searches will take you to a URL that's just one Web page within a larger Web site; be sure to investigate and take notes on the context of the information you're citing.

Research can often turn out to be more time-consuming that you anticipate. Budget enough time to search for sources, to take notes, and to think about how to use the sources in your essay. Moments of carelessness are more common when you leave your essay until the last minute and are tired or stressed. Honest mistakes can lead to charges of plagiarism just as dishonesty can; be careful when note-taking and when incorporating ideas and language from electronic sources so you always know what language and ideas are yours and what belongs to a source.

Don't cut and paste: File and label your sources

Never cut and paste information from an electronic source straight into your own essay, and never type verbatim sentences from a print source straight into your essay. Instead, open a separate document on your computer for each source so you can file research information carefully. When you type or cut and paste into that document, make sure to include the full citation information for the print source or the full URL and the date you copied the page(s). For Web sources, make sure to cite the page from which you're taking information, which may not necessarily be the home page of the site you're using. Use logical and precise names for the files you create, and add citation information and dates. This allows you to retrieve the files easily, deters you from accidentally deleting files, and helps you keep a log of the order in which your research was conducted. It's a good idea to add a note to each file that describes how you might use the information in that file. Remember: you're entering a conversation with your sources, and accurate file names and notes can help you understand and engage that conversation. And, of course, always remember to back up your files.

Keep your own writing and your sources separate

Work with either the printed copy of your source(s) or (in the case of online sources), the copy you pasted into a separate document—not the online version—as you draft your essay. This precaution not only decreases the risk of plagiarism but also enables you to annotate your sources in various ways that will help you understand and use them most effectively in your essay.

Keep your notes and your draft separate

Be careful to keep your research notes separate from your actual draft at all stages of your writing process. This will ensure that you don't cut language from a source and paste it into your paper without proper attribution. If you work from your notes, you're more likely to keep track of the boundaries between your own ideas and those in a source.

Paraphrase carefully in your notes; acknowledge your sources explicitly when paraphrasing

When you want to paraphrase material, it's a good idea first to paste the actual quotation into your notes (not directly into your draft) and then to paraphrase it (still in your notes). Putting the information in your own words will help you make sure that you've thought about what the source is saying and that you have a good reason for using it in your paper. Remember to use some form of notation in your notes to indicate what you've paraphrased and mention the author's name within the material you paraphrase. You should also include all citation information in your notes.

When you decide to use paraphrased material in your essay, make sure that you avoid gradually rewording the paraphrased material from draft to draft until you lose sight of the fact that it's still a paraphrase. Also, avoid excessive paraphrasing in which your essay simply strings together a series of paraphrases. When the ideas taken from your sources start to blend in deceptively with your own thinking, you will have a more difficult time maintaining the boundaries between your ideas and those drawn from sources. Finally, whenever you paraphrase, make sure you indicate, at each logical progression, that the ideas are taken from an authored source.

Avoid reading a classmate's paper for inspiration

If you're in a course that requires peer review or workshops of student drafts, you are going to read your classmates' work and discuss it. This is a productive way of exchanging ideas and getting feedback on your work. If you find, in the course of this work, that you wish to use someone else's idea at some point in your paper (you should never use someone else's idea as your thesis, but there may be times when a classmate's idea would work as a counterargument or other point in your paper), you must credit that person the same way you would credit any other source. On the other hand, if you find yourself reading someone else's paper because you're stuck on an assignment and don't know how to proceed, you may end up creating a problem for yourself because you might unconsciously copy that person's ideas. When you're stuck, make an appointment with your instructor or go to the Writing Center for advice on how to develop your own ideas.

Don't save your citations for later

Never paraphrase or quote from a source without immediately adding a citation. You should add citations in your notes, in your response papers, in your drafts, and in your revisions. Without them, it's too easy to lose track of where you got a quotation or an idea and to end up inadvertently taking credit for material that's not your own.

Quote your sources properly

Always use quotation marks for directly quoted material, even for short phrases and key terms.

Keep a source trail

As you write and revise your essay, make sure that you keep track of your sources in your notes and in each successive draft of your essay. You should begin this process early, even before you start writing your draft. Even after you've handed in your essay, keep all of your research notes and drafts. You ought to be able to reconstruct the path you took from your sources to your notes and from your notes to your drafts and revision. These careful records and clear boundaries between your writing and your sources will help you avoid plagiarism. And if you are called upon to explain your process to your instructor, you'll be able to retrace the path you took when thinking, researching, and writing, from the essay you submitted back through your drafts and to your sources.

Get science-backed answers as you write with Paperpal's Research feature

How to Avoid Plagiarism? Tips and Advice for Academics

Plagiarism is an important concept in writing and concerns all authors who publish any kind of document. So, what is plagiarism? Presenting other people’s work as your own without formally giving due credit through citations or acknowledgements is called plagiarism. One of the biggest mistakes that authors may make is to include sentences verbatim from other sources or even pass off someone else’s writing as their own without appropriate citation. While most authors may know how to avoid plagiarism, some may not be completely aware of this concept . This article aims to answer your questions about how and why authors should avoid plagiarism. 

The following activities can be considered plagiarism 1 : 

• Quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing information from a source without citing it 
• Using ideas or methods from a source without citing it 
• Using words verbatim from a source and also citing it, but not enclosing the text in quotation marks or an indented block 
• Close paraphrasing without citing the source 

Table of Contents

• Different forms of plagiarism 
• What is plagiarism in research? 
• Why should you avoid plagiarism? 
• Tips to avoid plagiarism 
• How to prevent plagiarism? A checklist 
• Frequently asked questions 

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of “ stealing and passing off the ideas or words of another as one’s own,” or “using another’s production without crediting the source .” 2 According to the University of Oxford, 3 all published and unpublished work, whether electronic or printed, as well as text generated wholly or in part by artificial intelligence can be plagiarized. Re-using your own work without proper citation is also considered plagiarism. 

In addition to text, plagiarism can also involve other media such as software program codes, illustrations, graphics, and artwork. The only source that can be used freely without citation is information in the public domain or common knowledge such as well-known facts.  

Different forms of plagiarism

Some different forms of plagiarism are listed below. 3  

• Verbatim quotation without clear acknowledgement  

Readers should be able to distinguish between the author’s own words and that from another source. To ensure this, direct quotations should be cited and enclosed within quotation marks, indented as block text, or italicized. 

• Cutting and pasting from the Internet without clear acknowledgement  

To avoid plagiarism, information found on the Internet should be verified from other reliable sources and only trustworthy websites, such as government websites, should be referred to and used with clear citation. 

• Paraphrasing without proper acknowledgement  

Paraphrasing means rewriting text using different words although the meaning remains the same. Even if the words are different, the meaning or idea, if sourced from another work, should be duly cited. Close paraphrasing occurs when only very few words are revised from the original. Here’s an example: 4  

Original  

Wild cattle are probably the longest-running example in Europe of the conservation in semi-captivity of an otherwise extinct subspecies. They owe their survival to being a medieval status symbol; how they came to be such is unknown.  

Plagiarized version  

There are a number of herds of so-called ‘wild cattle’ in Britain. Their survival is due to their being a medieval status symbol, although it is unknown how they came to be such, and is one of the longest running examples of the conservation in semi-captivity in Europe of an otherwise extinct subspecies.  

Acceptable revision  

There are a number of herds of so-called ‘wild cattle’ in country parks in Britain. In his ‘History of the Countryside’, Oliver Rackham suggests that these herds are ‘probably the longest-running example in Europe of the conservation in semi-captivity of an otherwise extinct subspecies’ and attributes the cattle’s survival to the fact that they were ‘a medieval status symbol’. 1  

1 Oliver Rackham, The History of the Countryside (London: Phoenix, 2000), p. 39.  

• Collusion  

This includes unauthorized collaborations among students and failure to acknowledge assistance received while working in groups. You should be clear about the extent of collaboration allowed. 

• Inaccurate citation  

Citations must be accurate, and only those sources that have actually been referred to should be mentioned. 

• Auto-plagiarism  

Many universities prohibit concurrent submission of identical documents, that is, submitting work that has already been submitted for a different course, subject, university, etc. 

What is plagiarism in research?

Plagiarism in research could take many forms like copying another author’s work, strategy, methods, hypotheses, formulae, in addition to basic text. A plagiarism charge can have adverse effects on authors’ careers and also the reputation of universities and institutions with which they are affiliated. If plagiarism is discovered after an article is published in a journal, then that paper would need to be retracted and this can significantly affect any future publishing prospects of authors. Retractions negate the credibility or validity of any research, affecting not just the authors and institutions but also other researchers who may have referred to this source for their own research.  

Universities have clear definitions and strict policies on how to avoid plagiarism; two examples are given below. 

Stanford University  

“For purposes of the Stanford University Honor Code, plagiarism is defined as the use, without giving reasonable and appropriate credit to or acknowledging the author or source, of another person’s original work, whether such work is made up of code, formulas, ideas, language, research, strategies, writing or other form(s). Moreover, verbatim text from another source must always be put in (or within) quotation marks.” 5  

Carnegie Mellon University  

“Plagiarism is defined as the use of work or concepts contributed by other individuals without proper attribution or citation. Unique ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged in academic work to be graded. Examples of sources expected to be referenced include but are not limited to:  

• Text, either written or spoken, quoted directly or paraphrased  
• Graphic elements  
• Passages of music, existing either as sound or as notation  
• Mathematical proofs  
• Scientific data  
• Concepts or material derived from the work, published or unpublished, of another person” 6  

Why should you avoid plagiarism ?

You should avoid plagiarism for the following reasons 7 : 

• to ensure academic integrity  
• to ensure ethical practices in research 
• to give credit to authors whose work you’re referring to because it is a form of respecting someone’s efforts and work  
• to avoid hampering your own career and reputation and that of the affiliated institution 

An important way to avoid plagiarism is to cite sources appropriately. Proper citations are similar to roadmaps for future researchers who will refer to your work for their own research. These roadmaps help researchers in following your research trail on the same subject so that they don’t waste time and effort by repeating work that has already been done.  

Ways to avoid plagiarism in research

Listed below are a few ways to avoid plagiarism. 7  

• Plan : Make a list of the information you need and allocate sufficient time for both research and writing. If you spend most of your time on research, you may not have enough time for writing and may eventually copy text verbatim. 
• Cite accurately from reliable sources : Refer to only reliable sources and track them by using reference management software such as Zotero , Mendeley , and EndNote to help you organize all your citations. One of the most critical ways to avoid plagiarism is to add citations to the correct place in the text using specific rules, if applicable. 
• Paraphrase and rewrite : Don’t cut and paste text from sources into your document. Use your own words to rephrase sentences ensuring that you retain the intended meaning. 
• Use exact words cautiously : Use words verbatim only if absolutely necessary and always highlight such text and cite the source. 

Tips to avoid plagiarism

Here are some detailed tips to help you avoid plagiarism. 8,9  

• Learn the principles of good writing by attending related courses, seminars, etc. 
• Don’t modify the content in a source to suit your objectives. 
• Use a signal phrase, such as “According to [source],” at the beginning of sentences or paragraphs to clarify that you’re referring to another source. 
• Avoid changing technical, subject-specific, or coined terms in the source text. Highlight such terms by using quotation marks or italics. 
• Use examples to learn how to paraphrase source text accurately. Read the source text, understand what it’s conveying, and then rewrite it in your own words.  
• Quote only as much is needed from the source. Don’t quote the entire paragraph if only one sentence is sufficient. To shorten quoted text, use ellipses (…) to indicate omitted text. 
• Learn how to cite sources properly. Choose a specific referencing style followed in your field and familiarize yourself with it. 
• Learn how to detect plagiarism. After paraphrasing an example text, identify words in your text that are similar to those in the source. See if these words could be replaced with others without changing the original meaning. 
• Ensure that all the information that is not otherwise “common knowledge” is cited. Do note that something that is common knowledge to you may not be as common to others. 
• Obtain permission from authors when using significant portions of their work. 
• Proofread your work objectively to ensure that readers can distinguish between your own words or ideas and those from other sources. 
• Avoid accidental plagiarism by using a good plagiarism checker to identify any instances you may have missed. 

How to prevent plagiarism ? A checklist

Here’s a short checklist you can use after finalizing your document to help you prevent plagiarism. Make sure you have: 

• Not copied text verbatim. 
• Paraphrased appropriately in own language instead of just using synonyms. 
• Enclosed exact words within quotation marks, indented as a block, or italicized. 
• Used appropriate subject-specific citation style guide and followed all the formatting rules. 
• Included in-text citations wherever required. 
• Included all text citations in the reference list or bibliography as well. 
• Neither reused own previously submitted paper nor submitted papers to different institutions concurrently. 

Frequently asked questions  

Several online plagiarism checkers are available to check for text duplication, such as the Paperpal plagiarism checker or iThenticate by Turnitin. Such tools are usually used by universities, journals, and other publishers to ensure that all submissions are original and to prevent any copyright issues later. 10  

Plagiarism checkers are important because they quickly accomplish what would otherwise take several hours to complete manually. These plagiarism checkers use algorithms to compare text with an extensive database including journal articles, websites, etc. The scale at which these checkers function is also quite high because they scan billions of sources of text and data to identify a match between what you’ve written and the sources they’re trained to parse. However, the accuracy of these checkers may not be 100% because of false positives (flagging original content as plagiarized) and false negatives (failing to detect plagiarized content). The accuracy of plagiarism checkers depends on factors such as database size, algorithm quality, text comparison methodology, etc. Users should manually check flagged content to ensure accuracy. 

Here are a few best practices and ways to avoid plagiarism for students: 10   Take sufficient time to complete your work and don’t procrastinate.  Avoid simply copy pasting text from sources. Understand the whole concept and write in your own words. Learn how to paraphrase and how to cite accurately.  Use reliable and credible sources and acknowledge them.  Organize your notes; create a separate list of citations you’re using as you work.  Avoid simultaneously submitting the same article for different courses, universities, journals, etc.  Use a trusted plagiarism checker to detect any accidental or self-plagiarism. 

Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism refers to combining text from various sources into your own work without proper acknowledgement or citation. While paraphrasing involves rewriting text from a single source, mosaic plagiarism involves copying text from multiple sources.  Here’s an example of mosaic plagiarism: 12   Source 1 (Johnson, 2018):   “Adolescents today are facing a unique challenge that previous generations did not experience. The increasing usage of social media platforms has raised concerns about its impact on their mental well-being. Recent studies have indicated a correlation between the time spent on social media and the overall well-being of adolescents.”   Source 2 (Miller, 2019):   “The relationship between screen time and mental health among young people has been investigated extensively. It has been found that excessive screen time, especially on social media platforms, can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.”   Plagiarized text   Teenagers today face unique challenges unknown to previous generations. The increasing use of social media platforms has prompted concerns about their impact on youth wellbeing, leading to extensive investigation of the impact of screen time on mental health. Studies have shown a link between excessive screen time and mental health, with youth affected by feelings of anxiety and depression.   To conclude, to avoid plagiarism authors should use information from sources carefully and always cite or acknowledge accurately. We hope this article has given you an insight into what constitutes plagiarism and that the suggested tips will help you avoid plagiarism in research. 

References  

• Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations . 9 th ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2018, p. 81-84. 
• Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. Last accessed February 13, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarized  
• Plagiarism. University of Oxford website. Accessed February 13, 2024. https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiarism  
• A guide to referencing your work. University of Bristol website. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/referencing/page_05.htm  
• What is plagiarism? Stanford University website. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://communitystandards.stanford.edu/policies-guidance/bja-guidance-definitions-and-clarifications/what-plagiarism  
• Academic integrity. Carnegie Mellon University website. Accessed February 15, 2024. https://www.cmu.edu/policies/student-and-student-life/academic-integrity.html  
• How to avoid plagiarism. Harvard University website. Accessed February 17, 2024. https://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/how-avoid-plagiarism-0  
• Best practices to avoid plagiarism. Purdue University website. Accessed February 21, 2024. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/avoiding_plagiarism/best_practices.html  
• Tips on avoiding plagiarism. Northern Illinois University website. Accessed February 16, 2024. https://www.niu.edu/academic-integrity/students/plagiarism/tips-on-avoiding.shtml  
• Kumar PM, Priya NS, Musalaiah S, Nagasree M. Knowing and avoiding plagiarism during scientific writing. Ann Med Health Sci Res . 2014 Sep;4(Suppl 3):S193-8. doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.141957. PMID: 25364588. Accessed February 15, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4212376/  
• The accuracy of online plagiarism checkers: Are they up to the task? Medium. Published February 7, 2024. Accessed February 21, 2024. https://medium.com/@plagiarismexpertorg/the-accuracy-of-online-plagiarism-checkers-are-they-up-to-the-task-ba1e3be60fe7  
• What is mosaic plagiarism? Examples, types, and how to avoid it. Published December 12, 2023. Accessed February 22, 2024. https://www.turnitin.com/blog/what-is-mosaic-plagiarism-examples-types-and-how-to-avoid-it  

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How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 5a. Avoid Plagiarism

• Get Started
• 1a. Select a Topic
• 1b. Develop Research Questions
• 1c. Identify Keywords
• 1d. Find Background Information
• 1e. Refine a Topic
• 2a. Search Strategies
• 2d. Articles
• 2e. Videos & Images
• 2f. Databases
• 2g. Websites
• 2h. Grey Literature
• 2i. Open Access Materials
• 3a. Evaluate Sources
• 3b. Primary vs. Secondary
• 3c. Types of Periodicals
• 4a. Take Notes
• 4b. Outline the Paper
• 4c. Incorporate Source Material
• 5a. Avoid Plagiarism
• 5b. Zotero & MyBib
• 5c. MLA Formatting
• 5d. MLA Citation Examples
• 5e. APA Formatting
• 5f. APA Citation Examples
• 5g. Annotated Bibliographies

Keys to Avoiding Plagiarism

• Understand what plagiarism is.
• Paraphrase  the original text into your own words.
• Know the difference between quoting directly,   paraphrasing , and summarizing.
• Take clear notes, using quotation marks when copying someone else's words.
• Know when to quote, e.g.: a direct quotation, a paraphrase of another author's argument, a summary of someone else's argument even if it's in your own words.
• Use quotation marks around text that has been taken directly from the original source.
• Note that changing someone else's words around or merely substituting synonyms for their words is still plagiarism.
• Cite  every source of information you use in your paper unless it is common knowledge or the results of your own research.
• Remember to cite Internet sources, the minutes of meetings, speeches, films, TV shows and ads, and anything else that is someone else's work.
• Plan ahead! Many people who plagiarize simply ran out of time when they were up against a deadline.

" Avoiding Plagiarism ," an interactive tutorial from the Greenwood Skills Center, provides additional information about defining plagiarism, quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing, appropriate citing, and tips to avoiding plagiarism.

Plagiarism Tutorials

• You Quote It, You Note It Created by the Vaughan Memorial Library at Acadia University, this tutorial suggests that researching ethically is also researching efficiently. You'll learn how to avoid plagiarism and also pick up some good research tips.

Real World Examples

Think plagiarism is just an issue for college students writing research papers? Think again!  Check out these real world examples of celebrities being accused of plagiarizing.

• Jessica Seinfeld

Plagiarism: Don't Do It

Posted with permission from Lehman College. 

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a serious form of academic dishonesty, defined as "The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft." ( Oxford English Dictionary )  Most students can give  a definition of plagiarism, but some still commit plagiarism unintentionally because they're in a hurry, or they don't really understand what constitutes plagiarism and what doesn't. Unintentional plagiarism, however, is still plagiarism.

Follow this link to learn more about Copyright and Plagiarism .

Plagiarism @ EC

Academic dishonesty is a serious violation that is counter to the purposes and aims of Elmira College.

Plagiarism may take many forms:

• copying information directly without providing quotation marks,
• failing to cite sources,
• citing sources incorrectly
• using someone else's idea or work as your own without acknowledgement, or
• submitting the same work for multiple courses.

It does not matter whether you intended to plagiarize or whether the plagiarism occurred unintentionally; it still constitutes academic dishonesty. Ignorance of the rules of correct citation is not an acceptable excuse.

Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty can subject a student to disciplinary action.

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• Next: 5b. Zotero & MyBib >>
• Last Updated: Feb 21, 2024 11:01 AM
• URL: https://libguides.elmira.edu/research

Prevent plagiarism, run a free plagiarism check.

• Knowledge Base

How to Avoid Plagiarism | Tips on Citing Sources

Published on 6 December 2021 by Tegan George . Revised on 3 April 2023.

When you write an academic paper, you build upon the work of others and use various credible sources for information and evidence. To avoid plagiarism, you need to correctly incorporate these sources into your text.

• Keeping track of the sources you consult in your research
• Paraphrasing or quoting from your sources (and adding your own ideas)
• Crediting the original author in an in-text citation and in your reference list
• Using a plagiarism checker before you submit

Even accidental plagiarism can have serious consequences , so take care with how you integrate sources into your writing.

Table of contents

Keeping track of your sources, avoiding plagiarism when quoting, avoiding plagiarism when paraphrasing, citing your sources correctly, using a plagiarism checker, checklist: plagiarism prevention, free lecture slides, frequently asked questions about plagiarism.

One of the most common ways that students commit plagiarism is by simply forgetting where an idea came from and unintentionally presenting it as their own. You can easily avoid this pitfall by keeping your notes organised and compiling a list of citations as you go.

Clearly label which thoughts are yours and which aren’t in your notes, highlight statements that need citations, and carefully mark any text copied directly from a source with quotation marks.

In the example below, red indicates a claim that requires a source, blue indicates information paraphrased or summarised from a source, and green indicates a direct quotation.

Notes for my paper on global warming

• Greenhouse gas emissions trap heat and raise global temperatures [cite details]
• Causes more severe weather: hurricanes, fires, water scarcity [cite examples]
• Animal habitats across the world are under threat from climate change [cite examples]
• Just this year, 23 species have been declared extinct (BBC News 2021)
• ‘Animals are changing shape… some are growing bigger wings, some are sprouting longer ears and others are growing larger bills’ in order to cool off (Zeldovich 2021)

Managing sources with the Scribbr Citation Generator

To make your life easier later, make sure to write down the full details of every source you consult. That includes not only books and journal articles, but also things like websites, magazine articles, and videos. This makes it easy to go back and check where you found a phrase, fact, or idea that you want to use in your paper.

Scribbr’s Citation Generator allows you to start building and managing your reference list as you go, saving time later. When you’re ready to submit, simply download your reference list!

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check..

Quoting means copying a piece of text word for word. The copied text must be introduced in your own words, enclosed in quotation marks , and correctly attributed to the original author.

In general, quote sparingly. Quotes are appropriate when:

• You’re using an exact definition, introduced by the original author
• It is impossible for you to rephrase the original text without losing its meaning
• You’re analyzing the use of language in the original text
• You want to maintain the authority and style of the author’s words

Long quotations should be formatted as block quotes . But for longer blocks of text, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead.

Paraphrasing means using your own words to explain something from a source.

Paraphrasing does not mean just switching out a few words from a copy-pasted text. To paraphrase properly, you should rewrite the author’s point in your own words to show that you have fully understood it.

Every time you quote or paraphrase, you must include an in-text or footnote citation clearly identifying the original author. Each citation must correspond to a full reference in the reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper.

This acknowledges the source of your information, avoiding plagiarism, and it helps your readers locate the source for themselves if they would like to learn more.

There are many different citation styles, each with its own rules. Your instructor may assign a particular style for you to use, or you may be able to choose. The most important thing is to apply one style consistently throughout the text.

The examples below follow APA Style .

Citing a single source

Citing multiple sources.

If you quote multiple sources in one sentence, make sure to cite them separately so that it’s clear which material came from which source.

To create correctly formatted source citations, you can use our free Citation Generator.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

And if you’re citing in APA Style, consider using Scribbr’s Citation Checker , a unique tool that scans your citations for errors. It can detect inconsistencies between your in-text citations and your reference list, as well as making sure your citations are flawlessly formatted.

Most universities use plagiarism checkers like Turnitin to detect potential plagiarism. Here’s how plagiarism checkers work : they scan your document, compare it to a database of webpages and publications, and highlight passages that appear similar to other texts.

Consider using a plagiarism checker yourself before submitting your paper. This allows you to identify issues that could constitute accidental plagiarism, such as:

• Forgotten or misplaced citations
• Missing quotation marks
• Paraphrased material that’s too similar to the original text

Then you can easily fix any instances of potential plagiarism.

There are differences in accuracy and safety between plagiarism checkers. To help students choose, we conducted extensive research comparing the best plagiarism checkers .

When using someone else’s exact words, I have properly formatted them as a quote .

When using someone else’s ideas, I have properly paraphrased , expressing the idea completely in my own words.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

Every source I cited is included in my reference list or bibliography .

I have consistently followed the rules of my required citation style .

I have not committed self-plagiarism by reusing any part of a previous paper.

I have used a reliable plagiarism checker as a final check.

Your document should be free from plagiarism!

Are you a teacher or lecturer who would like to educate your students about plagiarism? You can download our free lecture slides, available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Accidental plagiarism is one of the most common examples of plagiarism . Perhaps you forgot to cite a source, or paraphrased something a bit too closely. Maybe you can’t remember where you got an idea from, and aren’t totally sure if it’s original or not.

These all count as plagiarism, even though you didn’t do it on purpose. When in doubt, make sure you’re citing your sources . Also consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

To avoid plagiarism when summarising an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by   paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Reference the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

Plagiarism can be detected by your professor or readers if the tone, formatting, or style of your text is different in different parts of your paper, or if they’re familiar with the plagiarised source.

Many universities also use   plagiarism detection software like Turnitin’s, which compares your text to a large database of other sources, flagging any similarities that come up.

It can be easier than you think to commit plagiarism by accident. Consider using a   plagiarism checker prior to submitting your essay to ensure you haven’t missed any citations.

Some examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying and pasting a Wikipedia article into the body of an assignment
• Quoting a source without including a citation
• Not paraphrasing a source properly (e.g. maintaining wording too close to the original)
• Forgetting to cite the source of an idea

The most surefire way to   avoid plagiarism is to always cite your sources . When in doubt, cite!

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

George, T. (2023, April 03). How to Avoid Plagiarism | Tips on Citing Sources. Scribbr. Retrieved 8 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/preventing-plagiarism/avoiding-plagiarism/

Is this article helpful?

Tegan George

Other students also liked, consequences of mild, moderate & severe plagiarism, the 5 types of plagiarism | explanations & examples, what is self-plagiarism | definition & how to avoid it.

• Locations and Hours
• UCLA Library
• Research Guides
• Research Tips and Tools

Citing Sources

• How to Avoid Plagiarism
• Introduction
• Reading Citations

Best Practices for Avoiding Plagiarism

The entire section below came from a research guide from Iowa State University.  To avoid plagiarism, one must provide a reference to that source to indicate where the original information came from (see the "Source:" section below).

"There are many ways to avoid plagiarism, including developing good research habits, good time management, and taking responsibility for your own learning. Here are some specific tips:

• Don't procrastinate with your research and assignments. Good research takes time. Procrastinating makes it likely you'll run out of time or be unduly pressured to finish. This sort of pressure can often lead to sloppy research habits and bad decisions. Plan your research well in advance, and seek help when needed from your professor, from librarians and other campus support staff.
• Commit to doing your own work. If you don't understand an assignment, talk with your professor. Don't take the "easy way" out by asking your roommate or friends for copies of old assignments. A different aspect of this is group work. Group projects are very popular in some classes on campus, but not all. Make sure you clearly understand when your professor says it's okay to work with others on assignments and submit group work on assignments, versus when assignments and papers need to represent your own work.
•  Be 100% scrupulous in your note taking. As you prepare your paper or research, and as you begin drafting your paper. One good practice is to clearly label in your notes your own ideas (write "ME" in parentheses) and ideas and words from others (write "SMITH, 2005" or something to indicate author, source, source date). Keep good records of the sources you consult, and the ideas you take from them. If you're writing a paper, you'll need this information for your bibliographies or references cited list anyway, so you'll benefit from good organization from the beginning.
• Cite your sources scrupulously. Always cite other people's work, words, ideas and phrases that you use directly or indirectly in your paper. Regardless of whether you found the information in a book, article, or website, and whether it's text, a graphic, an illustration, chart or table, you need to cite it. When you use words or phrases from other sources, these need to be in quotes. Current style manuals are available at most reference desks and online. They may also give further advice on avoiding plagiarism.
• Understand good paraphrasing. Simply using synonyms or scrambling an author's words and phrases and then using these "rewrites" uncredited in your work is plagiarism, plain and simple. Good paraphrasing requires that you genuinely understand the original source, that you are genuinely using your own words to summarize a point or concept, and that you insert in quotes any unique words or phrases you use from the original source. Good paraphrasing also requires that you cite the original source. Anything less and you veer into the dangerous territory of plagiarism."

Source: Vega García, S.A. (2012). Understanding plagiarism: Information literacy guide. Iowa State University. Retrieved from  http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/content.php?pid=10314 . [Accessed January 3, 2017]

Plagiarism prevention.

• Plagiarism Prevention (onlinecolleges.net) This resource provides information about preventing plagiarism, understanding the various types of plagiarism, and learning how to cite properly to avoid plagiarism.

UCLA has a campuswide license to Turnitin.com. Faculty may turn in student papers electronically, where the text can be compared with a vast database of other student papers, online articles, general Web pages, and other sources. Turnitin.com then produces a report for the instructor indicating whether the paper was plagiarized and if so, how much.

For more information, go to Turnitin.com .

Plagiarism in the News

• << Previous: Plagiarism
• Next: Get Help >>
• Last Updated: Feb 2, 2024 12:38 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/citing

Writing without Plagiarism

• What is Plagiarism?

Gather your sources

Check your work.

• Apply Your Knowledge
• Citation Styles

Track your ideas and new information from the start.

Avoiding pagiarism starts before you even begin writing.

As you are doing your research keep track of which ideas come from your sources and which ideas, questions, and connections you made while you were reading.

This will make citing your sources easier when it comes time to write your paper, and it helps you avoid accidental plagiarism.

The example at the right shows one way to keep track of the author's ideas and your ideas, but you can use whatever system works for you.

 Are these passages attributed correctly?

Review one of these handouts on how to use another author's ideas through proper attribution and citation.

• Avoiding Plagiarism: AMA Style This guide gives you examples of how to properly paraphrase or quote another person's ideas using AMA style citations
• Avoiding Plagiarism: APA Style This guide gives you examples of how to properly paraphrase and quote another person's ideas using APA style citations.
• Avoiding Plagiarism: MLA Style This guide gives you examples of how to properly paraphrase and quote another person's ideas using MLA style citations.

You should be able to answer the following questions about your paper or project:

• << Previous: What is Plagiarism?
• Next: Apply Your Knowledge >>
• Last Updated: Sep 9, 2022 11:41 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.uwm.edu/noplagiarism

How To Write A Research Paper

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + FREE Template

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | March 2024

For many students, crafting a strong research paper from scratch can feel like a daunting task – and rightly so! In this post, we’ll unpack what a research paper is, what it needs to do , and how to write one – in three easy steps. 🙂 

Overview: Writing A Research Paper

What (exactly) is a research paper.

• How to write a research paper
• Stage 1 : Topic & literature search
• Stage 2 : Structure & outline
• Stage 3 : Iterative writing
• Key takeaways

Let’s start by asking the most important question, “ What is a research paper? ”.

Simply put, a research paper is a scholarly written work where the writer (that’s you!) answers a specific question (this is called a research question ) through evidence-based arguments . Evidence-based is the keyword here. In other words, a research paper is different from an essay or other writing assignments that draw from the writer’s personal opinions or experiences. With a research paper, it’s all about building your arguments based on evidence (we’ll talk more about that evidence a little later).

Now, it’s worth noting that there are many different types of research papers , including analytical papers (the type I just described), argumentative papers, and interpretative papers. Here, we’ll focus on analytical papers , as these are some of the most common – but if you’re keen to learn about other types of research papers, be sure to check out the rest of the blog .

With that basic foundation laid, let’s get down to business and look at how to write a research paper .

Overview: The 3-Stage Process

While there are, of course, many potential approaches you can take to write a research paper, there are typically three stages to the writing process. So, in this tutorial, we’ll present a straightforward three-step process that we use when working with students at Grad Coach.

These three steps are:

• Finding a research topic and reviewing the existing literature
• Developing a provisional structure and outline for your paper, and
• Writing up your initial draft and then refining it iteratively

Let’s dig into each of these.

Need a helping hand?

Step 1: Find a topic and review the literature

As we mentioned earlier, in a research paper, you, as the researcher, will try to answer a question . More specifically, that’s called a research question , and it sets the direction of your entire paper. What’s important to understand though is that you’ll need to answer that research question with the help of high-quality sources – for example, journal articles, government reports, case studies, and so on. We’ll circle back to this in a minute.

The first stage of the research process is deciding on what your research question will be and then reviewing the existing literature (in other words, past studies and papers) to see what they say about that specific research question. In some cases, your professor may provide you with a predetermined research question (or set of questions). However, in many cases, you’ll need to find your own research question within a certain topic area.

Finding a strong research question hinges on identifying a meaningful research gap – in other words, an area that’s lacking in existing research. There’s a lot to unpack here, so if you wanna learn more, check out the plain-language explainer video below.

Once you’ve figured out which question (or questions) you’ll attempt to answer in your research paper, you’ll need to do a deep dive into the existing literature – this is called a “ literature search ”. Again, there are many ways to go about this, but your most likely starting point will be Google Scholar .

If you’re new to Google Scholar, think of it as Google for the academic world. You can start by simply entering a few different keywords that are relevant to your research question and it will then present a host of articles for you to review. What you want to pay close attention to here is the number of citations for each paper – the more citations a paper has, the more credible it is (generally speaking – there are some exceptions, of course).

Ideally, what you’re looking for are well-cited papers that are highly relevant to your topic. That said, keep in mind that citations are a cumulative metric , so older papers will often have more citations than newer papers – just because they’ve been around for longer. So, don’t fixate on this metric in isolation – relevance and recency are also very important.

Beyond Google Scholar, you’ll also definitely want to check out academic databases and aggregators such as Science Direct, PubMed, JStor and so on. These will often overlap with the results that you find in Google Scholar, but they can also reveal some hidden gems – so, be sure to check them out.

Once you’ve worked your way through all the literature, you’ll want to catalogue all this information in some sort of spreadsheet so that you can easily recall who said what, when and within what context. If you’d like, we’ve got a free literature spreadsheet that helps you do exactly that.

Step 2: Develop a structure and outline

With your research question pinned down and your literature digested and catalogued, it’s time to move on to planning your actual research paper .

It might sound obvious, but it’s really important to have some sort of rough outline in place before you start writing your paper. So often, we see students eagerly rushing into the writing phase, only to land up with a disjointed research paper that rambles on in multiple

Now, the secret here is to not get caught up in the fine details . Realistically, all you need at this stage is a bullet-point list that describes (in broad strokes) what you’ll discuss and in what order. It’s also useful to remember that you’re not glued to this outline – in all likelihood, you’ll chop and change some sections once you start writing, and that’s perfectly okay. What’s important is that you have some sort of roadmap in place from the start.

At this stage you might be wondering, “ But how should I structure my research paper? ”. Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, but in general, a research paper will consist of a few relatively standardised components:

• Introduction
• Literature review
• Methodology

Let’s take a look at each of these.

First up is the introduction section . As the name suggests, the purpose of the introduction is to set the scene for your research paper. There are usually (at least) four ingredients that go into this section – these are the background to the topic, the research problem and resultant research question , and the justification or rationale. If you’re interested, the video below unpacks the introduction section in more detail. 

The next section of your research paper will typically be your literature review . Remember all that literature you worked through earlier? Well, this is where you’ll present your interpretation of all that content . You’ll do this by writing about recent trends, developments, and arguments within the literature – but more specifically, those that are relevant to your research question . The literature review can oftentimes seem a little daunting, even to seasoned researchers, so be sure to check out our extensive collection of literature review content here .

With the introduction and lit review out of the way, the next section of your paper is the research methodology . In a nutshell, the methodology section should describe to your reader what you did (beyond just reviewing the existing literature) to answer your research question. For example, what data did you collect, how did you collect that data, how did you analyse that data and so on? For each choice, you’ll also need to justify why you chose to do it that way, and what the strengths and weaknesses of your approach were.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that for some research papers, this aspect of the project may be a lot simpler . For example, you may only need to draw on secondary sources (in other words, existing data sets). In some cases, you may just be asked to draw your conclusions from the literature search itself (in other words, there may be no data analysis at all). But, if you are required to collect and analyse data, you’ll need to pay a lot of attention to the methodology section. The video below provides an example of what the methodology section might look like.

By this stage of your paper, you will have explained what your research question is, what the existing literature has to say about that question, and how you analysed additional data to try to answer your question. So, the natural next step is to present your analysis of that data . This section is usually called the “results” or “analysis” section and this is where you’ll showcase your findings.

Depending on your school’s requirements, you may need to present and interpret the data in one section – or you might split the presentation and the interpretation into two sections. In the latter case, your “results” section will just describe the data, and the “discussion” is where you’ll interpret that data and explicitly link your analysis back to your research question. If you’re not sure which approach to take, check in with your professor or take a look at past papers to see what the norms are for your programme.

Alright – once you’ve presented and discussed your results, it’s time to wrap it up . This usually takes the form of the “ conclusion ” section. In the conclusion, you’ll need to highlight the key takeaways from your study and close the loop by explicitly answering your research question. Again, the exact requirements here will vary depending on your programme (and you may not even need a conclusion section at all) – so be sure to check with your professor if you’re unsure.

Step 3: Write and refine

Finally, it’s time to get writing. All too often though, students hit a brick wall right about here… So, how do you avoid this happening to you?

Well, there’s a lot to be said when it comes to writing a research paper (or any sort of academic piece), but we’ll share three practical tips to help you get started.

First and foremost , it’s essential to approach your writing as an iterative process. In other words, you need to start with a really messy first draft and then polish it over multiple rounds of editing. Don’t waste your time trying to write a perfect research paper in one go. Instead, take the pressure off yourself by adopting an iterative approach.

Secondly , it’s important to always lean towards critical writing , rather than descriptive writing. What does this mean? Well, at the simplest level, descriptive writing focuses on the “ what ”, while critical writing digs into the “ so what ” – in other words, the implications. If you’re not familiar with these two types of writing, don’t worry! You can find a plain-language explanation here.

Last but not least, you’ll need to get your referencing right. Specifically, you’ll need to provide credible, correctly formatted citations for the statements you make. We see students making referencing mistakes all the time and it costs them dearly. The good news is that you can easily avoid this by using a simple reference manager . If you don’t have one, check out our video about Mendeley, an easy (and free) reference management tool that you can start using today.

Recap: Key Takeaways

We’ve covered a lot of ground here. To recap, the three steps to writing a high-quality research paper are:

• To choose a research question and review the literature
• To plan your paper structure and draft an outline
• To take an iterative approach to writing, focusing on critical writing and strong referencing

Remember, this is just a b ig-picture overview of the research paper development process and there’s a lot more nuance to unpack. So, be sure to grab a copy of our free research paper template to learn more about how to write a research paper.

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10 Tips to Write a Perfect Research Paper without Plagiarism

• October 4, 2023

Research papers play a crucial role in academia. They allow us to delve deep into a subject, showcase our knowledge, and contribute to the world of science. However, one shadow looms over this noble pursuit: plagiarism. Plagiarism in research paper writing is a grave offense that can tarnish your academic reputation. Usually, only a maximum of 20% is standard in research paper writing. To help you navigate this challenging terrain, we’ve compiled ten essential tips on how to write a research paper without plagiarism.

What does plagiarism in research paper writing mean?

Plagiarism in research papers is a menace that you must tackle head-on. It occurs when a writer uses someone else’s work, ideas, or words without proper citation or attribution. Here’s why it’s so critical to avoid it:

• Academic integrity : Plagiarism breaches academic integrity, making it not acceptable in educational institutions worldwide.
• Loss of credibility : A plagiarized research paper can ruin your credibility as a researcher and writer.
• Legal consequences : Plagiarism might lead to legal troubles, especially in the academic and professional worlds.
• Stifles creativity : Writing should be a platform for expressing your unique ideas. Plagiarism stifles this creativity.

How to write a research paper without plagiarism?

Now that we understand the importance of avoiding plagiarism let’s explore how to write a research paper without falling into this trap:

Understand what plagiarism is

Before you can avoid it, you need to grasp what plagiarism is. Research papers require a balance between your original thoughts and ideas and the insights of others. Plagiarism occurs when you tip this balance by copying someone else’s work without proper attribution.

Use citations correctly

To write a non-plagiarized research paper, you must properly cite the sources you use in your research paper. Whether it’s a direct quote, paraphrased content, or a summarized idea, always give credit to the original author.

Plan your research

Start by conducting thorough research on your chosen topic. Take detailed notes and record your sources. This will make it easier to integrate these sources into your paper without inadvertently plagiarizing.

Paraphrase wisely

When using someone else’s ideas or words, paraphrase them while maintaining the original meaning. This demonstrates your understanding and avoids direct copying.

Use plagiarism detection tools

Before submitting your paper, run it through plagiarism detection tools. These tools can help you identify unintentional instances of plagiarism and correct them.

Stay informed about plagiarism policies

Be aware of your institution’s policies regarding plagiarism. Different schools and organizations may have varying definitions and consequences for plagiarism.

Proofread carefully

After completing your paper, proofread it meticulously to catch any lingering instances of plagiarism. Pay attention to citations, quotes, and references.

Remember the allowed percentage of citations in the paper

You can include no more than 10% of citations in your research paper. And don’t forget that introduction and conclusion must always be your own words.

Utilize multiple sources

Rely on a variety of sources for your research to minimize the temptation to plagiarize from a single prominent source. Use credible websites as well as academic peer-reviewed articles.

Use your unique voice

Ultimately, your research paper should reflect your unique perspective and analysis. Use your voice to present your ideas, and ensure that your work is original and distinct. Don’t try to copy other writers’ styles or ideas, just be yourself.

Other tips to avoid plagiarism in a research paper

In addition to the ten tips mentioned above, here are a few more strategies to help you avoid plagiarism in research paper:

• Create an outline . Organize your research paper with a clear outline. This will help you structure your arguments and ensure that your ideas flow coherently throughout the paper.
• Manage your time . Avoid last-minute rushes, as they often lead to hasty writing and unintentional plagiarism. Plan your time wisely to allow for thorough research, drafting, and revision.
• Seek guidance . If you’re unsure about proper citation or paraphrasing, don’t hesitate to seek guidance from your instructor or a research paper writer. They can provide valuable insights and examples. For example, you can ask for professional help from research paper writing service CustomWritings that offers valuable assistance in writing research papers and avoiding plagiarism.
• Give credit for common knowledge . You don’t need to cite everything. Common knowledge, widely accepted facts, and information that you can find in multiple sources may not require citations.
• Keep your research papers secure . Protect your research papers from unauthorized access. Be cautious when sharing your work online, and avoid posting it in public spaces where it can be easily copied.

Proper citation styles

Citing sources properly is critical to writing a research paper without plagiarism. Different academic disciplines often require specific citation styles, such as APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), or Chicago. Here’s how to navigate citation styles effectively:

• APA (American Psychological Association) Style

In-text Citations :

For in-text citations, include the author’s last name and the publication year in parentheses, e.g., (Smith, 2020).

Use “et al.” for in-text citations when referencing a source with three or more authors, e.g., (Smith et al., 2020).

Reference List :

Organize your reference list alphabetically by the author’s last name.

Include the author’s name, publication date, title of the work, source (journal, book, website, etc.), and a DOI (if available).

• MLA (Modern Language Association) Style

In-text Citations:

In MLA Style, employ parenthetical citations within the text to indicate your sources, e.g., “Recent studies have shown an increase in heart disease (Smith 45).”

Works Cited Page:

Compile a list of works cited, organized alphabetically by the author’s last name.

Include the author’s name, article title, journal title (italicized), publication year, volume, issue, and page numbers for journal articles.

• Chicago Style

Notes and Bibliography System (Humanities) :

Use footnotes or endnotes for in-text citations, providing a superscript number at the citation point.

In the notes, include the full citation details (author, title, publication, etc.).

In the bibliography, list sources alphabetically, following a specific format depending on the source type (book, journal, website, etc.).

• Author-Date System (Sciences) :

For in-text citations, include the author’s last name, publication year, and page number in parentheses, e.g., (Smith 2020, 45).

Create a reference list at the end of the paper, organized alphabetically by the author’s last name.

Include the author’s name, publication year, title, source, and page numbers (if applicable).

Let’s sum it up!

In conclusion, the ability to avoid plagiarism in a research paper is a skill that every research paper writer must master. By understanding the importance of academic integrity, learning proper citation techniques, and following these tips, you can confidently write an original, unique research paper that contributes to the academic world while avoiding the pitfalls of plagiarism. Remember, the path to success lies in your commitment to ethical research and writing practices.

Will Fastiggi

Originally from England, Will is an Upper Primary Coordinator now living in Brazil. He is passionate about making the most of technology to enrich the education of students.

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Knowing and Avoiding Plagiarism During Scientific Writing

P mohan kumar.

Department of Periodontics, St. Joseph Dental College, Duggirala, Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India

N Swapna Priya

1 Department of Dental Surgery, S.V Medical College, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India

SVVS Musalaiah

Plagiarism has become more common in both dental and medical communities. Most of the writers do not know that plagiarism is a serious problem. Plagiarism can range from simple dishonesty (minor copy paste/any discrepancy) to a more serious problem (major discrepancy/duplication of manuscript) when the authors do cut-copy-paste from the original source without giving adequate credit to the main source. When we search databases like PubMed/MedLine there is a lot of information regarding plagiarism. However, it is still a current topic of interest to all the researchers to know how to avoid plagiarism. It's time to every young researcher to know ethical guidelines while writing any scientific publications. By using one's own ideas, we can write the paper completely without looking at the original source. Specific words from the source can be added by using quotations and citing them which can help in not only supporting your work and amplifying ideas but also avoids plagiarism. It is compulsory to all the authors, reviewers and editors of all the scientific journals to know about the plagiarism and how to avoid it by following ethical guidelines and use of plagiarism detection software while scientific writing.

Introduction

Medical and dental writing includes presentation of different scientific documents that consists research related topics, case presentations, and review articles, which help in educating and promoting health related information to the general public. Hence, all the medical and dental writers along with language skills and the ability to interpret the data, they should also be familiar in searching literature, understanding and presenting ones ideas or thoughts in the form of articles submitted to the number of available scientific journals.[ 1 , 2 ]

Due to the lack of education on plagiarism among the educational institutions and the members of journal holders we are allowing some types of plagiarized articles to publish.

In simple words, plagiarism is the use of others ideas or work without any credit to the original authors. In other words, taking credit for others work whether intentionally or unintentionally.[ 3 ]

Main route cause of plagiarism among dental and medical writers is the competitive stress among them and the availability of any information of others in the electronic media.[ 4 , 5 , 6 ] As the plagiarism is an unethical publication practice, it has to be avoided at the first stage itself.[ 7 ]

When the dental/medical writers want to publish a scientific paper, they have to be very specific, accurate and honest about the concept of the research. First, the author has to take sufficient time to read and understand thoroughly the main source of the article, and then he can organize into his own ideas or thoughts. Before submitting their ideas or manuscript to the journal office, the author has to rewrite the article in his own words without seeing from the original source and in doubt, takes help of the guide/instructor.[ 4 , 7 , 8 ]

This article reviews plagiarism at different levels, consequences, guidelines to avoid plagiarism and benefits from avoiding plagiarism.

Plagiarism Definition

The word plagiarism is derived from Latin. “Plagiare means to kidnap.”[ 3 ]

Office of research integrity definition

The Office of Research Integrity describes plagiarism as “theft or misappropriation of intellectual property and the substantial unattributed textual copying of another's work. It does not include authorship or credit disputes. The theft or misappropriation of intellectual property includes the unauthorized use of ideas or unique methods obtained by a privileged communication, such as a grant or manuscript review. Substantial unattributed textual copying of another's work means the unattributed verbatim or nearly verbatim copying of sentences and paragraphs which materially mislead the ordinary reader regarding the contributions of the author.”

Committee on publication ethics definition

In 1999, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) defined plagiarism as, “plagiarism ranges from the unreferenced use of others’ published and unpublished ideas, including research grant applications to submission under “new” authorship of a complete paper, sometimes in a different language. It may occur at any stage of planning, research, writing, or publication: It applies to print and electronic versions.”

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Plagiarism is defined as - “the action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft.”

The World Association of Medical Editors defines plagiarism as - “the use of others published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from and existing source.”[ 3 , 4 ]

Plagiarism is defined as the appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas and thoughts of another author and representation of them as one's original work. (The Random House Dictionary of the English Language - unabridged).

Academic dishonesty has reached from students in the classroom to the presenters in the scientific sessions and even to the reviewers and editors of unauthorized journal offices.[ 9 , 10 ]

The following are some of the common possible causes for the increase in plagiarism. For example: Due to the increased competition or laziness among students while writing dissertation and professional over ambition, competition or publish or perish attitude for promotion among young authors could be the result of plagiarism. Reviewers and editors of different scientific journals are also responsible to avoid plagiarism by using plagiarism detecting software before publishing the research.[ 2 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]

Source and Method of Data Collection

Availability of internet facilities and free online journals are the main sources of today's plagiarism among the students, faculty and researchers of any profession.[ 5 , 6 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]

Advancement in technology in conversion of text format into the electronic version, rise in competition levels and “publish or perish” attitude are the some important factors prone to plagiarism among the students/staff/researchers of educational institutions.[ 15 , 16 , 17 ]

Data collection

An online search on “plagiarism” was performed using PubMed/MedLine databases. In the MedLine each reference to the medical literature is indexed under a controlled vocabulary called medical subject headings (MeSH). These MeSH terms acts as a key to search the medical and dental literature. Thus MedLine/PubMed databases are used to search for literature which is available online throughout the world. Initially, 1121 references are obtained in PubMed/MedLine databases on the term “plagiarism” until date. A total of 893 articles are published on plagiarism under MeSH.

After filtering and based on the selection criteria, 35 articles were included in this review. The articles which are related to the dental and medical scientific writing were included in this review. It has taken 6 months for searching, filtering and selecting all the articles to include in this review. The sequence of data collection is demonstrated in Chart 1 .

A flow chart diagram showing the steps used for selecting the articles included in this review

As there is no sufficient literature on this subject (topic), it is the time to educate all the professions on how to avoid plagiarism through the journals and educational institutions in order to prevent publishing diluted researches.

Common Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be of various types. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional.

Intentional plagiarism

“Buying or borrowing or cut-copy-paste” or using some others work partly or completely without giving adequate credit to the original author results in intentional plagiarism.[ 7 , 8 , 9 ]

Unintentional plagiarism

Using some others work with wrong paraphrasing or improper citation refers to unintentional plagiarism.[ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]

According to the COPE various types of plagiarism can be distinguished based on factors like: Extent (minor or major plagiarism), originality of copied material, type of material plagiarized, sources referenced or not, authors intention. The following are the most common forms of plagiarism seen in medical and dental publications:

• Plagiarism of ideas: When the author “uses the ideas or thoughts of some others and presents as his own”[ 3 ] without giving adequate credit to the original authors results in plagiarism of ideas. For example, using the ideas from the previously published articles by postgraduate students while doing their dissertation work.
• Plagiarism of text/direct plagiarism/word-for-word plagiarism: According to Roig this kind of plagiarism is defined as “copying a portion of text from another source without giving credit to its author and without enclosing the borrowed text in quotation marks.”[ 1 , 3 , 9 ] For example, most of the young authors do not know how to write and give a credit to the original work from where they have chosen. They just cut and paste from the original source and create an article without giving sufficient credit to the authors who has done the original work.
• Mosaic plagiarism (patchwork plagiarism): When the author fails to write in his own words and “uses the same words or phrases or paragraphs of the original source” without giving adequate credit results in mosaic plagiarism.[ 3 , 7 ] For example, when the authors borrow words/sentences from the original source and do patchwork to his article results in patchwork or mosaic plagiarism.
• Self-plagiarism: “Stealing or borrowing some amount of work” from his or her previously published articles refers to self-plagiarism.[ 1 , 3 , 7 , 8 ] For example, using one's own work partly and publishes the article in different journals results in self-plagiarism.

Penalties for Plagiarism

Since plagiarism can range from simple dishonesty to a serious problem, penalty depends on the severity of plagiarism. It ranges from formal disciplinary action (apology letters, retraction of the published article) to criminal charges (suspension and prosecution of authors).[ 1 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]

Example: “A practicing psychiatrist and radio and television broadcaster in London had to step down as director of the Center for Public Engagement in Mental Sciences in the institute where he was employed and was suspended from practice for 3 months by the General Medical Council.”[ 22 , 23 ]

Detection of Plagiarism

All the medical and dental ethical writers must check for the text duplication unintentionally by using plagiarism detection software before submitting to any journal office. Reviewers also should use plagiarism detection tools in order to avoid false publication practice by both intentional and unintentional authors. When the manuscript passes from the reviewers to the editors without identifying the copied text or ideas, the editor of the journal should finalize the fate of the article based on the extent of plagiarism by using powerful plagiarism detection software. The following are few plagiarism detection software which helps in screening for matching text in the article submitted by the authors.[ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]

• Cross Check™
• http://www.ithenticate.com
• https://turnitin.com/static/index
• Viper ( http://www.scanmyessay.com/plagiarism - free software)
• Software like eTBLAST
• SafeAssign™
• WCopyFind™
• http://www.checkforplagiarism.net
• http://www.grammarly.com
• Sometimes simple Google Search also helps in detecting plagiarism.

Guidelines to Publish a Quality Paper without Plagiarism

Many of the students and authors still do not know the proper way of citing the sources. In order to produce a quality paper every author should follow the following guidelines.[ 3 , 22 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]

Few good rules to avoid a charge of plagiarism are:

• Take sufficient time to complete your work
• Understand the whole concept and write the new ideas in your own words
• Avoid “copy-paste”
• Always use few appropriate and accurate sources as possible
• Learn how and when to quote and also avoid patchwork
• Always cite new and in doubt, not common language
• Follow the author's guidelines according to the biomedical journals
• Cite references accurately
• Always acknowledge and give sufficient credit to the original sources
• Avoid writing several articles of the same type and submitting to different journals at the same time
• Consult with a translator or native speaker before sending the final proof of the manuscript to the scientific journals
• Use anti-plagiarism tools to detect any accidental plagiarism. For example, plagiarism detection software like Cross Check
• Enclose the covering letter to the editor regarding for any overlap unintentionally.

Benefits of Avoiding Plagiarism

When writing a good scientific paper one should diagnose for any plagiarized material which helps in avoiding misrepresentation of any hypothesis or scientific misconduct. Table 1 enumerates the key messages given by the authors on knowing and avoiding plagiarism during scientific writing. Thus, every young author tries to learn how to write or present an article or research work in his own words by following the rules of good scientific writing. With the help of anti-plagiarism tools one can avoid duplicate manuscripts at journal office. Thus, it gives immense respect and truthfulness toward science and gives the way for quality papers to publish. Lastly, by rejecting plagiarized articles at journal office by the editor, it also helps every author to think for newer concepts.[ 23 , 26 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]

Summarize the key message given by all the authors on plagiarism in different articles which are included in this review

Summary and Conclusion

In order to publish a good scientific paper, one has to make an honest effort to read the original sources thoroughly and then put down one's own ideas or thoughts in his own words with proper paraphrasing, citation and by using quotation marks where ever necessary to avoid plagiarism.

With the advancement of technological field, even the dental and medical writers need to think new for ideas, concepts, techniques or for any hypothesis which further helps in the advancement of dental and medical field.

Source of Support: Nil.

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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How to Write Research or a Term Paper without Plagiarizing

• by Joseph Kenas
• November 30, 2023
• Writing Tips

Students must write a research paper at one point, regardless of their field of study or academic level. However, writing a research paper is challenging.

Therefore, many students choose to take shortcuts such as copying from the internet or submitting old research papers that they did before.

Such shortcuts are considered plagiarism which is a serious academic offense. If discovered plagiarism may result in serious punishments such as expulsion or failing the entire exam.

Learning how to write a research paper without plagiarism is important in both academic and professional life. In this post, we will discuss several ways to avoid plagiarism.

How to Write a Research Paper Without Citing Everything

1. write from scratch.

One of the main ways to avoid plagiarism or citing everything is to write your research paper from scratches. This means that you will personally write your paper from start to finish.

For instance, say your professors have asked you to write a research paper on climatic changes.

You will go through all the processes of research writing.

You will brainstorm ideas, conduct research, create an outline, draft your paper, and then revise and proofread it until you have a complete final copy to hand in.

It, therefore, means you will not cite everything or plagiarize since it is your original work.

Ie you do not have to give any publication credit.

This method not only helps you avoid plagiarism but also allows you to tailor your paper to meet the specific requirements of the task. Apart from that, writing from scratch helps you broaden your knowledge base on a certain topic.

Read a complete guide on how to write a research paper from scratch to know the steps needed to do this.

2. Know When to Cite and When Not

When writing a research paper such as a dissertation, it’s essential to know that not all sources must be cited. If you attribute every detail to a source, your paper will be clogged with citations. So the question is, which information requires citation and which does not?

As a general rule, facts that are well-known do not require citations, while more specific information does. Some of the questions you should ask yourself about the information you want to write include; 

• Do most people believe a statement to be accurate? 
• Is the average person aware of it? 

If you answer yes to these questions, then such information does not require citation.

For example, it is not necessary to cite a source on a statement like climatic change is a global issue since most people know it to be true.

On the contrary, a statement like, In contrast, stating something like the average rainfall is expected to rise by 500ml in the next two years requires you to cite the source of information.

If in doubt, cite the source – it is better to include sources even when you are unsure whether to do so rather than not include them when you are supposed to.

When it comes to research papers, most professors forgive papers with too many sources cited more than they do papers without any citations.

How to Copy a Research Paper Without Plagiarizing

If you are not an expert in writing from scratch, consider the following ideas to help you avoid plagiarism. With the tips below, you can copy a paper from Course Hero or Chegg without plagiarism.

1. Use your own Words

Always use your own words to convey the main points. Here you need to use vocabulary to paraphrase other authors’ ideas while maintaining the same meaning.

There are many online paraphrasing tools designed to prevent plagiarism. You can choose one of them to help you change the original text while preserving its original meaning.

However, you should thoroughly analyze the final text of these tools to present the information in a way that no one will be able to tell which text was used.

2. User Plagiarism Checker Tools

Use plagiarism detection tools to ensure that your work is original. There are many plagiarism checking tools online and it is easy to detect plagiarism using them. Plagiarism checkers highlight texts or paragraphs that need improvement.

3. Use Quotation Marks

Make sure to use quotation marks in sentences that you can’t avoid. There are no negative consequences of using ideas from other works in this way.

However, you should familiarize yourself with citation rules to ensure that you do so correctly. This is a good way to copy-paste without plagiarism because it gives the source as it is and one introduces it as a quotation.

4. Familiarize Yourself With the Topic of Study

Before you begin writing, conduct extensive research on the topic of the research paper. Check all unfamiliar words and phrases to ensure that the research of another author is used in the correct context.

This way you will be able to write a meaningful paper without any plagiarism. This is the main aspect of researching and getting ideas. Familiarizing is the other way of getting inspiration without copying by capturing the ideas.

5. Include All Used References

It’s important to keep track of all the information sources you’ve used when writing a paper to avoid plagiarizing your work.

It is expected that you cite a specific publication whenever you use other writers’ ideas. If you want your professor to know that you didn’t intend to steal anyone’s ideas, provide a list of the works cited.

How to Write a Research Paper Without Paraphrasing

Summarizing is an effective way to prevent plagiarism and avoid paraphrasing. Most students often use paraphrasing and summarising interchangeably, but they refer to different methods of conveying information from sources.

Paraphrase means restating something in your own words.

It should involve extensive rewriting rather than changing a few words here and there.

The key here is changing the wording without losing the meaning of the text.

Summarizing, on the other hand, requires you to focus on the most important parts while restating something.

You paraphrase when communicating information from a paragraph or a few sentences, while you summarize when you want to convey key points from a very large text or the entire article.

It is possible to avoid plagiarism and paraphrasing by summarizing your source when writing research. The point is to keep your research papers and your source similarity index low if you want to avoid plagiarism.

Summarizing is also effective when you can’t use direct quotes. For example, it’s not practical to quote an entire page and this is where you need to summarize.

Note that it is always advisable to accompany paraphrased or summarized text with a reference.

How to Write a Research Paper Without Copying

Despite warnings and sanctions, many students continue to copy, both intentionally and unintentionally. Therefore to avoid copying consider the following.

Use Plagiarism Checker

Plagiarism checkers are online programs that can detect plagiarism. Today, many schools have plagiarism-checking software available for students to use.

You are unlikely to find any similarities between your paper and the work of others if you write it from scratch and use appropriate citation methods.

You should utilize premium plagiarism checks if they are available to you.

This software can be a helpful tool in ensuring that your paper is not copied anywhere. Note that there are also free plagiarism tools available on the internet.

For instance, you can use Turnitin or SafeAssign. Doing such checks helps you know the SafeAssign percentage and know how to adjust your work.

Avoid Buying Papers Online

An online research paper purchase can be a very risky business. There are a lot of websites that have thousands of research papers for sale.

Buying a  research paper not only violates academic integrity but can also be risky if discovered.

It is also possible to buy the same paper with your coursemate without knowing. After all, websites only need the money. The only safe way to do this is to hire a private writer or tutor to help your research paper completely from scratch.

Ask your Professor for Help

Lastly, asking your professor for advice can help you to avoid copying. In addition to instructing students, professors also guide in other areas, such as writing research papers.

The majority of the time, professors are happy to give students advice on how to avoid plagiarism. Be careful, however, not to monopolize the professor’s time.

Joseph is a freelance journalist and a part-time writer with a particular interest in the gig economy. He writes about schooling, college life, and changing trends in education. When not writing, Joseph is hiking or playing chess.

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Plagiarism in Research — The Complete Guide [eBook]

Table of Contents

Plagiarism can be described as the not-so-subtle art of stealing an already existing work, violating the principles of academic integrity and fairness. Well, there's no denying that we see further by standing on the shoulders of giants, and when it comes to constructing a research prose, we often need to look at the world through their lens. However, in this process, many students and researchers, knowingly or otherwise, resort to plagiarism.

In many instances, plagiarism is intentional, whether through direct copying or paraphrasing. Unfortunately, there are also times when it happens unintentionally. Regardless of the intent, plagiarism goes against the ethos of the scientific world and is considered a severe moral and disciplinary offense.

The good news is that you can avoid plagiarism and even work around it. So, if you're keen on publishing unplagiarized papers and maintaining academic integrity, you've come to the right place.

With this comprehensive ebook on plagiarism, we intend to help you understand what constitutes plagiarism in research, why it happens, plagiarism concepts and types, how you can prevent it, and much more.

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is defined as representing a part of or the entirety of someone else's work as your own. Whether published or unpublished, this could be ideas, text verbatim, infographics, etc. It is no different in the academic writing, either. However, it is not considered plagiarism if most of your work is original and the referred part is diligently cited.

The degree of plagiarism can vary from discipline to discipline. Like in mathematics or engineering, there are times when you have to copy and paste entire equations or proofs, which can take a significant chunk of your paper. Again, that is not constituted plagiarism, provided there's an analysis or rebuttal to it.

That said, there are some objective parameters defining plagiarism. Get to know them, and your life as a researcher will be much smoother.

Common types of plagiarism

Plagiarism often creeps into academic works in various forms, from complete plagiarism to accidental plagiarism.

The types of plagiarism varies depending on the two critical aspects — the writer's intention and the degree to which the prose is plagiarized. These aspects help institutions and publishers define plagiarism types more accurately.

The agreed-upon forms of plagiarism that occur in research writing include:

1. Global or Complete Plagiarism

Global or Complete plagiarism is inarguably the most severe form of plagiarism  — It is as good as stealing. It happens when an author blatantly copies somebody else's work in its entirety and passes it on as their own.

Since complete plagiarism is always committed deliberately and disguises the ownership of the work, it is directly recognized under copyright violation and can lead to intellectual property abuse and legal battles. That, along with irredeemable repercussions like a damaged reputation, getting expelled, or losing your job.

2. Verbatim or Direct Plagiarism

Verbatim or direct plagiarism happens when you copy a part of someone else's work, word-to-word, without providing adequate credits or attributions. The ideas, structure, and diction in your work would match the original author's work. Even if you were to change a few words or the position of sentences here and there, the final result remains the same.

The best way to avoid this is to minimize copy-pasting entire paragraphs and use it only when the situation calls for it. And when you do so, use quotation marks and in-text citations, crediting the original source.

3. Source-based Plagiarism

Source-based plagiarism results from an author trying to mislead or disguise the natural source of their work. Say you write a paper, giving enough citations, but when the editor or peer reviewers try to cross-check your references, they find a dead end or incorrect information. Another instance is when you use both primary and secondary data to support your argument but only cite the former with no reference for the latter.

In both cases, the information provided is either irrelevant or misleading. You may have cited it, but it does not support the text completely.

Similarly, another type of plagiarism is called data manipulation and counterfeiting . Data Manipulation is creating your own data and results. In contrast, data counterfeiting is skipping or adultering the key findings to suit your expected outcomes.

Using misinformed sources in a research study constitutes grave violations and offenses. Particularly in the medical field, it can lead to legal issues such as wrong data presentation. Its interpretation can lead to false clinical trials, which can have grave consequences.

4. Paraphrasing Plagiarism

Paraphrasing plagiarism is one of the more common types of plagiarism. It refers to when an author copies ideas, thoughts, and inferences, rephrases sentences, and then claims ownership.

Compared to verbatim, paraphrasing plagiarism involves changing words, sentences, semantics or translating texts. The general idea or the topic of the thesis, however, remains the same and as clever as it may seem, it is straightforward to detect.

More often authors commit paraphrasing by reading a few sources and writing them in their own words without due citation. This can lead the reader to believe that the idea was the author's own when it wasn’t.

5. Mosaic or Patchwork Plagiarism

One of the more mischievous ways to abstain from writing original work is mosaic plagiarism. Patchwork or mosaic plagiarism occurs when an author stitches together a research paper by lending pieces from multiple sources and weaving them as their creation. Sure, the author can add a few new words and phrases, but the meat of the paper is stolen.

It’s common for authors to refer to various sources during the research. But to patch them together and form a new paper from them is wrong.

Mosaic plagiarism can be difficult to detect, so authors, too confident in themselves, often resort to it. However, these days, there are plenty of online tools like Turnitin, Enago, and EasyBib that identify patchwork and correctly point to the sources from which you have borrowed.

6. Ghostwriting

Outside of the academic world, ghostwriting is entirely acceptable. Leaders do it, politicians do it, and artists do it. In academia, however, ghostwriting is a breach of conduct that tarnishes the integrity of a student or a researcher.

Ghostwriting is the act of using an unacknowledged person’s assistance to complete a paper. This happens in two ways — when an author has their paper’s foundation laid out but pays someone else to write, edit, and proofread. The other is when they pay someone to write the whole article from scratch.

In either case, it’s utterly unacceptable since the whole point of a paper is to exhibit an author's original thoughts presented by them. Ghostwriting, thus, raises a serious question about the academic capabilities of an author.

7. Self-plagiarism

This may surprise many, but rehashing previous works, even if they are your own, is also considered plagiarism. The biggest reason why self-plagiarism is a fallacy is because you’re trying to claim credit for something that you have already received credit for.

Authors often borrow their past data or experiment results, use them in their current work, and present them as brand new. Some may even plagiarize old published works' ideas, cues, or phrases.

The degree to which self-plagiarism is still under debate depends on the volume of work that has been copied. Additionally, many academic and non-academic journals have devised a fixed ratio on what percentage of self-plagiarism is acceptable. Unless you have made a proper declaration through citations and quotation marks about old data usage, it will fall under the scope of self-plagiarism.

8. Accidental Plagiarism

Apart from the intentional forms of plagiarism, there’s also accidental plagiarism. As the name suggests, it happens inadvertently. Unwitting paraphrasing, missing in-text or end-of-text citations, or not using quotation blocks falls under the same criteria.

While writing your academic papers, you have to stay cautious to avoid accidental plagiarism. The best way to do this is by going through your article thoroughly. Proofread as if your life depended on it, and check whether you’ve given citations where required.

Why is it important to avoid research plagiarism?

As a scholar, you must be aware that the sole purpose of any article or academic writing is to present an original idea to its readers. When the prose is plagiarized, it removes any credibility from the author, discredits the source, and leaves the reader misinformed which goes against the ethos of academic institutions.

Here are the few reasons why you should avoid research plagiarism:

Critical analysis is important

While writing research papers, an author must dive deep into finding various sources, like scholarly articles, especially peer-reviewed ones. You are expected to examine the sources keenly to understand the gaps in the chosen topic and formulate your research questions.

Crafting critical questions related to the field of study is essential as it displays your understanding and the analysis you employed to decipher the problems in the chosen topic. When you do this, your chances of being published improve, and it’s also good for your long-term career growth.

Streamlined scholarly communication

An extended form of scholarly communication is established when you respond and craft your academic work based on what others have previously done in a particular domain. By appropriately using others' work, i.e., through citations, you acknowledge the tasks done before you and how they helped shape your work. Moreover, citations expand the doorway for readers to learn more about a topic from the beginning to the current state. Plagiarism prevents this.

Credibility in originality

Originality is invaluable in the research community. From your thesis topic and fresh methodology to new data, conclusion, and tone of writing, the more original your paper is, the more people are intrigued by it. And as long as your paper is backed by credible sources, it further solidifies your academic integrity. Plagiarism can hinder these.

How does plagiarism happen?

Even though plagiarism is a cardinal sin and plagiarized academic writing is consistently rejected, it still happens. So the question is, what makes people resort to plagiarism?

Some of the reasons why authors choose the plagiarism include:

• Lack of knowledge about plagiarism
• Accidentally copying a work
• Forgetting to cite a source
• Desire to excel among peers
• A false belief that no one will catch them
• No interest in academic work and just taking that as an assignment
• Using shortcuts in the form of self-plagiarism
• Fear of failing

Whatever the reason an author may have, plagiarism can never be justified. It is seen as an unfair advantage and disrespect to those who have put in the blood, sweat, and tears into doing their due diligence. Additionally, remember that readers, universities, or publishers are only interested in your genuine ideas, and your evaluation, as an author, is done based on that.

Related Article: Citation Machine Alternatives — Top citation tools 2023

Consequences of plagiarism

We have reiterated enough that plagiarism is objectionable and has consequences. But what exactly are the consequences? Well, that depends on who the author is and the type of plagiarism.

For minor offenses like accidental plagiarism or missing citations, a slap on the wrist in the form of feedback from the editor or peers is the norm. For major cases, let’s take a look:

For students

• Poor grades

Even if you are a first-timer, your professor may choose to fail you, which can have a detrimental effect on your scores.

• Failing a course

It is not rare for professors to fail Ph.D. and graduate students when caught plagiarizing. Not only does this hurt your academics, but it also extends the duration of your study by a year.

• Disciplinary action

Every university or academic institution has strict policies and regulations regarding plagiarism. If caught, an author may have to face the academic review committee to decide their future. The results seen in general cases range from poor grades, failure for a year, or being banished from any academic or research-related work.

• Expulsion from the university

A university may resort to expulsion only in the worst of cases, like copyright violation or Intellectual Property theft.

• Tarnished academic reputation

This just might be the most consequential of all scenarios. It takes a lifetime to build a great impression but a few seconds to tarnish it. Many academics lose their peers' trust and find it hard to recover.  Moreover, background checks for future jobs or fellowships become a nightmare.

For universities

A university is built on reputation. Letting plagiarism slide is the quickest way to tarnish its reputation. This leads to lesser interest from top talent and publishers and trouble finding grant money.

Prospective students turning away from a university means losing out on tuition money. This further drives experienced faculty away. And the cycle continues.

For researchers

• Legal battles

Since it falls under copyright infringement, researchers may face legal battles if their academic work is believed to be plagiarized. There is no shortage of case studies, like those of Doris Kearns Goodwin or Mark Chabedi, where authors, without permission, used another person's work and claimed it to be their own. In all these instances, they faced legal issues that led to fines, barred from writing and research, and sometimes, imprisonment even.

• Professional reputation

Publishers and journals will not engage authors with a past of plagiarism to produce content under their brand name. Also, if the author is a professor or a fellow, it can lead to contract termination.

How to avoid plagiarism in research?

The simplest way to avoid plagiarism would be to put in the work. Do original research, collect new data, and derive new conclusions. If you use references, keep track of each and every single one and cite them in your paper.

To ensure that your academic writing or research paper is unique and free from any type of plagiarism, incorporate the following tips:

• Pay adequate attention to your references

Writing a paper requires extraordinary research. So, it’s understandable when researchers sometimes lose track of their references. This often leads to accidental plagiarism.

So, instead of falling into this trap, maintain lists or take notes of your reference while doing your research. This will help you when you’re writing your citations.

• Find credible sources

Always refer to credible sources, whether a paper, a conference proceeding or an infographic.  These will present unbiased evidence and accurate experimentation results with facts backing the evidence presented by your paper.

• Proper use of paraphrasing, quotations, and citations

It’s borderline impossible to avoid using direct references in your paper, especially if you’re providing a critical analysis or a rebuttal to an already existing article. So, to avoid getting prosecuted, use quotation marks when using a text verbatim.

In case you’re paraphrasing, use citations so that everyone knows that it’s not your idea. Credit the original author and a secondary source, if any. Publishers usually have guidelines about how to cite. There are many different styles like APA, MLA, Chicago, etc. Be on top of what your publisher demands.

Usually, it is observed that readers or the audience have a greater inclination towards paraphrasing than the quotes, especially if it is bulky sections. The reason is obvious: paraphrasing displays your understanding of the original work's meaning and interpretation, uniquely suiting the current state of affairs.

• Review and recheck your work multiple times

Before submitting the final, you must subject your work to scrutiny. Multiple times at that. The more you do it, the less your chances of falling under accidental plagiarism.  To ensure that your final work does not constitute any types of plagiarism, ensure that:

• There are no misplaced or missed citations
• The paraphrased text does not closely resemble the original text
• You don’t have any wrongful references
• You’re not missing quotation marks or failing to provide the author's credentials after quotation marks
• You use a plagiarism checker

More on how to avoid plagiarism .

On top of these, read your university or your publisher’s policies. All of them have their sets of rules about what’s acceptable and what’s not. They also define the punishment for any offense, factoring in its degree.

• Use Online Tools

After receiving your article, most universities, publishers, and other institutions will run it through plagiarism checkers, including AI detectors , to detect all types of plagiarism. These plagiarism checkers function based on drawing similarities between your article and previously published works present in their database. If found similar, your paper is deemed plagiarized.

You can always save yourself from embarrassment by staying a step ahead. Use a plagiarism checker before you submit your paper. Using plagiarism checker tools, you can quickly identify if you have committed plagiarism. Then, no one except you will know about it, and you will have a chance to correct yourself.

Best Plagiarism Checkers in 2023

Plagiarism checkers are an incredibly convenient tool for improving academic writing. Therefore, here are some of the best plagiarism checkers for academic writing.

Turnitin's iThenticate

This is one of the best plagiarism checker for your academic paper and a good fit for academic writers, researchers, and scholars.

Turnitin’s iThenticare claims to cross-check your paper against 99 billion+ current and archived web pages, 1.8 billion student papers, and best-in-class scholarly content from top publishers in every major discipline and dozens of languages.

The iThenticate plagiarism checker is now available on SciSpace. ( Instructions on how to use it .)

Grammarly serves as a one-stop solution for better writing. Through Grammarly, you can make your paper have fewer grammatical errors, better clarity, and, yes, be plagiarism-free.

Grammarly's plagiarism checker compares your paper to billions of web pages and existing papers online. It points out all the sentences which need a citation, giving you the original source as well. On top of this, Grammarly also rates your document for an originality score.

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is another AI writing assistant that offers a plethora of tools to better your document. One of its paid services include a ProWritingAid Plagiarism Checker that helps authors find out how much of their work is plagiarized.

Once you scan your document, the plagiarism checker gives you details like the percentage of non-original text, how much of that is quoted, and how much is not. It will also give you links so you can cite them as required.

EasyBib Plagiarism Checker

EasyBib Plagiarism Checker compares your writing sample with billions of available sources online to detect plagiarism at every level. You'll be notified which phrases are too similar to current research and literature, prompting a possible rewrite or additional citation.

Moreover, you'll get feedback on your paper's inconsistencies, such as changes in text, formatting, or style. These small details could suggest possible plagiarism within your assignment.

Plagiarism CheckerX

Working on the same principle of scanning and matching against various sources, the critical aspect of Plagiarism CheckerX is that you can download and use it whenever you wish. It is slightly faster than others and never stores your data, so you can stay assured of any data loss.

Compilatio Magister

Compilatio Magister is a plagiarism checker designed explicitly for teaching professionals. It lets you access turnkey educational resources, check for plagiarism against thousands of documents, and seek reliable and accurate analysis reports.

Quick Wrap Up

In the world of academia, the spectre of plagiarism lurks but fear not, for armed with awareness and right plagiarism checkers, you have the power to conquer this foe.

Even though plenty of students or researchers believe they can get away with it, it’s never the case. You owe it to yourself and everyone who has invested time and resources in you to publish original, plagiarism-free research work every time.

Throughout this eBook, we have explored the depths of plagiarism, unraveling its consequences and the importance of originality. Many universities have specific classes and workshops discussing plagiarism to create ample awareness of the subject. Thus, you should continue to be honourable in this regard and write papers from the heart.

Hey there! We encourage you to visit our SciSpace discover page to explore how our suite of products can make research workflows easier and allow you to spend more time advancing science.

With the best-in-class solution, you can manage everything from literature search and discovery to profile management, research writing, and much more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. how to paraphrase without plagiarizing.

• Understand the original text completely.
• Write the idea in your own words without looking at the original text.
• Change the structure of sentences, not just individual words.
• Use synonyms wisely and ensure the context remains the same.
• Lastly, always cite the original source.

Even when paraphrasing, it's important to attribute ideas to the original author.

2. How to avoid plagiarism in research?

• Understand what constitutes plagiarism.
• Always give proper credit to the original authors when quoting or paraphrasing their work.
• Use plagiarism checker tools to ensure your work is original.
• Keep track of your sources throughout your research.
• Quote and paraphrase accurately.

3. Examples of plagiarism?

• Copying and pasting text directly from a source without quotation or citation.
• Paraphrasing someone else's work without correct citation.
• Presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own.
• Recycling or self-plagiarism, where you mention your previous work without citing it.

4. How much plagiarism is allowed in a research paper?

In the academic world, the goal is always to strive for 0% plagiarism. However, sometimes, minor plagiarism can occur unintentionally, such as when common phrases are matched in plagiarism software. Most institutions and publishers will allow a small percentage, typically under 10%, for such instances. Remember, this doesn't mean you can deliberately plagiarize 10% of your work.

5. What are the four types of plagiarism?

• Direct Plagiarism definition: This occurs when one directly copies someone else's work word-for-word without giving credit.
• Mosaic Plagiarism definition: This happens when someone borrows phrases from a source without using quotation marks, or finds synonyms for the author's language while keeping the same general structure and meaning.
• Accidental Plagiarism definition: This happens when a person neglects to cite their sources, or misquotes their sources, or unintentionally paraphrases a source by using similar words, groupings, or phrases without attribution.
• Self-Plagiarism definition: This happens when someone recycles their own work from a previous paper or study and presents it as new content without citing the original.

6. How much copying is considered plagiarism?

Any amount of copying can be considered plagiarism if you're presenting someone else's work as your own without attribution. Even a single sentence copied without proper citation can be seen as plagiarism. The key is to always give credit where it's due.

7. How to check plagiarism in a research paper?

There are numerous online tools and software that you can use to check plagiarism in a research paper. Some popular ones include Grammarly, and Copyscape. These tools compare your paper with millions of other documents on the web and databases to identify any matches. You can also use SciSpace paraphraser to rephrase the content and keep it unique.

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Plagiarism FAQs: 10 Most Commonly Asked Questions on Plagiarism in Research Answered

3 Common Mistakes in Research Publication, and How to Avoid Them

Avoiding Plagiarism in a Research Paper

Are you struggling with the problem of plagiarism when doing your research? It is a must to learn how not to plagiarize in research paper. It is crucial for your student integrity and your reputation as an author. Read this article and learn how not to plagiarize, even unintentionally, in your research.

There are different types of research paper , but these recommendations apply to any written work. Read this article step by step, and you will know why.

Writing Without Plagiarism

Let us define plagiarism. Basically, this is presenting another person’s words or ideas as your own, without proper citation or giving a credit to the source. This is an act of fraud, and the consequences may be severe. This is why it is important to avoid plagiarism in your research.

Why is i t  so bad?

Plagiarism can only be defined in the negative terms. These are only a few of its negative traits and consequences. It is:

• Unethical in the moral sense
• Dishonest and misleading for the ignorant readers
• Impolite to the sources you use
• Lying about your authorship
• There are academic and legal consequences

Plagiarism. How to Avoid It .

How to do it? Are there ways to avoid plagiarism, or, at least, ways to prevent plagiarism? You cannot avoid using other people’s ideas and word when you are researching a topic. But these words and ideas should be treated with respect and recognition. You are only borrowing these words and ideas.

Even though there are limits to which some sort of plagiarism is acceptable (some give 10%, some – 15%), no literal straight plagiarism is allowed. You should write your own original work, and give credit to all of the ideas and words you use. The numbers that are mentioned are the acceptable limits to the quotation in research paper. Ideally, you should be able to write your research paper without citing everything.

Try to paraphrase, and remember that each word has a synonym. Using synonymous words is still plagiarism. Rewrite the text fully in your own words, with your own position, and learn to use references in research paper.

Useful Tips

Here are the 5 useful tips for you how to write without plagiarism. Any plagiarism can be avoided by one simple thing: submitting your own original work and by expressing your unique position and thesis. Any sources you use only help you to back up your point and make your position look stronger.

Use these simple techniques. Let’s look at them. Even if you are not going to write yourself, and plan to buy research online , your text should contain no plagiarism. The general rule is no plagiarizing, even indirectly. The best strategy to survive is doing your own work.

• Use proper quotation

Give the exact quote from the author’s source in your text, if you use it directly. Use the quotation mark or a proper indent, to visibly distinguish another author’s words from your own. A direct quote without the quotation marks looks like plagiarism.

• Use the citation

Cite your used sources according to the style guide used at your academic institution. Cite every single thing you quote. In brackets show the name of the author and a page number, and give a list of references at the end of your work. Do not ether use quotes without citations, or citations without quotes, both must be used!

• Use paraphrase

You may get tired of citing everything in your text. Do not quote every sentence. It is possible to somehow change the words of your source author. Rewrite them in your own words, use “As X states in his investigation…”, or “According to…”. Only specific terms should be used as they are.

• Write your own text

The best strategy to prevent plagiarizing in your text is to write fully your own work. Keep all citing to the minimum. Develop your own position based on what you have learned. Most of your paper, its tone and style, should your own and unique. Preventing plagiarism and avoiding it as much as you can is your goal.

• Use plagiarism checkers

There is a helpful software that checks your text for plagiarism. These programs are used to detect whether the content is unique. Your course instructor will most likely use such software to check your submitted paper. So cheating will never help you with it. You can buy a work, many students use the services for getting cheap research papers , but the rule that there should be no plagiarism, and that you should submit your own work is still there.

We must always submit our own genuine work, be it a research paper, a book report, an article, or a book. Read this article, and submit a work that is free of plagiarism. Cite and quote properly, write all the main points in your own words, develop your own unique position, check your work not only for errors but for the presence of plagiarism. Good luck with your studies!

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How Can Researchers Avoid Plagiarism While Ensuring the Originality of Their Manuscript?

This guest post is drafted by an expert from iThenticate, a plagiarism checker  trusted by the world’s top researchers, publishers, and scholars.

Most of us understand the issues of plagiarism as well as the importance to take utmost care when citing all our sources in a research publication. However, it may surprise you to know how frequently researchers have had their papers rejected or retracted due to plagiarizing their sources unknowingly. This does not only involve the obvious copy and pasting of text that leads to plagiarism but also covers more subtle issues like improper paraphrasing , citation formats, originality checking, or even work done by your co-authors leading eventually to manuscript rejection. Hence, it is important that researchers today use a plagiarism checker , both during writing and before submission when publishing research manuscripts.

Take for example the case of an Assistant Professor at Brown University who had published a book in 2012 that took her years to complete. Although the ideas in the book were all her own, she had inadvertently plagiarized the work of other researchers due to unorganized note taking. Not only did she have to retract the work, but she also lost her job at the university, tarnishing her career.

If she had just taken the time to scan her book with a plagiarism checker, this could have easily been avoided. Unfortunately, her story is not unique; some journals are currently rejecting as much as 23% submissions after running them through a plagiarism checker. These programs not only check for exact phrase matches, but also for the less obvious forms of plagiarism that are sometimes unintentional.

Table of Contents

Understanding Plagiarism

The publication process becomes more competitive each year and editors have more tools to identify research misconduct such as plagiarism. If your work contains any misconduct at all, it is grounds for rejection, so you need to know how to avoid plagiarism in research papers.

Plagiarism can take many forms, including:

• Duplication where a researcher reuses his or her own work from an earlier paper or study, without proper attribution (known as self-plagiarism );
• Improper citing where a researcher uses a secondary source, but only cites the primary sources contained in that secondary source;
• Paraphrasing when a researcher uses another person’s words and also adds in some original words of their own, but does not give proper attribution for the use of the original author’s words;
• Repetition of research where a person publishes a new study, but repeats data or text that has already been published in a similar study, and fails to give proper attribution for the original study; and
• Blatant, deliberate plagiarism where a researcher copies another researcher’s work without attribution or even submits another researcher’s manuscript under his/her own name.

These forms of plagiarism are quite common and all will result in rejected manuscripts even if the research findings are sound.

How to Write a Research Paper without Plagiarism

Learning how to properly cite your work is integral to becoming a published researcher. Proper citations give credit to the originators of the ideas and to the researchers who invested their time in developing the field. They also give your work more credence by tracing the evolution of the ideas and giving support for your claims. Citing sources is in your interest not only to avoid plagiarism but also to make your work widely trusted and accepted. Therefore, it’s important to occasionally remind yourself of when citations are necessary.

The most frequent types of citations are for concepts, ideas, and findings that are not your own. This is the easiest type of citation that informs the reader about who developed those findings, and where to read more about them.

The second type of citation is used anytime you quote or paraphrase another author or written work. It is important to understand that even if you change the language and wordings, if it is not an idea you came up with on your own, then it needs to be attributed. It also matters whether or not it is in quotation marks. If it is an exact quote, it should always be in quotations, otherwise, this could be considered plagiarism. Essentially, anytime you convey information that is not your own direct findings, or what is considered public knowledge for the field, there needs to be a reference to the source.

When writing short pieces, it is easier to avoid plagiarizing by ensuring that you never directly copy text and properly convey the findings of other authors in your own words or put them in quotes. By being organized, you can ensure that you cite the sources to their true origins and include all the necessary reference information in your “works cited” section. However, this becomes much harder when you start writing longer pieces and become more knowledgeable in your field of study. Sometimes, what may seem like your own words or common knowledge are in fact not. That is why it is so important to use a plagiarism checker.

How to Use an Online Plagiarism Checker

In a recent poll of journal editors by the Committee on Public Ethics (COPE), 58% noted that the biggest ethical challenge was detecting “plagiarism and poor attribution standards.” As plagiarism detection software becomes more advanced and easier to use, you can be assured that publishers are using it to check your work, and so should you.

A researcher who needs to have a paper checked for plagiarism sends the manuscript to Enago, selecting iThenticate. With its flexibility, iThenticate accepts a number of file formats, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PDF, Latex, and others. The researcher receives a clear, easy-to-read report that highlights any potential areas of plagiarism, along with links back to the original content.

The entire process is simple, easy, and effective. Furthermore, those using Enago proofreading and editing services will already have access to the iThenticate integration.

Does Similarity Always Indicate Plagiarism?

One of the iThenticate plagiarism checker’s important features is its exclusion option because not every similarity in a manuscript is necessarily harmful. However, researchers can waste valuable time working their way through too many unnecessary matches, as they check their manuscript for potential plagiarism. With iThenticate’s exclusion options, you can narrow down to the most critical matches. You receive more focused, accurate reports and can save time in the review process because those unnecessary matches are excluded from the start.

The exclusion option allows you to exclude quoted material or bibliographic material that does not need to be checked. It also allows researchers to exclude small matches below a certain word count. If you want to exclude certain sections, such as an abstract or a methods and materials section, it is as simple as checking a box next to the section you want to exclude.

Once the manuscript has been scanned, if you determine that a match is not needed, you can exclude that source from the report. At that point, the report will be recalculated, with that source removed from the matches. The report still contains a list of all excluded sources. If you decide at any point in your review process that an excluded source does need to be re-included, that can be done simply with a checked box.

By using a trusted plagiarism checker like iThenticate before the manuscript reaches the publisher’s inbox, researchers can boost their chances of publication and grow their career wisely.

If you would like to know how you can use the iThenticate Plagiarism Check for your manuscript, you can  contact the Enago team . You can also check out our previous article in this series on plagiarism with iThenticate.

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Table of contents

• 1 What is Plagiarism?
• 2 What Is Considered to be Plagiarism in Paper?
• 3 How Much Plagiarism Is Allowed in a Research Paper?
• 4.1 Conduct in-depth research to have a clear picture of what a paper is about
• 4.2 Express the main ideas using your own words
• 4.3 Paraphrase: Change the sequence and structure
• 4.4 Give Broader Content
• 4.5 Use a plagiarism checker
• 4.6 Use quotation marks if you can't do without a certain sentence
• 4.7 Keeping track of your sources.
• 4.8 Make a list of references in the research paper
• 5 The Final Words

Every researcher needs to work on writing their research paper without plagiarism at some point in their career. A research student needs to analyze and adopt the works of scholars and scientists well-synthesized and authentic to write a high-quality research paper that does not contain plagiarism.

However, a student needs to adequately use quotation marks and paraphrasing tools to paraphrase the borrowed ideas and extracts. In that case, it may lead to the detection of plagiarism, considered a serious academic offense. Students can use quotation marks to quote in the borrowed text to avoid plagiarism and dodge the plagiarism checker. In-text citations can also save research students from plagiarism checkers and help them avoid plagiarism.

This article will discuss some of the essential aspects of plagiarism along with tips to avoid plagiarism, like:

• What is plagiarism?
• How much plagiarism is tolerable in research papers?
• Tips for avoiding plagiarism while writing a research paper, etc.

A detailed discussion of these points will help you write a research paper without plagiarism.

It is a misconception! If the sentences you’ve taken from a certain published source are detected, you risk getting a low grade and damaging your reputation. The worst consequence of copying another author's ideas is taking legal responsibility because this is considered theft. It doesn't matter what you steal: goods in a supermarket or ideas from somebody's text.

What is Plagiarism?

If put in simple words, plagiarism can be defined as the unethical presentation of other people’s original work as your own without seeking consent, giving proper credit, or acknowledgment of the original source. However, in most cases, plagiarism is not deliberate but unintentional. It can get detected through a plagiarism checker because of the absence of in-text citations and reference lists in the research papers.

Most research papers have some or other areas for improvement regarding citation style. Every student anticipating academic publishing for their journal articles must have a common knowledge of the referencing and citation rules to ethically mention and acknowledge the sources they chose to refer to.

The unacademic and unacceptable way of using or adopting the information stated in works or old research papers belonging to some other author is considered plagiarism. So let us move ahead in the topic and learn about the deliberate and unintended actions that can be counted as an act of academic dishonesty.

What Is Considered to be Plagiarism in Paper?

It must have become clear by now that using someone else’s work as a reference for writing your academic paper does not count as plagiarism, but not crediting or acknowledging it correctly does. It can make your work highly plagiarized and be considered grave academic dishonesty.

Let us look at the things and practices that constitute plagiarism and should be avoided while writing research papers.

• Copying or cheating.
• Direct quotation of content without using quotation marks.
• Not using in-text citations to cite the referred sources.
• Using someone else’s work as your own without acknowledgment and citation.
• Submitting the same work multiple times also constitutes plagiarism and is termed self-plagiarism.
• Incorrect citation style can also lead to plagiarism detection while using a plagiarism checker.

Students must be utterly mindful of the citation and referencing rules to avoid plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Carefully considering these points will save your work from plagiarism and self-plagiarism. On an academic level, it is not considered if a student intended to commit plagiarism or if it were an ideally unintended mistake, detection of direct quotes sans the acknowledgment leads to unfavorable consequences.

How Much Plagiarism Is Allowed in a Research Paper?

Most academic and research institutions generally have a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. However, some journals allow up to 15% plagiarism in a research paper.

What do you do if you have no idea how to paraphrase without plagiarism and present specific ideas without plagiarizing? Do you need to gain skills in using the synonyms method and paraphrasing texts with technical terms to avoid plagiarism? If you need a good online tool to check your essay or research papers on plagiarism, try the plagiarism checker by PapersOwl . It's free, simple, and many students use it.

8 Tips on How Not to Plagiarize a Research Paper

We all are well aware of the fact that avoiding plagiarism is a huge concern for most writers. They constantly search for easy and effective techniques that can keep them from committing academic dishonesty. This article has mentioned some of the most effective tips to avoid plagiarism. These tips are an apt and applicable solution to how not to plagiarize a research paper. So, let us move ahead and learn about the ways to avoid plagiarism in detail.

Conduct in-depth research to have a clear picture of what a paper is about

Conducting in-depth research about the topic before writing, quoting, or referring to a text in academic research is always advisable to beat Turnitin . It will help you paraphrase more crisply and accurately without any trace of plagiarism in a research paper. Remember, you need to understand the topic clearly to avoid copying, quoting, or paraphrasing the text already in the database in an improper writing style.

Express the main ideas using your own words

• Original Content:

Her life spanned years of incredible change for women as they gained more rights than ever before.

• Edited content after paraphrasing:

She saw the position of women elevating and being better with the acquisition of more and more rights throughout her life.

This is how plagiarism can be avoided, and you can rewrite an excerpt or information without losing the essence or crutch to paraphrase without plagiarism. But, if you have a short deadline, hiring an urgent essay writing service can be helpful since paraphrasing can take some time.

Now we are closer to knowing how to write a research paper without plagiarizing.

You can use this tip for all the main points out there. Just know how to avoid plagiarism by changing the words and sentence order.

Paraphrase: Change the sequence and structure

Paraphrasing a text is not enough to avoid plagiarism. Knowing the right way to an effective and unplagiarized paraphrasing is essential. Replacing a word with its synonym in the same sentence structure is considered mosaic plagiarism.

For example:

• Original sentence: Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate due to global warming.
• Bad paraphrasing: Glaciers are defrosting at a frightening speed because of global warming.
• Good paraphrasing: Global warming is leading to extensive and expeditious defrosting of icebergs.

This is how you can paraphrase the language in the most meaningful and creative ways to avoid plagiarism. You can use Papers Owl’s paraphrasing tool to fix plagiarism instantaneously and effectively.

Give Broader Content

Making the borrowed content elaborate, descriptive, and understandable in your own words while adding it to your paper will also help you prevent plagiarism in your work. Making the concise information expansive will automatically rule out the scope for plagiarism.

Use a plagiarism checker

Using plagiarism detection tools to avoid plagiarism has been a common thing. Some students want to know how to write a research paper without plagiarizing. A free plagiarism checker can help. Here are a few benefits, such as:

• Make sure there are no mistakes with the in-text citations you have used.
• Detects all types of plagiarism in research you may not even know about.
• It helps you see where the issues are so you can replace them in your own words.
• Finds the most common types of research plagiarism in seconds.

Use quotation marks if you can't do without a certain sentence

It is always better to say something in your own words, but you can use sentences from other authors.

Here is how:

• Original lines: “The use of AI technology is on the rise these days, leading to the great demand for automation tools.”
• The wrong way to use it: The use of AI technology is on the rise these days resulting in great demand for automation tools.
• The proper way of using it: “The use of AI technology is on the rise these days, leading to the great demand for automation tools.” (Thulin, 2021)

However, to avoid plagiarism, you should use a paraphrased or summarized method.

Keeping track of your sources.

One of the essential guidelines you can follow not to commit plagiarism is to keep track of the references you use in your research paper. It will help you add an accurate reference list to your paper during the final revision to fix plagiarism.

Make a list of references in the research paper

Always use the reference list that is mandatory these days. But you don't have to worry: nowadays, the internet is full of different citation generators , and you can choose the one that best fits your needs. Here is an example of a well-formatted reference below:

• Alvarez, E., & Tippins, S. (2019). Socialization agents that Puerto Rican college students use to make financial decisions. Journal of Social Change, 11(1), 75–85. 
• Laplante, J. P., & Nolin, C. (2014). Consultas and socially responsible investing in Guatemala: A case study examining Maya perspectives on the Indigenous right to free, prior, and informed consent. Society & Natural Resources, 27, 231–248.
• Jerrentrup, A., Mueller, T., Glowalla, U., Herder, M., Henrichs, N., Neubauer, A., & Schaefer, J. R. (2018). Teaching medicine with the help of “Dr. House.” PLoS ONE, 13(3).

These guidelines will help you pass the plagiarism test easily without striking any similarity from the works already in the database. When writing a research paper, it is vital to take steps to ensure that the paper is free from plagiarism. One way to do this is by using Papers Owl . This online service helps students and professionals avoid plagiarism and write high-quality research papers quickly and easily. PapersOwl assists with the research process and helps to ensure that the paper is cited correctly and free from plagiarism.

Maintaining originality and avoiding plagiarism is essential when writing a research paper . An excellent way to achieve this is by using citation generators and paying someone to do your assignment if necessary. Proper citation validates your sources and gives credit to the original author. It's essential to ensure appropriate attribution to minimize the risk of plagiarism.

The Final Words

Adopting the ways and measures stated in this article allows you to submit a plagiarism-free paper. You can also use plagiarism checkers to ensure the novelty and uniqueness of your work. It will mark out the faulty areas and help you rectify the mistakes. These steps will make your research unique and enhance the quality of the information and language used.

Deep research, time, and hard work are essential to writing a well-written paper without plagiarism. However, the most effortless way of writing a paper is to hire a plagiarism-free essay writer who is well-qualified and holds extensive knowledge as well as research skills to produce high-quality work that is compelling and authentic. Hiring reliable services can make your research journey seamless and less exhausting by offering extra time to focus on other significant events and academic engagements.

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How to write a research paper without plagiarism

Every student at the university level faces the difficulty of how to write a research paper without plagiarism.

Believe us, it is not an easy task as writing ABC. When writing the research paper, students must base their work on the findings of well-reputed professors and scientists.

When writing a research paper, students may find difficulties in gathering content and giving its evidence to make the paper authentic.

Adding appropriate and relevant information in the paper is necessary for every student. However, it needs to be done without committing plagiarism. 

In order to easily understand how to write a research paper without plagiarism, you must understand what plagiarism mean in Research Papers.

Table of Contents

What is Plagiarism in Research Papers?

Plagiarism in research papers refers to the use of words or ideas of another researcher or author as your own without proper accreditation. 

According to the Oxford Students:   “Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without fall acknowledgment”.

Plagiarism is academic dishonesty and can cause multiple negative consequences. Some of these consequences are:

• Paper Restrictions
• Loss of Author Credibility
• Damages Students Reputation
• Getting expelled from the college or university without any warning.

How to check plagiarism in research papers

If you are a student or a teacher, it is your responsibility to check the plagiarism of research papers and other academic documents.

The best and excellent way to check the uniqueness of the papers is to use plagiarism detection apps and free online plagiarism-detecting tools.

The originality checker finds out the plagiarized text from any given content by comparing it with multiple online resources.

The best thing about this free plagiarism checker is that it uses the latest deep search technology to find the duplicate text from the input content.

It further provides the actual source of the matched text to correctly cite it by using different citation styles.

How to write a plagiarism-free research paper

To write a unique and plagiarism-free research paper, students must follow the below important steps:

1. Know all the types of Plagiarism

Knowing how to prevent plagiarism is not sufficient, you must know all the major types of plagiarism .

If you are aware of how plagiarism happens in papers, you’re more likely to prevent committing plagiarism.

Some of the most common types of plagiarism are:

• Direct Plagiarism: Copy exact words from another researcher’s work by using your name.
• Mosaic Plagiarism: Borrowing someone else’s phrases or words without using quotation marks.
• Accidental Plagiarism: Unintentionally copying another person’s work with forgetting citation.
• Self-Plagiarism: Reusing your already submitted or published work.
• Source-Bases Plagiarism: Mention incorrect information in the research paper.

2. Express the main ideas in your own words

First, conduct thorough research about the topic to have a clear picture of what a paper is about.

Then express the main ideas related to the paper in your own words. Try to rephrase the thoughts of the author by using rich vocabulary.

The best way to express the author’s thoughts in your own words is to use different paraphrasing techniques.

Paraphrasing is the procedure of representing someone else’s work as you to make paper free of plagiarism.

Here you rephrase another person’s work by using sentence or synonym changer techniques.

By using these techniques in the paper, you can replace specific words with their best suitable synonyms to write a paper without plagiarism.

3. Use Quotations in the Content

Always use quotes in the paper to indicate that the specific piece of text has been copied from a specific source.

The quoted text must be enclosed in quotation marks and attributed to the original author.

Using quotations in the paper are valid when:

• Students can’t rephrase the original content
• Maintain the authority of the researcher’s word
• Researchers want to use the exact definition from the author’s work

Examples of Adding Quotations are:

4. Correctly cite all the sources

Any words or thoughts that are taken from someone else’s work must be cited properly.

You must write an in-text citation to identify the original author. In addition, every citation must correspond to a full reference list at the end of the research paper.

This acknowledges professors to check the source of the information written in the content.

There are different citation styles are available on the internet with their own rules. APA and MLA citation styles are popular among them all. 

An example of citing a single source in the paper is:

5. Using Online Paraphrasing Tools

Don’t try to copy and paste information from the reference paper. It is completely illegal and can cause multiple negative repercussions.

The best to make your paper 100% unique and plagiarism-free is to use online paraphrasing tools.

Now there is no need to manually paraphrase another person’s words to remove plagiarized content.

These tools use the latest sentence changer techniques to create unique content.

The sentence rephraser uses the latest artificial technology and rephrases the sentence structure to create a plagiarism-free paper.

In some cases, the paraphraser uses the synonym changer technique and replaces specific words with their accurate synonyms to make the paper unique.

The paraphrased text generated by using these free online tools can be seen below:

Apart from paraphrasing, the paraphrasing tool also allows users to copy or download the rephrased content within a single click.

Writing copied content in research papers is academic dishonesty and can damage the student’s reputation.

The consequences of writing a plagiarized research paper can range from failing the course to expulsion from the institute.

Therefore, every student needs to write a research paper without plagiarism.

To do so, they must know all the types of plagiarism. Furthermore, they can express all the main points of the paper in their own words by keeping the meaning the same.

They can also paraphrase another researcher’s work by using the synonym and sentence changer techniques.

Students can also add quotations with the proper in-text citation to make the paper unique and authentic.

In addition, to save their time from manual paraphrasing, they use online paraphrasers to create unlimited unique content within seconds.

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