What is the meaning of plagiarize?
Plagiarizing refers to copying another person’s work, ideas and words and pretending they are yours. In the academic world, it is considered a breach of honesty as it involves duplicating someone else’s work without attribution. Plagiarism not only applies to written material, but also electronic data, digital content and most recently, the use of artificial intelligence (AI). However, there may be lenience with the use of AI if it is authorized by the institution for that specific task.
Plagiarism may take different forms, which include:
- Paraphrasing: This refers to expressing what somebody else has said by altering with the word order or closely following the structure of their argument without due acknowledgement. While most people use this format to draft their essays, it is recommendable to quote briefly the author’s sentiments or informing your reader prior that you are paraphrasing a certain author.
- Verbatim: This involves quoting an author’s argument word for word without using quotation marks. It is essential to inform your reader which sections you have drawn ideas from other sources using quotation marks or indentation.
- Copy and Paste: This mostly happens with internet data where a student derives data from online sources without adequately referencing it in the bibliography.
- Collusion: This occurs when a student sought external support but fails to attribute the collaboration. It is mandatory, if permitted, to indicate which sections of the assignments were independently done and where collaboration occurred.
- Citation inaccuracy: Proper citation is compulsory for any academic work. The in-text citations, bibliography and footnotes must be according to standard. For every paragraph where a reference was used, it should be quoted according to the required conventions of the tested writing style.
- Auto-plagiarism: This occurs when previously handed in work is resubmitted again. Whether the task was similarly tested in another module or you borrowed your fellow students, resubmitting the same assignment is considered plagiarism.
Why originality is key?
- Academic and professional integrity: The value for your education both personally and professionally, is dependent on how you tackle your academics, which is not limited to assignments only. The purpose for selection of a certain course is based on interests to learn more. Therefore, actively engaging in research goes a long way in ensuring academic success and upholding its integrity.
- Demonstration of skills: Academic projects cultivate critical thinking, deeper understanding and problem-solving skills. This skills are not only important in school but also career-wise. They form the basis of the must-have skills for any job.
- Professional reputation: In the career world, employers value honesty and integrity. Originality in academics sets a solid foundation for professional behavior. History has served some lessons of persons who have lost power due to plagiarism; such as, former Hungarian president Pal Schmitt and German President Guttenberg.
- Intellectual growth: Actively participating in research work and academic projects helps you gain better comprehension of the subject you are pursuing. This enables idea creation and furtherance of knowledge in that particular field.
Some of the tactics to ensure originality in your work include:
- Understand the assignment requirements: Ensure you have read through the assignment instructions and understood what the examiner requires. Pinpoint the key requirements, objectives and the guidelines provided. This ensures you align your assignment with the required expectations.
- Conduct research: Thorough research is important in ensuring your assignment is well-informed. It is essential to use reputable sources for referencing to support your arguments. Note down all the sources applied in the research to avoid unintentional plagiarism.
- Develop a strong thesis statement: A strong thesis forms the foundation of your argument in the assignment. It denotes the perspective that you will support throughout your work. Learn how to develop a strong thesis statement here.
- Proper citation and referencing: It is mandatory to acknowledge the author whose work you have quoted in your research. Familiarize yourself with the different citation styles and their formats and follow the required one to the latter at any given time.
- Use plagiarism detection tools: As a way to further ensure originality of your work, use tools such as Turnitin and Grammarly to ensure your work is to the required standards.
- Seek feedback and proofread: Seeking feedback from peers, tutors and professors gives additional input that can be instrumental in improving quality. Keenly follow the suggestions and proofread your assignment to ensure clarity and authenticity.
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