Turning in plagiarized work is a serious issue for a number of reasons. It shows your teacher or professor that you didn’t put effort into your assignment, and it also is stealing the work of another person. Depending upon the policy at your school, you could be expelled because of plagiarism.
Know the Academic Honesty Code
Plagiarism check is a must-do not forget to do it before submission
Understanding the rules at your school is important so that you can avoid plagiarism and conduct a proper plagiarism check. For example, many schools note that it is possible to plagiarize yourself. You cannot turn in a paper, or part of a paper, for one class that you have already submitted for another. That would get you into trouble, just as taking another person’s paper would. Knowing the academic honesty code at your school is imperative. Otherwise, you can’t have a clear understanding of what rules you are supposed to follow. When you have questions about elements of the code, you should speak with your instructor.
Learn a Citation Style
The type of citation style that you should follow depends upon the program that you are in. Many programs require the use of either MLA or APA, but others mandate that you use AP or Chicago. Learning a citation style will help you to avoid plagiarism. Instead of feeling as though you need to take information from another source in an improper manner, you can just cite all direct quotations and paraphrases. By learning the citation style, you will feel confident in using sources. It is a step to take before a plagiarism check.
Perform a Plagiarism Check
If you are using a plagiarism checker, you are likely already aware of how serious the problem is. Make sure that you run the paper through after you have made any changes or edits to the paper. Also, you should still use a plagiarism checker even if you are sure that you cited all of your material properly. It is possible to plagiarize by accident. Even if it is an accidental case of plagiarism, you could still get in trouble. Therefore, you should run the paper through the checker to ensure that no issues exist and to, essentially, get a second set of eyes on the paper. Doing a plagiarism check helps to detect problems.
When Plagiarism Happens
Finding out how to avoid plagiarism is imperative. Plagiarism is a serious issue no matter what grade you are in or if you are obtaining a college degree or a higher one.
Perhaps you have already gotten into trouble because of a plagiarized paper, or maybe you are concerned as to what will happen if an accident occurs even if you do a plagiarism check. You need to speak with your instructor right away and explain what happened. The school may still require the instructor to report to you, but at least you have a better chance of receiving a lesser penalty. Also, make sure that you say you will rewrite the paper. Ask your instructor what resources he or she suggests before you run into this same problem again. Finding out how to avoid plagiarism is imperative. Plagiarism is a serious issue no matter what grade you are in or if you are obtaining a college degree or a higher one. Therefore, you need to make sure that you do everything possible, including a plagiarism check, in order to avoid this issue and to have a successful academic career.