PLAGIARISM FREE WRITING HACKS

According to the oxford dictionary, plagiarism is defined as "Presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgment. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition."

Every content creator's worst nightmare is either someone plagiarizing their work or getting the tag of plagiarizing someone else's work. In this world of easily available content, plagiarism is very easily possible and can happen even without the writer's intention. It is essential nowadays to be wary of plagiarizing someone, and hence one should always try to avoid repeating or phrasing something off the internet. 

In this article, we will look at ways on how to write articles and avoid plagiarizing:-

• Try Plagiarism Checkers : 

After writing an article, check it for plagiarism. There are many websites and apps available on the internet where one can do this. 

The websites check if any sentences might have been plagiarized from all the articles present on the internet.

Although not entirely reliable, it is still better to check through it once. Proofreading and self-checking for plagiarism should be done compulsorily.

Some websites that are free to use are:-

1. Grammarly.com

2. Duplichecker

3. PaperRater

• Use quotation :

Any sentence or specific content is taken from another source, book, article, or website should always use quotation marks. Quotations signify that the sentence is taken as it is and simply quoted here, and the writer has not produced it as their own.

This is an age-old trend, used and applied by many writers. It is highly important to write the quote as it is in the original source and obviously uses quotation marks. Additionally, one can also add the author's name to avoid any other clashes.

Using a lot of quotations is usually not considered good either as the article should contain original content too. 

The quotation length should ideally not exceed more than 40 words and be limited to 3 quotations per article.

In addition to the original author's name, the page number or the paragraph number from where it has been borrowed should also be written.

Besides, state the intention for using such a quotation and its significance in the content.

• Citation:

One of the most effective ways to avoid plagiarism is always to cite the sources. It is ideal as it clearly gives all the author and source information.

Citation also has some rules that need to be followed while citing. Individual institutions make these rules. 

If one is reusing their past works, it'd be prudent to cite oneself too.

Naming the article from which it was taken and writing the name is usually enough.

To know when to cite sources, one should understand what does not need to be cited. Common knowledge, personal experiences, or facts about well-known events need not be cited. 

• References:

Referencing is the easiest way to avoid plagiarism. A reference list at the end of the article with the proper format should be the go-to.

The format varies according to the websites and should be appropriately followed. Also, ensure to add the correct details and the right sources to avoid further clashes.

• Paraphrasing:

It is a hack to avoid directly quoting the same information more than a tool. If the content is similar and you don't have any other way to use the same content and not find the original source, then paraphrase the source.

Paraphrasing means writing a statement that expresses something that somebody has written or said using different words, especially to make it easier to understand.

Paraphrasing material from an external source will enable one to use the content of those sources without openly submitting to the ideas or worrying about citing the source correctly.

One can also cite the author and then paraphrase to be extra cautious.

It is advisable to add your own ideas and words without simply replacing them with synonyms. Understand the basic idea and interpret it in your own words.

Never miss double-checking your content to ensure that you did not mess this up. 

Do not use more than two words consecutively from the source content, or else one will have to quote the text.

Use quotation marks for those phrases or unique words that one does not want to change in the paraphrased paragraph.

Match the paraphrased text with that of the source to make sure that the original meaning of the sentence remains intact.

• Plan the article:

Whatever be the article, it is vital first to research the topic extensively. Invest your time understanding the topic and learning what it is all about. Thereafter, you can plan how to organize your own thought and ideas about it and write it without copying off the internet.

Once the knowledge is firm, the sentences will naturally be original.

It takes time to familiarize oneself with strange new topics, but it is ideal to start this way as it makes the article more authentic.

While planning, note down the quotations and citations that are going to be used. Already keep the information of the source and the author ready and organize the article before typing it down.

• Include citations of online resources too:

We often take stuff off the internet and forget the need to cite it. But it is very crucial to cite online sources such as Wikipedia or other websites correctly.

Citation of online sources also has a format that is strictly followed.

Never forget to write the name of the source, even if it is online.

Conclusion:

After following the above tips, one can quickly write a helpful article without worrying about plagiarizing. The most important tip is always to research the topic, plan the article, and add proper citations and sources. Don't forget to add a reference list at the end of it.