5 Common Blunders That Are Considered Plagiarism

Plagiarism, in simple words, passing someone’s work as your creation, isn’t a new phenomenon in today’s world. People from ancient times took credit for other works, and many examples have proved it. However, this severe issue came to light with the advent of modern technology. The advanced online facilities make it no uphill task to unveil plagiarism in writing.

Plagiarism is a serious offense that has different types. From stealing the expression of an idea by copying large parts of someone’s content to duplicating small pieces of others’ work, all considered plagiarism. One thing that is vital to state here is that plagiarism in any shape is punishable and may lead you to face serious consequences.

Many writers fall under the crime of plagiarism when they don’t even have any clear idea about it. Using others’ content unintentionally still stands you as a plagiarist, and the penalties will be the same. Therefore, writers need to know about plagiarism adequately to save themselves from any unpleasant situation. Are you feeling nervous or worried? You don’t have to, as we are here with the five most common blunders that are considered plagiarism. Going through this information comprehensively will help you understand the errors that lead you toward plagiarism and enable you to prevent them in the future.

Inappropriate Citation

This is the most common mistake that writers usually make while writing and ends with the charges of committing plagiarism. The internet is the most appreciated platform for getting data about a topic. We all use this facility to get accurate and reliable information. However, if we use the text from a source without citing the source, this will be considered plagiarism. The citations are used to provide reference to the actual author, the source mentioning its name, publishing date, and the link from where you get it extracted. The writers who fail to cite the source will face the penalties of plagiarism. That’s why it is inevitable to follow proper format of citing a source to prevent any harmful consequences. For this purpose you can utilize a free citation generator to accurately cite sources in desired format.

Poor Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing includes explaining an idea or information that has been stated somewhere else by someone in your own words by keeping the actual meaning of the content. It is a helpful and widely used method all over the planet for generating content. However, you must understand that paraphrasing is far away from copying the exact words from a text. If you duplicate the actual words of content instead of its meaning, indeed, you will commit plagiarism. So, as a writer, you must learn the rules of paraphrasing and follow them to save yourself from any harmful results.

Missing Quotations Marks

A professional writer always understands the importance of quotation marks and applies them to uplift the worth and readability of content. Using quotation marks at the start and end of the phrase or text will let the readers and search engines that it is copied. The quotation marks in the content define that the words or phrases are duplicated from other sources and aren’t the original creation of the writer. If you neglect this step and reuse the words of other writers in your article, then it will come under plagiarism. Therefore, it’s unavoidable to use quotation marks with the exact name of the author or source from where you have copied the text to avoid any misshapen.

Use of Copyrighted Images

No doubt, images are essential elements of content that enhance the attractiveness and understandability of a text. Yet, using copyrighted images without having any permission in your article is something harmful. The internet is full of exciting and relevant images that you can use in your text, but ensure that the pictures you are using are free to use to have some copyrights. If the images are copyrighted, then it is a must for you to ask for permission from the image’s owner. It has been observed that many writers use copyrighted images without any authority and later bear the sufferings.

Clear Copy/Pasting

Many writers out there take writing for granted and feel no shame or nervousness in copying the whole article or text from different sources. The primary reasons for adopting this technique are laziness, weak research skills, and sometimes no fear of being caught. However, you must understand that the invention of modern tools that check plagiarism easily made it a piece of cake to grab the duplication in writing. These tools are smart enough to find the source of the copied text in a matter of few instances. So, writers must avoid such acts and use their efforts to polish their skills to create unique and inspiring content themselves instead of copying text from the web.

Conclusion

Plagiarism is a destructive act that can throw one’s career and fame into dust in a glimpse of an eye. Writers should avoid this unethical act to maintain their credibility in their respective fields. The shared information above will help you learn the most common blunders that are considered plagiarism. You must avoid these discussed acts to stay secure and avoid any punishments for committing plagiarism.