Plagiarism is widely described as copying the work of others without offering credit where it is due. In the academic context person’s findings, thesis, the Conclusion cannot be used without proper citation. The reason why professors and teachers are starkly opposed to plagiarism are multifold.
Teachers give assignments as an indicator of understanding of the topic taught, which would not be possible if the student had merely copied the information via the internet. Professors and teachers also require students to conduct research and analyze data independently without recycling someone else’s work. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to remove plagiarism.
This is included but not limited to;
- Using software to remove plagiarism such as Turn in It; this is one of the most popular methods of getting work checked for copied content. On uploading a document to this plagiarism checker, the records are then combed for text material available online. Once the analysis is done if the score is more than being 50%, it is highly recommended that parts of the document should be rewritten.
- Use Quotations and proper terminology: To include a statement verbatim it is recommended to make quotations, that being said using references too much as it makes the paper not pleasant to read. It is also essential to use terminology such as ‘Says that States that, As identified by, asserts that, Suggests that, Contrasts that.’
- Learn to paraphrase: Repackaging of the sentence should be done either by changing the word flow of the sentence, but ensuring the meaning of the sentence is preserved. Evaluation and synthesis of the original text will aid the paraphrasing process.
- Know the difference between the different types of plagiarism: Do make sure that you do not repeat any of the following types of activities, each of which could be referred to as plagiarism. This includes but is not limited to copying word for word, incomplete or inadequate citations, replacing only a few words from the academic text referenced
Conclusion
Ultimately it can be concluded that plagiarism is not only unethical but also should be avoided entirely. Apart from the moral reasons to not indulge in plagiarism, another practical reason is that plagiarism can result in heavy penalization by the university department professor or teacher in school.
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