The types of plagiarism and ways to prevent these in your content writing
Simply seeing the term plagiarism is enough to trigger.
Then, you're back at the classroom trying to convince your teacher why you're missing an citation to a claim that you've made in your research paper on The Great Gatsby and what it means to have a green light. It's a moment of guilt. It's a lesson learned and will never take someone else's work for your personal.
In the years since you are a content writer You are writing constantly about your field, blog posts or landing page copy ebooks, and so on. In a million years will you intentionally replicate someone else's work in order and claim it as your own. However, what if it happened accidentally? Intentional plagiarism is very prevalent in creative writing and online content.
While plagiarism at its core is the practice of claiming someone else's work as your original work It can take on many shapes and forms which you might not be aware of. It could lead you to commit the unthinkable: replicating and using someone else's work, even accidentally.
The best way to ensure that you don't get caught or accidentally committing plagiarism is to be aware of the rules and regulations and the procedures in properly recognizing the work of other authors. But first, let's discuss the reasons why content creators should perform their due diligence when it comes to plagiarism.
How can content writers be sure to prevent plagiarism?
In the eyes of many, plagiarism is an ethical matter that is, it's a violation against moral principles. Though ethics can be an abstract idea, plagiarism can be considered an act of theft, as it's when you steal another's words. This is especially relevant for content creators who may be able to receive financial compensation for their stolen work.
In addition to being morally wrong, plagiarism has the potential to damage an individual's integrity as well as that of their business. This can lead to lost brand partnerships, professional referrals or, most significantly the customers. That's right - plagiarism has the power to ruin a business in a flash.
It is important to consider the potential legal consequences which could arise from plagiarizing. If you copy your work and take credit or profit away from the original author, you may find yourself fighting a legal case regardless of the reason for plagiarism, whether it was deliberate or accidentally.
Five types of plagiarism that you should be conscious of
The best way to prevent plagiarism is to educate yourself regarding its different forms. Here are the top five kinds of plagiarism you might encounter or have committed against you:
- Global plagiarism
Also known as complete or direct plagiarism, this is the most common definition of is plagiarism. It's it is the process that copies a whole work in order to pass it off as your personal work. But global plagiarism is not just the act of taking someone else's work. At schools, paying someone else to complete a task to you, and later sending it to you to be considered your own another form of plagiarism.
This stands to beg the inquiry: is employing ghostwriters an act of plagiarism? Here is a excellent article written of Jonathan Bailey on that very topic. Bailey states, "Ethically, it is generally accepted for a politician to use a speechwriter and does not attribute them. But, a student who turns to the essay mill for their assignment is clearly a plagiarist." Thus in light of the contextal nature of ghostwriting whether it is or is genuine plagiarism is a difficult.
- Verbatim plagiarism
Similar to global plagiarism, this type of plagiarism involves the act that you clone an author's work as your ownn. The difference between the two is the amount of content has been plagiarized. Global plagiarism covers every word of content Verbatim plagiarism can be limited to a specific portion of text such as a few sentences or paragraphs.
Notice: It's considered verbatim plagiarism even if you change phrases or rearrange sentences which leads us to our new type of plagiarism.
- Paraphrasing plagiarism
The act of paraphrasing plagiarism is among the most popular forms of accidental plagiarism. It's as it sounds. this is happening when people reword someone else's writing without acknowledging the author who wrote it. Although the act of translating someone else's content into your own words is okay however, doing this with no proper citations isn't.
- Patchwork plagiarism
Sometimes referred to as"patchwork plagiarism," it refers to the process of "stitching to" different ideas, phrases or more lengthy versions of text from multiple sources to make new information. This form of plagiarism can be associated with verbatim and paraphrasing plagiarism.
In this case, for example, you take the idea of one source, and from another source, you "borrow" an idea, as well as an entire paragraph. Then, you combine all these in your work to make an intricate patchwork.
- Self-plagiarism
The best way to ensure that you don't copy your writing
Let's talk about the motive behind why you're here How to prevent plagiarism within your writing. With these simple four steps (yes only five steps! ) You can safeguard yourself and your business from the negative consequences of plagiarizing:
- Record and cite sources. When presenting someone else's idea or words within your work (even when they're copied), simply cite your source. Adding a citation to your piece is a simple and easy way to ensure that you don't get caught with plagiarism. According to the style guide that you're following the citation must include at least the full name of the source as well as the date that it was released. To make the process of citations even more simple for you, design a record-keeping process and record the sources you use as you write. It will be a blessing later on - we promise. TIP: Google Documents also offers an citation tool which allows you to list your sources in your preferred citation format (APA, MLA, or Chicago).
- Incorporate quotations. One of the most effective method to stay clear of plagiarism is to incorporate phrases or words from another source into your text with quotation marks, and a appropriate citations, naturally. Quotations offer a simple method of incorporating another's concepts or words into your writing, while also helping to avoid the psychological struggle associated when you have to paraphrase. Perhaps you've noticed that we used this very strategy within the scope of plagiarism worldwide!
- Paraphrase. This may be a no-brainer and yet it is an excellent way of avoiding copying someone else's words word-for-word. If you are paraphrasing, try to focus on translating the writer's words in your own words. Research synonyms, work the idea into your original material, and then revise your sentence (e.g. modify the sentence to change it between active and passive). If you are paraphrasing in your blog, be sure to include a link external to the original text.
- Utilize a plagiarism-checker. Also called anti-plagiarism tools, tools like these can quickly analyze your content to other web pages and give you an analysis of plagiarism. You'll simply copy and paste the text into an online plagiarism checker, of which many are free to use. Grammarly offers a plagiarism checker as well as small SEO tools.
The bottom line
If you have your business and personal credibility at stake Plagiarism should be avoided absolutely. And, the best way to stay clear of plagiarism is to be well-informed knowledge about the subject. By reading this blog and knowing the basics, you're preventing yourself from the reality of being found guilty of making a mistake by using plagiarism. Job well done!
The time has come for you to get back to your writing! Write away with unbridled passion because you're sure within your soul that your words are original, and that's what can make your work worth to read.
You've got questions. There are answers.
Below are a few of the most frequently asked questions about plagiarism.
- What exactly is plagiarism? At its root in the word "plagiarism," it's the obvious attempt to label an author's work as your personal.
- What is the distinction between plagiarism and paraphrasing? The line between plagiarism and paraphrasing is extremely thin. All it depends is whether and how you refer to the sources you've used. If you don't have a proper reference, the paraphrasing process quickly and easily turns into plagiarism.
- What are the common forms of plagiarism in content writing? There are many types of plagiarism. But those that are most often encountered in writing content include global plagiarism, verbatim plagiarism, paraphrasing plagiarism, patchwork plagiarism, and self-plagiarism.
- How can I detect plagiarism? While prior to the Internet it was hard to verify your own or other peoples' work for plagiarism, nowadays, you can check for plagiarism using free and easy-to-use plagiarism checker software. One quick Google search can reveal numerous software options.
- Can you accidentally plagiarize? Yes, you may accidentally steal. One of the most popular forms of accidental plagiarism is paraphrasing plagiarism, which is when you reword the work of someone else without providing credit or properly citing your source.