Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit to the original author. While some cases of plagiarism are intentional, it often happens unintentionally due to carelessness or a lack of understanding about how to correctly incorporate sources into your writing.

When writing an academic paper, you rely on the work of others to provide information and evidence to support your arguments. To avoid plagiarism, it’s crucial to properly integrate these sources into your text.

You can avoid plagiarism by:

  • Keep accurate records of the sources you use during your research, including the author, title, publication date, and other relevant bibliographic information.
  • When incorporating information from your sources, either paraphrase the ideas in your own words or use direct quotations. If paraphrasing, ensure that you substantially rewrite the original text while retaining the main ideas. If quoting, use quotation marks and reproduce the original text verbatim.
  • Always give credit to the original author by including an in-text citation immediately following the paraphrased or quoted material. Also, include a full reference for each source in your reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper.
  • Before submitting your work, run it through a plagiarism checker to identify any instances of potential plagiarism and address them accordingly.
  • If you use AI-powered writing tools to assist in your writing process, do so responsibly. Be aware that the output generated by these tools may be flagged by AI detection software, so review and edit the content carefully to ensure it aligns with your own ideas and writing style.

Keeping track of your sources

One of the most effective ways to avoid plagiarism is to keep meticulous records of your sources as you conduct your research. This includes noting down the author, title, publication date, and any other relevant bibliographic information for each source you consult.

Tips for staying organized

  • Use a reference management tool like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote to store and organize your sources.
  • Create a separate document for collecting quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from your sources, along with their respective citation information.
  • Develop a consistent system for naming and organizing your research files, making it easy to locate and reference them later.

Avoiding plagiarism when quoting

Quoting involves copying a section of text verbatim from a source. The quoted text must be properly introduced, enclosed in quotation marks, and accurately attributed to the original author.

Generally, quotes should be used sparingly. Quoting is suitable when:

  • You’re using a precise definition provided by the original author
  •  It is not possible to rephrase the original text without altering its meaning
  • You’re examining the language used in the original text
  • You want to preserve the credibility and tone of the author’s words

Original text

“The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a period during which predominantly agrarian, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban” (History.com, 2020).

Quoted incorrectly

“The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a period during which predominantly agrarian, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban” (History.com, 2020).

Quoted correctly

“The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was a period during which predominantly agrarian, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban” (History.com, 2020).

Lengthy quotations should be presented as block quotes. However, when dealing with larger portions of text, paraphrasing is usually preferable to quoting.

Avoiding plagiarism when paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means using your own words to explain something from a source.

Paraphrasing does not mean just switching out a few words from a copy-pasted text. To paraphrase properly, you should rewrite the author’s point in your own words to show that you have fully understood it.

Original text

“Climate change is already affecting the American people in far-reaching ways. Impacts related to climate change are evident across regions and in many sectors important to society—such as human health, agriculture and food security, water supply, transportation, energy, ecosystems, and others—and are expected to become increasingly disruptive throughout this century and beyond” (USGCRP, 2018).

Paraphrased incorrectly

Climate change is currently impacting the American people in extensive ways. Effects related to climate change are apparent across regions and in many sectors crucial to society—such as human health, agriculture and food security, water supply, transportation, energy, ecosystems, and others—and are anticipated to become increasingly problematic throughout this century and the future.

Paraphrased well

The effects of climate change are already being felt by Americans in numerous aspects of life. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (2018) reports that climate change is visibly influencing critical societal sectors like healthcare, food production, water resources, energy, transportation, and natural ecosystems. These impacts are predicted to worsen and cause increasing disruptions as the century progresses.

Citing your sources correctly

Whenever you quote or paraphrase information from a source, it is crucial to include an in-text citation or footnote that clearly identifies the original author. Each citation should have a corresponding full reference in the bibliography or reference list at the end of your document.

Citing your sources properly serves two purposes: it acknowledges the origin of the information, thus avoiding plagiarism, and it allows your readers to locate the source themselves if they wish to explore the topic further.

There are various citation styles, each with its own set of guidelines. Some common styles include APA, MLA, and Chicago. Your instructor may specify a particular style for you to follow, or you may have the freedom to choose one. The key is to apply a single style consistently throughout your work.

The following examples adhere to APA style.

Citing a single source

In-text citationIn “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor’s vengeance is evident when he declares, “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity” (Poe 842).Works cited entryPoe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Robert S. Levine, 9th ed., vol. B, W.W. Norton & Company, 2017, pp. 841-846.

Citing multiple sources

When quoting multiple sources within a single sentence, cite each source separately to clearly attribute the information to its respective source.

In-text citationBoth “The Cask of Amontillado” (Poe 842) and “The Tell-Tale Heart” demonstrate Poe’s fascination with the psychological motives behind murder, as the narrator of the latter claims, “It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night” (Poe 555).Works cited entriesPoe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Robert S. Levine, 9th ed., vol. B, W.W. Norton & Company, 2017, pp. 841-846.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Robert S. Levine, 9th ed., vol. B, W.W. Norton & Company, 2017, pp. 555-558.

Using a plagiarism checker

Before submitting your work, consider running it through a plagiarism checker to identify any instances of potential plagiarism. Many universities provide access to tools like Turnitin or SafeAssign, which compare your text to a vast database of sources and highlight any matches.

Keep in mind that plagiarism checkers are not foolproof and may not catch all instances of plagiarism. They should be used as a supplementary tool, in combination with your own careful review and proper citation practices.

Using AI tools responsibly

While AI-powered writing tools can be helpful for generating ideas, providing feedback, and improving your writing, it’s essential to use them responsibly to avoid plagiarism:

  • Always review and edit the AI-generated content to ensure it aligns with your own ideas and writing style.
  • Provide proper attribution when incorporating AI-generated text into your work, just as you would with any other source.
  • Be aware that AI-generated content may be flagged by plagiarism detection software, so use these tools judiciously and in accordance with your institution’s policies.