By Jasmine Kurb
It goes without saying that theft is unethical in many situations. But do you often wonder if using someone else’s idea also comes under it?
When it comes to writing academic content, pupils are always told to perform research. In addition, it has both primary and secondary research to avoid plagiarism. So, if we read to get ideas from existing content, how is it not stealing?
According to a survey conducted by the International Center for Academic Integrity on academic dishonesty and cheating in March 2020, it was found that more than 32% of the pupils had cheated in their exams.
If you are not aware of this term and wonder why it’s vital to write original assignments, you might suffer from getting low grades.
So, do you want to write 100% plagiarism-free assignments and impress your professors? If yes, you must first know what plagiarism is and how one can avoid it.
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is defined as using others’ work without giving proper credit. Ron Day describes it as “knowledge theft.” In addition, he stresses ethical breaches over ONLY copyright issues.
Here’s a list of some specific forms of it:
- Copying someone else’s ideas without giving credit
- Not adding quotation marks
- Giving inaccurate information about the sources
- Changing words but copying the sentence structure without giving credit
Intentional vs. Unintentional Plagiarism
Oh, so plagiarism can be unintentional as well? Yes, it can. In addition, it happens when someone doesn’t realize that they are plagiarizing. On the other hand, intentional is using ideas or copying someone else’s content with a complete understanding.
Rebecca Moore Howard introduces “patchwriting” (close paraphrasing), often a beginner-level mistake rather than serious cheating. Hence, this highlights the need for support over punishment.
Consequences of Academic Plagiarism for Students
Since plagiarism is an act of stealing and cheating, the consequences for it can be severe. According to the IVCC Student’s Handbook, teachers are free to take any of the following actions against receiving plagiarized academic content:
- A teacher can fail an assignment, test, exam, or oral presentation where this act occurred.
- Involuntary withdrawal from the course.
- A professor can report extreme cases of academic dishonesty to the Vice Principal or the Head of Department.
- Lower grades.
Well, that sounds serious, right? And now you must be wondering how to avoid it in your assignments. Well, below are some tips to make it happen. So, stay with me and read this blog till the end!
How to Avoid Plagiarism?
I know all the above conversations sounded way too scary, right? If you are wondering how to avoid it and get exceptional grades in your assignments, you need to know the tips for it. And yes, don’t be scared, as it’s not that serious and is easy to avoid.
Cite the sources
Whenever you are using someone else’s idea or content, make sure to cite the sources carefully. In addition, citation includes the full name of the author and publication date. In addition, don’t forget to add other necessary points according to the style guide you are following.
Add quotations
Most of the time, we often insert someone else’s words into our content. Well, it’s only allowed if you add quotations, as it shows that these words aren’t yours.
So, make sure to add quotations while adding others’ work into your assignments.
Paraphrase
Paraphrasing is changing the words of the content however, the meaning remains the same.
Important point:
Paraphrasing can be considered plagiarism if not done correctly. Therefore, it’s best to connect with assignment writers Dubai and get their aid for getting better results.
To perform it without marking it plagiarize, you may reword and format the content in the original way. For that, it’s best to avoid using exact or similar words used in the original work. However, you must keep in mind that you’re still using someone else’s ideas. Therefore, make sure to include the citation of the source.
Add your own ideas
You have read the content, did your research about the topic, and you now have enough data. So, why not add your magic to your assignment?
An assignment is considered good if it has the original contribution of the pupils. So, don’t hesitate to think of a new perspective coming from the existing data.
However, you must know that your own idea is also derived from someone else’s. Therefore, all the guidelines discussed above are applicable.
Use a plagiarism checker
Okay, so have you followed all the above tips carefully? I’m sure that you would have! But what if you fall into unintentional plagiarism?
It’s very common that when we read content, some phrases, words, or sentences stick in our minds. In addition, we use it while writing the assignments, and guess what? The work is marked as plagiarized.
Therefore, it’s super important to check the plagiarism rate before sending the final document to your professor. For that, you may run your file through various online tools such as Grammarly. Furthermore, these online tools not only share the similarity report but also highlight the words or phrases that originate from the real source.
Final Words
Writing plagiarism-free assignments in Dubai isn’t as tricky as it seems! Therefore, one must know every important detail about plagiarism. For that, you must start by understanding what plagiarism is—using others’ ideas or words without credit. Also, always cite your sources properly, use quotes for direct text, and paraphrase carefully (don’t just swap a few words!).
Double-check your work with tools like Grammarly to catch accidental matches. By following these steps, you’ll create original work, earn better grades, and build trust with your professors. Stay original, stay confident!
