Writing is perhaps the best way to express our thoughts and feelings and to tell a story. Some people write in order to give their point of view on some topic, but no matter what it is about, plagiarism is something everyone wants to avoid, especially when writing an essay.
Writing an essay can be a tough thing to do, and sometimes, especially when a topic is not something you are familiar with, plagiarism can occur. We all want to avoid that, which is why, after thorough research, we will present you with the six steps to make in order to ensure your essay is free from plagiarism.
Use quotes correctly
It is perfectly fine to use quotations in your work, especially if what we want to say has already been said in the right way or when we want to emphasize something. The problem arises when we take someone’s statement and write it in our work as our own, and that is why it is important to learn how to use quotes correctly and always state the author’s name.
In that way, we can avoid plagiarism but also show that our work is worth reading. Stealing from others can show that we do not own good ideas, but quoting can show that we respect others, understand the meaning of what has already been said, and know how to use it in our own work.
Mention the sources
For every writer, in order to be exceptional, it is necessary to have enough sources because even if we have a great idea, if we don’t know how to get some info, or don’t know how to use it properly, it is all for nothing. We can find sources almost everywhere, even those with relevant facts, and it doesn’t matter if they are magazines, studies, or websites because they all have to be mentioned in the end.
There are some standards of citing, and it is necessary to implement them because bad citing can make the whole work look unprofessional. It may take some time, but in the end, it will pay off because every essay needs to be perfect in order to be noticed and to get positive reviews. A well-cited article is a proof that you have mastered the basics well and that your work is worth reading, as it is first of all readable but also quite informative.
Use your idea
Sometimes it is challenging to find, among the sources, the one which agrees with our theory, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Just because other people think differently does not mean that our idea is not good, and that is why it is much better to use it than to copy someone’s idea.
When writing about any topic, it is always good to look for several opinions, as, in most cases, there are always several ways one can look at something. By using our thoughts and our words, we can avoid any kind of plagiarism. But even then, what writers also often overlook, is the other type of plagiarism, also known as self-plagiarism.
That can happen if we are asked to write on the same topic more than once, and we copy our own words, which is nothing strange, and something that can often happen but, in the end, it can be the same as plagiarism, and the essay can be rejected because of that, meaning that, avoiding it crucial. In order to achieve that, it is best to work on your vocabulary so that you can use different words and avoid repetition of ideas and concepts. We should look at our articles like they are not ours while writing the one on a similar subject.
Proofread the essay
Once you finish the article, it is necessary to proofread it, and although many people think that it is an unnecessary step because everyone knows what they wrote, that is far from the truth. Proofreading can help to notice even some tiny mistakes that can later cause a lot of problems, but they are hard to see, as stated by the-Essays.com.
Since you are reading your work, it will not take too much time, but it can be beneficial in so many ways and, in the end, make the paperwork much better overall. Check the quotes, be sure that you cited everything correctly, and went through the whole essay one more time. If everything is as it should be, it means that the essay is ready to be submitted.
Try to rephrase
When writing about something you know everything about, there is no problem as you are more than familiar with the topic, but when that’s not the case, reading various articles (sources) is the obvious step. That is also when some mistakes, plagiarism-related, can occur. Namely, what people often tend to do is to use other peoples’ work, use the same sentence, and not check if they are valid or not, and evenly important, not change a thing, and of course that an essay written in such a manner will be considered plagiarism.
A great way to avoid that is to paraphrase it, especially when you lack knowledge about that specific topic. One way to rephrase some sentences is to add something that makes your writing unique but without losing the meaning. Only then will you be sure that the essay is not only original but also well written.
Find a reliable plagiarism checker
Most of the things we do today are online-based, and whether that is to get some info, read reviews, or something else, we cannot imagine our life without the Internet. Luckily, we can also use it to check whether our essay is plagiarized or not, but, of course, for that, we will need a reliable plagiarism checker.
It is always best to check for plagiarism because even if the essay is written in the best possible way, some terms or sentences while researching the topic can stick in your mind, and you can use them as your own without even realizing that it is something you read about. That is just one example of what can happen, and using a plagiarism checker can help avoid that.
The bottom line
No one likes plagiarism, and when writing an essay, it is important to do all the things possible in order to avoid it. Writing an original piece is the goal, and it would be a shame that some good idea goes to waste just because of some silly and unfortunate mistake. That is why following these six steps can help a lot.
