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Plagiarism

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Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial and Practice

There are many things to consider when trying to avoid plagiarism. To gain insight and get practice, click on the link to the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center's website. On this website, you will find lessons, video tutorials, and accompanying practice activities. The website covers the following topics in great detail:

Step 1: Understanding Plagiarism

Step 2: Properly Quote and Paraphrase

Step 3: Properly Cite Sources

Step 4: Check Your Work For Possibly Plagiarism

Step 5: Plagiarism Practice Activity

Completing these tutorials should give you more confidence in submitting a plagiarized-free essay or research paper.

Evaluating Internet Sources

Consequences of Plagiarism

Including information from various sources in your writing is not an easy task. If you wait until the last moment to tackle a writing assignment, the task becomes more taxing.  A looming deadline can create feelings of panic, frustration, and stress. These uncomfortable feelings can easily persuade the most experienced writer to take shortcuts. The shortcuts can come in the form of using an AI program to write your paper, buying a paper from the Internet, copying and pasting others' work without proper documentation, or reusing a paper from another assignment. All of these shortcuts are considered plagiarism. For the post-secondary student, plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, has dire consequences such as: 

1. Academic probation

2. A failing mark

3. A mark on a permanent record

4. Expulsion

Source: https://www.locusassignments.com/tips-to-avoid-plagiarism-in-your-writing/

 

Plagiarism Flowchart: https://writingcenter.ashford.edu/steps-avoiding-plagiarism

Plagiarism Detention Tools

With information being easily accessible and in abundance, it makes developing original ideas time-consuming and difficult. You may think, "Would anyone really know if I used someone's ideas?"  A better question to ask yourself is "Would I want my integrity questioned throughout my educational and professional career?" Of course not.  No one wants to be labeled as a thief or a liar, but this is what you would be considered if you are caught plagiarizing. At school, small infractions might result in receiving a zero on a specific assignment, while a significant infraction can result in expulsion or suspension. The bottom line is a single act of plagiarism can damage your reputation and hurt your career. Are you willing to take that chance? Surely not! So why not utilize a plagiarism detection program to help you avoid making that fatal mistake. They are not 100% accurate, but a plagiarism detector can give you a general idea as to what needs to be changed in your assignment in order to make it more authentic.

See the following websites for free plagiarism checkers:

The Top Ten Plagiarism Detection Tools

Plagiarism Detector

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