Completing essay assignments in college is complicated not only because of researching and writing but also because of the necessity to check for originality. Even if you’re not directly copying and pasting a bit of information to your text, there’s a risk that a part of your essay will turn out to be plagiarized, which is regarded as academic dishonesty. Considering that you can’t prove your professor whether the plagiarism was intentional or not, you may receive a lower grade, a suspension, or any other consequence that is outlined in your school’s or class’s guidelines. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, it is critical that you check content duplicacy properly. Are you not sure how to do so? Keep on reading, and you’ll find the best tips!
1. Use online checkers
Luckily for all of us, there’s a lot of good that comes on the Internet, and free content checkers are not an exception. When it comes to choosing a free duplicate content checker to check for duplicates online, the world is your oyster, and there are many options available. Some of such platforms will check for duplicate content for free with or without registration. At the same time, you’ll probably come across a checker or two that require monthly or yearly subscription. While we understand that budgeting is an important issue for the majority of students, there are also some benefits to using these platforms. Either way, there’s a plethora of options out there, and you should simply choose the one you trust the most.
2. Be sure to credit all sources
We believe that your professor has mentioned the necessity to reference the sources you used while working on your paper in in-text citation and list all of them on a works cited page. However, many students still struggle with adhering to the academic requirements regarding plagiarism and referencing. The best way to avoid dealing with the consequences of submitting duplicate content or revising your paper is to think ahead while you’re still working on your essay before you go to google duplicate content checker.
If the piece of information you’re putting in your paper is common knowledge, you don’t have to reference it. However, if you’ve read a piece of someone else’s work and you’re using their thoughts and ideas in your essay, you must give credit to the original source. And yes, that is the same for paraphrasing. How do you do that? Depending on the required format, you have to have both an in-text citation in your paper and in the section with references.
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3. Avoid self-plagiarism
Some students believe that using a part of your previous work will not be considered a duplicate if you don’t reference it correctly. However, that is not the case. Why? Every time you’re given a writing assignment in the college, you’re expected to submit a brand new piece of text. If you have previously written an essay on a similar topic (even if you did check duplicates online back then), you can still use the same sources you have used in a past work, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to credit the authors, whose ideas you borrow. So, as a rule of thumb, if you’ve read a piece of information in someone else’s work (whether it was a week or a year ago), reference the author, and you should be fine.
4. Know what exactly is a duplicate
Okay, so we went over how to deal with duplicate text, but we should also take a moment to talk about what it is and why it is wrong. Also, sometimes referred to as plagiarism, duplicate is the appropriation of another author’s ideas, thoughts, or conclusions without crediting the original source. Simply put, duplicate is cheating, and it is not tolerated in higher education institutions. Sometimes, plagiarism can be unintentional; for example, if you’re paraphrasing a paragraph without citing it, it will still be considered duplicate, even if you don’t just copy and paste. Because of such a seemingly thin line, we recommend that you use an online checker to know how to check duplicate content in your essay.
Submitting a plagiarized essay in college may result in you facing a lot of trouble. While we believe that you’re not indulging in academic dishonesty, there is also a risk that you may duplicate someone’s work unintentionally. Either way, we hope that this article could help you make sure your work is free from plagiarism and its consequences.