Different types of plagiarism, and ways to prevent these in your content writing
The mere sight of the term plagiarism can be triggering.
Instantly, you're back in the classroom trying to explain to your teacher the reason you're not able to provide an citation to a claim you've made in your study essay on The Great Gatsby and what the green light means. You feel guilty. The lesson you learned: never again will you claim someone else's work as your personal.
Today, years later, as a content creator, you are constantly writing about your field, blogs and landing page copy ebooks and much more. In a million years would you purposefully copy someone else's work in order to claim it as your own. But what if it happened accidentally? Plagiarism that is not intentional is incredibly frequent in the field of creative writing and online content.
Though plagiarism, at its most basic level is the process of taking someone else's work as your personal work however, it can take on many shapes and forms that you may be unaware of. It could lead you to do something that is unimaginable, such as replicating and using someone else's work, even accidentally.
One of the most effective ways to ensure that you don't get caught and/or committing plagiarism in the first place is to be aware of the rules and regulations and the procedures for properly crediting the work of other authors. But first, let's discuss how content writers can do their homework regarding plagiarism.
How can content writers be sure to avoid plagiarizing?
Many consider plagiarism to be considered to be an ethical problem that is, it's a violation against moral principles. Though ethics can be an abstract concept, plagiarism is factually an act of theft, as it's the act of stealing someone else's words. It may be even more so for content writers who could receive monetary compensation for their stolen work.
Apart from being ethically incorrect, plagiarism can also have the possibility of destroying someone's personal and business integrity. This can lead to lost relationships with brands, professional recommendations or, most significantly, customers. It's true that plagiarism can have the ability to destroy an entire business.
It is important to consider the legal implications that could result from plagiarizing. If your plagiarized work takes credit or profit away from the original author and you are fighting a legal case - no matter whether you plagiarized on purpose or accidentally.
Five kinds of plagiarism you need to be conscious of
The best way to prevent plagiarism is to educate yourself about its various forms. Here are the five most common five types of plagiarism you might encounter or may have committed against yourself:
- Global plagiarism
Sometimes referred to as total as direct or complete plagiarism it is what people usually consider is plagiarism. It's the act that copies a whole piece of work and attempting to claim it as your own. But global plagiarism is not simply the act of copying from someone else's work. When you go to school, paying someone to complete a task to you, and later sending it to you as your own, is as well a form of global plagiarism.
This stands to beg the inquiry: is employing a ghostwriter a form of plagiarism? Here is a excellent article written of Jonathan Bailey on that very subject. Bailey states, "Ethically, it is accepted for politicians to hire a speechwriter but is not attributed to them. However, a student who turns to the essay mill for their task is clearly plagiarizing." Thus, based on the situational nature of ghostwriting the degree to which it's not plagiarism is difficult.
- Verbatim plagiarism
As with global plagiarism this form of plagiarism is the act of claiming an author's work as your ownn. The main difference is how much material has been plagiarized. While global plagiarism includes every word of content Verbatim plagiarism can only include a small portion of text such as a few sentences or paragraphs.
NOTE: It's considered verbatim plagiarism even when you modify the words, or the order of sentences, which brings us to our second type of plagiarism.
- Paraphrasing plagiarism
Plagiarism that is paraphrased is among the most common types of accidental plagiarism. As it is sounded, this is what happens when writers reword another's work without giving credit to the original writer. While the practice of putting the words of someone else's work into your personal words is fine, doing so without proper citation is not.
- Patchwork plagiarism
Sometimes called"patchwork plagiarism", it is the practice of "stitching together" different ideas, phrases, or longer forms of text from multiple sources to make new information. This form of plagiarism can coincide with paraphrasing and verbatim plagiarism.
For example, you pull the idea of one source, and from another, you "borrow" a sentence, as well as the paragraph. You work all of these into the final piece, creating an intricate patchwork.
- Self-plagiarism
What can you do to prevent plagiarism in your content writing
Let's talk about the motive behind why you're here - how to avoid plagiarism when writing content. Utilizing these easy steps (yes only five steps! ) to protect you and your company from the repercussions of plagiarism:
- Record and cite sources. If you are presenting an idea from someone else or phrases in your writing (even if they're copied) make sure to cite your source. The addition of a citation in your work is a quick and straightforward way of ensuring that you don't get caught with plagiarism. Depending on the style guide you're using, a citation should include at least the full name of the source as well as the date that it was released. In order to make your citation process more simple for you, design an efficient record-keeping system and keep track of your sources as you type. It will be a blessing later on We promise. TIP: Google Documents also includes a citation tool which makes it simple to reference your sources using the format you prefer (APA, MLA, or Chicago).
- Incorporate quotations. One of the most effective method to stay clear of plagiarism is to include phrases or words from another source within your work using quotation marks and proper citation, of course. Quotes are a great method of incorporating another's words or ideas in your own work while aiding you in avoiding the mental struggle that comes with paraphrasing. It is possible that you have noticed we used this very strategy within the scope of global plagiarism!
- Paraphrase. It's a simple idea however, paraphrasing can be an excellent way of avoiding taking someone else's words word for word. If you are paraphrasing, try to focus on putting the other author's words in your own words. Find synonyms, incorporate in the ideas into your original material, and then revise your sentence (e.g. switch the sentence between active and passive). If you are paraphrasing in a blog, ensure you add an external link to the original material.
- Use a plagiarism checker. Also called anti-plagiarism tools, tools like these are able to quickly evaluate your text with other pages on the internet and give you an assessment of plagiarism. Copy and paste your text into a plagiarism checker software that is available for free. Grammarly provides a plagiarism checker as well as Small SEO Tools.
The most important thing is the bottom line
If you have your business and personal credibility at stake Plagiarism should be avoided in all circumstances. One of the most effective ways to stay clear of plagiarism is to have in-depth information about the subject. Simply by reading this article You're safeguarding yourself from the reality of getting accused of making a mistake by using plagiarism. Job well done!
The time has come for you to get back to your pen! Write away with unbridled passion because you're sure in your heart that your writing is unique, and that's what makes your content worth to read.
You've got questions. There are answers.
Here are a few of the most commonly asked concerns about plagiarism.
- What is plagiarism? At its root, plagiarism is the overt act of attempting to pass off someone else's work as your own.
- What's the difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism? The line between plagiarism and paraphrasing is very thin. It all depends on if and how you cite the sources you've used. If you don't have a proper quotation, it rapidly and quickly turns into plagiarism.
- What are some common types of plagiarism seen in content writing? There are many types of plagiarism, but the most commonly encountered in writing content include worldwide plagiarism, verbatim plagiarization, paraphrasing plagiarism, patchwork plagiarism, and self-plagiarism.
- How do I spot plagiarism? While prior to the Internet, it was difficult to check your or others' work for plagiarism, today you are able to easily search for plagiarism using free and easy-to-use plagiarism checker software. A quick Google search can reveal numerous software options.
- Are you able to accidentally copy? Yes, you can accidentally plagiarize. The most frequent types of plagiarism that is accidental is that of paraphrasing plagiarism. This is when you reword an author's words without giving credit or properly citing your author.