How to Prevent Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious offense. It can get you expelled from school, fired from a job and sued. While plagiarism may seem like a quick and easy fix to your writing troubles, it's dishonest and a form of theft. In addition, it can ruin your career as a credible writer.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Internet
• Library membership

How to Prevent Plagiarism

1. Determine if the information is common knowledge. If the information has been cited in five other sources, it's safe to assume that it's common knowledge and does not need citation.

2. Make quotations and citations your friend. If someone said those exact words, quote them and give them credit. Credit should also be given to artwork.

3. Quote professionals, but provide your unique opinion and viewpoint.

4. Do not copy and paste. This makes it easier for you to plagiarize. Instead read over the sentence a few times and try to put it into your own words.

5. Put quotations marks around words or phrases you do not want to change and credit the source.

6. Check your paraphrasing against the original text to make sure it is not the same.

7. Do not purchase essays. You do not know where they came from or if they are reliable.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a separate list of sources that you consulted but did not use in your paper.

• Keep drafts of your work in case a roommate or friend copies your work.

Resources

• Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL)