How to Use Software to Avoid Plagiarism
No one wants to be accused of plagiarism. No matter how you rationalize it, plagiarism is stealing. Sometimes, however, a writer will inadvertently use the same phrasing as the text he is using for research. Using a plagiarism software program will help a writer or student detect this mistake. Equally, such programs are useful to teachers to see if the work their students are submitting is really their own.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a plagiarism software program. There are a variety of software programs designed to compare text to everything else written on the Web. Some programs also compare text to other student papers. More of these programs are free or reasonably-priced. Among the better programs are Eve2, Copycatch and Turnitin.
-
2
Install the program on your computer. To get started checking for plagiarism, download your selected program unto your computer. Most may be downloaded directly from the Internet.
-
-
3
Submit the text to the program. Every program operates slightly differently, but with most programs, you access the text document and follow the program directions. It then compares the text to known websites and other submitted student papers.
-
4
Analyze results. With it finishes running, the plagiarism program will tell you the percentage likeness of the text to other sources. Zero is original; 100 percent is a totally copied piece of work. A small amount of similarity (4 to 5 percent) is not unheard of, even in an original paper. This may represent statistics or other official information.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Be aware that software programs will generally catch plagiarism from web sources and sometimes other students in the class, but are not useful against plagiarism from print sources.
