How to Avoid Accidental Plagiarism in Articles

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By derbyka
eHow Community Member

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It's possible for even the best writers to accidentally plagiarize. This is because once we read specific wording, we are more likely to recall our thoughts in that wording (especially from short term memory) whether or not we mean to. Furthermore, ehow writers and other web writers rely on the internet as a source. The internet can be very fluid and the fast back-and-forth access to highly specific information makes us more apt to accidentally plagiarize. To avoid messing up and stealing someone's work, keep these tips in mind.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Reading precise wording leaves that wording stuck in your mind. Not only does it lead to accidental plagiarism, but it hampers the flow of your own writing skills. Therefore, the first step to avoiding accidental plagiarism is to avoid at all costs reading articles on the same general subject as yours. This can be accomplished in many ways.
Step 2

If you have searched ehow and determined that someone has already written on the topic you wish to write about, your first instinct is to read the articles and make sure either they are badly written or do not cover the subject in the same way or style that you plan to. Resist the urge! Instead, have a friend read the articles and give you feedback as to whether or not the subject has been sufficiently covered. Later, when your article is written, you can also have a friend go back and compare wording to make sure it is not similar.
Step 3

Next, when you begin to do research, avoid researching your general topic. This is likely to turn up results similar to your finished article and you will be tempted to use their wordings. Instead, search subtopics, facets, or facts of your topic and assemble your article piece by piece. This will not only prevent accidental plagiarism but will often lead you to include extra information that the other general writers do not.
Step 4

To be able to search subtopics and facets, choose article topics about which you are at least somewhat familiar. This will help you start with specifics to search. For instance, if I were writing an article about horse supplements, I could start by searching "Chondroitin, horses."
Step 5

There are many extremely in-depth articles on the internet. If you find one that has your topic covered down to the last detail, you will probably be tempted to use only that one source, bad news when it comes to plagiarism. In this case, try to think of how to expand or re-arrange your article so that that topic becomes only facet, step, or perspective. This way, you can use other sources to flesh out your own article.
Step 6

Finally, since short term memory is based on specific wording and long term memory is based on semantics (meanings), time is on your side when it comes to avoiding accidental plagiarism. Take simple notes of nouns and verbs leaving out any conjunctions, adjectives, and fluff words. Then, wait a day before writing your article. You might want to research for a couple of articles one day and then write those articles/research the following set the next day.