Plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, is unacceptable in research. Researchers bear the consequences of any of these types of plagiarism.
A researcher uses previously published journal articles as the foundation for new studies. Thus, the most common type of plagiarism is ‘paraphrasing plagiarism.’
How to Avoid Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Paraphrasing plagiarism occurs when someone uses another person’s writing, making only slight changes to the sentence structure while maintaining the original idea.
Even if the wording is different, it still constitutes plagiarism because the core idea is not original.
Plagiarism checkers may not help in detecting paraphrasing plagiarism.
The following strategies can be useful in reducing the likelihood of paraphrasing plagiarism:
- Cite, cite, and cite: Even if you paraphrase an idea, you still need to credit the original author. Proper citation goes a long way in showing that you have researched your topic.
- Real-world or contextual examples: Understand the source, think critically about it, and add examples. This shows you have fully grasped the content you are reading allows the researcher to think critically about the material, identify the direction of arguments, and come up with original ideas related to the source.
- Quote when necessary: Sometimes, paraphrasing is not the solution. If a passage is particularly well-stated and you feel that changing the wording would diminish the actual message being shared, it is a good idea to quote it directly rather than paraphrase. Remember to accompany this with quotation marks and source citations.
- Combine Multiple Sources: When researching a topic, it is typical to consult more than a single source. Including several sources in the research can help you develop a broader, new understanding of the subject. Consider combining multiple sources as a way to establish a more original perspective on the research subject.
- Focus on Concepts: Another way to avoid paraphrasing plagiarism is to identify a key concept. Then, what does one do with the concept? Restate that concept from multiple authors’ perspectives. This would introduce new insights rather than rearranging a few words. For example, when researching “Intelligence,” some psychologists may view it as a s single, distinct ability while others may consider it a collection of abilities. Some researchers may argue that intelligence is genetic while others may claim that it is influenced by an individual’s environment. Putting all these perspectives together and rearranging them into a flowing context can eliminate the risk of plagiarism.
How to Avoid Accidental Plagiarism
Accidental plagiarism can occur when an author fails to cite sources properly, misquotes text, or unintentionally paraphrases an idea in a nearly identical manner. To avoid these issues, it would be important to consider the following strategies:
- Organize all Sources: Keep a comprehensive list of all the sources consulted during your research.
- Use Citation Tools: Citation tools and software like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley help manage and format citations correctly to eliminate the likelihood of citation errors.
- Check Your Work with Plagiarism Detection Tools: Use plagiarism detection tools to check for too-close paraphrases that you might not notice yourself.
- Use Rater Feedback: Before finalizing your research paper, have an expert or someone else review it for possible instances of paraphrasing plagiarism. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can catch things you missed.
- Keep Original and Paraphrased Texts Separate: When drafting the research paper, keep the paraphrased text separate from the original text. Doing this prevents you from looking at the original while writing thereby helping ensure your wording is truly independent.