Types Of Plagiarism Students Should Know To Avoid In 2024?

Types Of Plagiarism

So you have finished writing your research paper and are about to submit it. You must have researched the topic extensively from the internet or books, and now you are ready to submit it. But there is one step you are missing. And now you might be wondering what plagiarism is and what are the types of plagiarism in research writing?

Don’t worry, we have you covered on all Types of Plagiarism.

What Is PLAGIARISM?

Plagiarism occurs when you present someone else’s ideas, thoughts, information, or other work without giving them credit. In research writing, many types of plagiarism are not at all ethical and you might even attract some illegalities for you, and trust me you don’t want that.

It’s as if you’ve dedicated your whole life to crafting a book or manuscript, only for someone to steal it, claiming it as their own. How would you feel? That’s the essence of plagiarism—it’s not just about taking credit for someone else’s work, but also their success. Plagiarism is unethical because it robs creators of their deserved recognition and achievements, highlighting the importance of understanding Types of Plagiarism.

To write a plagiarism-free research paper, understand the types of plagiarism that can affect it.

Types Of Plagiarism In Research Writing

  • Clone/ Global plagiarism

    When you use someone else’s entire work without even changing anything and without giving proper quotation and citation and presenting it as your own it is. This type of plagiarism is the most serious and is also known as intellectual theft and stealing.

  • Paraphrasing

    When you take someone else’s work and change a few words to make it look like your own without citing the source, you commit paraphrasing plagiarism.

To avoid plagiarism, read the original content, rephrase it in your own words with a different structure, and cite it.

  • Verbatim (copy and paste)

    In today’s world, everything is available on the internet. When we write a research paper and extensively research online, we might directly copy and paste sentences, thoughts, or ideas from different sources without altering them and present them as our own. This is known as verbatim plagiarism.

  • Mosaic plagiarism

    When we take sentence or content etc., from different sources and slightly change the wordings with the same structure as the old one, it is mosaic plagiarism

It is a little bit difficult to catch these kinds of plagiarism but many tools can easily identify it.

  • Self-plagiarism

    When you present or copy from your previous works or mix your earlier work with newer or current work in different classes, you commit self-plagiarism, also known as auto-plagiarism. If you are using your previous work, you should first get permission from everyone involved in reviewing the work and cite it properly.

  • Accidental plagiarism

    When you unintentionally use other’s ideas thoughts or misquote some sentences or anything and it matches with someone’s work it is accidental plagiarism

There are two categories of plagiarism which are intentional or unintentional plagiarism. Types of plagiarism we have read come under intentional and accidental plagiarism come under unintentional plagiarism.

It’s Good To Know The Types Of Plagiarism But You Should Also Know How To Avoid Them

Understanding the various types of plagiarism is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and ethical writing practices. Plagiarism encompasses a range of behaviors, from verbatim copying without proper citation to paraphrasing without acknowledgment of the original source. Familiarizing yourself with direct, self, mosaic, and accidental plagiarism helps you identify and avoid them in your work.

By understanding the types of plagiarism and implementing proactive strategies to prevent it, you can uphold academic honesty and integrity while producing original and high-quality work. Remember, knowing how to avoid plagiarism is just as important as recognizing its various forms.

  • Do as much research as you can about the topic you are writing on not just from the internet but from books and most importantly from people who have knowledge and interest about the topic as it is good to take peoples opinion as different people have a different way of thinking.
  • After researching your topic start writing with what you have understood with all that research. Never try to copy or change someone else’s content.
  • Be original with your content
  • Say no to Ctrl C and Ctrl V
  • Give reference to the source you are taking the information from and make a bibliography page at the end
  • Always use quotation marks for sentences from other’s content, ensure the text is identical, and credit the author.
  • Paraphrasing shows your understanding and writing in your own words, which can impress your professor more than quoting.

Tools That You Can Use To Check Whether Your Content Is Plagiarism-Free Or Not

  • Turnitin
  • Grammarly
  • Duplichecker
  • Pro Writing Aid
  • Plagiarisma.net
  • Small SEO tools
  • Copyscape

Is Plagiarism A Crime?

Plagiarism is unethical, not a crime, but can be punishable based on the extent and nature of the plagiarism. The UGC applies a penalty system for students and teachers depending on how much they have plagiarized.

  • Level 1 –  10% – there is no penalty at this level
  • Level2 10% to 40% – in this the student is required to resubmit the manuscript or thesis and the faculty is forced to withdraw the plagiarized paper
  • Level 3 40% to 60% – the student will be suspended for a year and there would be cut off one year in the raise of the faculty member and they will not be able to publish their paper or work for a minimum2 of years and they cannot supervise students for 2 years
  • Level 4 60% or more – they will be removed from the course and their registration will be canceled and for the faculty, there would be cut for 2 years in the raise of the faculty member and they will not be able to publish their paper or work for minimum 3 years and they will not be able to supervise student for almost 3 years

We hope by using these methods and techniques you will be able to write a plagiarism-free paper and remember original content is always the key to success. And at Academic Guru, we provide full guidance to you, whether it’s thesis writing or plagiarism checking. It’s a one-stop solution for all your worries regarding Types of Plagiarism.

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