5 Proven Tips For Avoiding Plagiarism In Your Paper

by Joshua Dollar Assignment writer

Plagiarism is a serious offence that might sabotage your academic career and lead to expulsion from the academic institution. It is mandatory to cite your papers in APA, MLA, IEEE referencing or any other format (as specified in your university’s guidelines).

Here are some easy yet effective tips that will help you to avoid plagiarism in your document:

1. Start early

Give yourself enough time to check the paper carefully instead of rushing with the citation at the last moment. Acquaint yourself with the formats of Harvard, Chicago, APA Referencing , MLA and IEEE referencing and prepare the reference list.

2. Cite the sources

Cite all the primary and secondary sources that you have used to write your argument. The letters, music, films, diaries, federal documents, academic journals, online books, online articles, websites, class lectures as well as websites that do not have any distinguished identifiable author (eg, Wikipedia) must be given their due credit.

3. Be methodical

Make sure you note down the sources systematically. Keep an APA or IEEE referencing generator handy right from the initial stage of preparing the first draft itself. Keep in mind that preparing the bibliography must not be your final activity. It is the first step of composing the paper.

Do not wait to finish writing the paper, as you might miss something and be heavily penalised for the same.

4. Use quotes

Quote verbatim when you find a material that seems apt for your point of argument. Make sure to write it in the exact same way as it appeared in the paper you found it. This won’t affect your marks in any way even if you are directly copying the material in your paper. Just make sure you give the writer the due credit.

5. Know what to cite

“Cite It Before You Write It.” Take a quick look at the materials you should cite while composing an academic paper.

·         Words or ideas that are not your own but borrowed from another academician
·         Statistics derived by another author
·         Case studies
·         Direct quotes
·         Summarised and paraphrased articles
·         Films, videos, podcasts