All forms of writing – for educational purposes, in the framework of research activity, or as independent publications – have to be original. The essence of publishing or submitting something under one’s personal name involves assuming the responsibility for a personal contribution to the body of literature or research on some topic. However, alongside with teaching students to be original and speaking repeatedly about the harms and dangers of unethical, “stolen” writing, teachers rarely dedicate enough attention to teaching students about how to use sources properly to achieve the balance between plagiarism and unsubstantiated argument called “original writing.” This article prepared by experts of academicsavers.com explores the hidden aspects of plagiarism and ways of avoiding it to make any academic piece original and reputable.
Remember that Plagiarism is Deeply Unethical
The key to introducing the culture of original, non-plagiarized writing in all fields is the development of people’s awareness about the unethical nature of stealing others’ thoughts. Imagine that you have been laboring on some article for several months; the idea of that research emerged in your mind, you collected sources, interviewed people, traveled a long distance to verify your findings with some respondents, and spent many sleepless nights bringing that material to a coherent, academic form for publication. So that’s it, you get published! And one day, you see your study’s fragments in some other person’s work, without even a small credit given to your effort and contribution. Disastrous, isn’t it? The same may happen with people whose ideas you steal, even if you consider it a minor misdemeanor. Making any piece of writing is a lengthy and complicated process, so respect other people’s efforts the way you would like yours to be respected. Approaching the whole thing from this position will ensure much more ethical research and publication.
Keep in Mind that Plagiarism is Illegal
Besides conscientiousness of stealing other people’s ideas, every beginning thief should know that plagiarizing others’ ideas is also illegal. Based on the copyright laws protecting intellectual property, you may get into serious legal trouble because of plagiarism, and even face legal action from especially rigorous writers protecting the fruits of their writing labor. So think twice before using others’ evidence without reference – it may be a dangerous path to step on!
Avoiding Unintended Plagiarism
Surely, not every person in whose works plagiarism is found is a conscious violator of writing law and ethics; sometimes plagiarism occurs because of a lack of effective writing skills and paraphrasing talent. So if you see you have problems in writing, do not entrust your fate to chance – use comprehensive plagiarism checkers and ask peers to review your writing for plagiarism. In this way, you can guarantee ethical writing and absence of disciplinary action towards you in your educational establishment.