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How to Avoid Plagiarism | Tips on Citing Sources

Published on October 10, 2021 by Tegan George . Revised on November 21, 2023.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas without properly crediting the original author. Sometimes plagiarism involves deliberately stealing someone’s work, but more often it happens accidentally, through carelessness or forgetfulness.When you write an academic paper, you build upon the work of others and use various credible sources for information and evidence. To avoid plagiarism, you need to correctly incorporate these sources into your text.

You can avoid plagiarism by :

• Keeping track of the sources you consult in your research
• Paraphrasing or quoting from your sources (by using a paraphrasing tool and adding your own ideas)
• Crediting the original author in an in-text citation and in your reference list
• Using a plagiarism checker before you submit
• Use generative AI tools responsibly (outputs may be detected by an   AI detector )

Even accidental plagiarism can have serious consequences , so take care with how you integrate sources into your writing.

Table of contents

Keeping track of your sources, avoiding plagiarism when quoting, avoiding plagiarism when paraphrasing, citing your sources correctly, using a plagiarism checker, using ai tools responsibly, checklist: plagiarism prevention, free lecture slides, frequently asked questions.

One of the most common ways that students commit plagiarism is by simply forgetting where an idea came from and unintentionally presenting it as their own. You can easily avoid this pitfall by keeping your notes organized and compiling a list of citations as you go.

Clearly label which thoughts are yours and which aren’t in your notes, highlight statements that need citations, and carefully mark any text copied directly from a source with quotation marks.

In the example below, red indicates a claim that requires a source, blue indicates information paraphrased or summarized from a source, and green indicates a direct quotation.

Notes for my paper on global warming

• Greenhouse gas emissions trap heat and raise global temperatures [cite details]
• Causes more severe weather: hurricanes, fires, water scarcity [cite examples]
• Animal habitats across the world are under threat from climate change [cite examples]
• Just this year, 23 species have been declared extinct (BBC News 2021)
• “Animals are changing shape… some are growing bigger wings, some are sprouting longer ears and others are growing larger bills” in order to cool off (Zeldovich 2021)

Managing sources with the Scribbr Citation Generator

To make your life easier later, make sure to write down the full details of every source you consult. That includes not only books and journal articles, but also things like websites, magazine articles, and videos. This makes it easy to go back and check where you found a phrase, fact, or idea that you want to use in your paper.

Scribbr’s Citation Generator allows you to start building and managing your reference list as you go, saving time later. When you’re ready to submit, simply download your reference list!

Generate accurate citations with Scribbr

Prevent plagiarism. run a free check..

Quoting means copying a piece of text word for word. The copied text must be introduced in your own words, enclosed in quotation marks , and correctly attributed to the original author.

In general, quote sparingly. Quotes are appropriate when:

• You’re using an exact definition, introduced by the original author
• It is impossible for you to rephrase the original text without losing its meaning
• You’re analyzing the use of language in the original text
• You want to maintain the authority and style of the author’s words

Long quotations should be formatted as block quotes . But for longer blocks of text, it’s usually better to paraphrase instead.

Paraphrasing means using your own words to explain something from a source.

Paraphrasing does not mean just switching out a few words from a copy-pasted text. To paraphrase properly, you should rewrite the author’s point in your own words to show that you have fully understood it.

Every time you quote or paraphrase, you must include an in-text or footnote citation clearly identifying the original author. Each citation must correspond to a full reference in the reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper.

This acknowledges the source of your information, avoiding plagiarism, and it helps your readers locate the source for themselves if they would like to learn more.

There are many different citation styles, each with its own rules. A few common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago . Your instructor may assign a particular style for you to use, or you may be able to choose. The most important thing is to apply one style consistently throughout the text.

The examples below follow APA Style.

Citing a single source

Citing multiple sources.

If you quote multiple sources in one sentence, make sure to cite them separately so that it’s clear which material came from which source.

To create correctly formatted source citations, you can use our free Citation Generator.

APA Citation Generator MLA Citation Generator

And if you’re citing in APA Style, consider using Scribbr’s Citation Checker , a unique tool that scans your citations for errors. It can detect inconsistencies between your in-text citations and your reference list, as well as making sure your citations are flawlessly formatted.

Most universities use plagiarism checkers like Turnitin to detect potential plagiarism. Here’s how plagiarism checkers work : they scan your document, compare it to a database of webpages and publications, and highlight passages that appear similar to other texts.

Consider using a plagiarism checker yourself before submitting your paper. This allows you to identify issues that could constitute accidental plagiarism, such as:

• Forgotten or misplaced citations
• Missing quotation marks
• Paraphrased material that’s too similar to the original text

Then you can easily fix any instances of potential plagiarism.

There are differences in accuracy and safety between plagiarism checkers. To help students choose, we conducted extensive research comparing the best plagiarism checkers .

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be helpful at different stages of the writing and research process. However, these tools can also be used to plagiarize in various ways (whether intentionally or unintentionally). When using these tools, it’s important to avoid the following:

• AI-assisted plagiarism:   Passing off AI-generated text as your own work (e.g., research papers, homework assignments)
• Plagiarism :   Using the tool to paraphrase content from another source and passing it off as original work
• Self-plagiarism :   Using the tool to rewrite a paper you previously submitted

It’s important to use AI tools responsibly and to be aware that AI-generated outputs may be detected by your university’s AI detector .

When using someone else’s exact words, I have properly formatted them as a quote .

When using someone else’s ideas, I have properly paraphrased , expressing the idea completely in my own words.

I have included an in-text citation every time I use words, ideas, or information from a source.

Every source I cited is included in my reference list or bibliography .

I have consistently followed the rules of my required citation style .

I have not committed self-plagiarism by reusing any part of a previous paper.

I have used a reliable plagiarism checker as a final check.

Your document should be free from plagiarism!

Are you a teacher or professor who would like to educate your students about plagiarism? You can download our free lecture slides, available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

Accidental plagiarism is one of the most common examples of plagiarism . Perhaps you forgot to cite a source, or paraphrased something a bit too closely. Maybe you can’t remember where you got an idea from, and aren’t totally sure if it’s original or not.

These all count as plagiarism, even though you didn’t do it on purpose. When in doubt, make sure you’re citing your sources . Also consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

To avoid plagiarism when summarizing an article or other source, follow these two rules:

• Write the summary entirely in your own words by paraphrasing the author’s ideas.
• Cite the source with an in-text citation and a full reference so your reader can easily find the original text.

Plagiarism can be detected by your professor or readers if the tone, formatting, or style of your text is different in different parts of your paper, or if they’re familiar with the plagiarized source.

Many universities also use plagiarism detection software like Turnitin’s, which compares your text to a large database of other sources, flagging any similarities that come up.

It can be easier than you think to commit plagiarism by accident. Consider using a plagiarism checker prior to submitting your paper to ensure you haven’t missed any citations.

Some examples of plagiarism include:

• Copying and pasting a Wikipedia article into the body of an assignment
• Quoting a source without including a citation
• Not paraphrasing a source properly, such as maintaining wording too close to the original
• Forgetting to cite the source of an idea

The most surefire way to avoid plagiarism is to always cite your sources . When in doubt, cite!

If you’re concerned about plagiarism, consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission. Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, November 21). How to Avoid Plagiarism | Tips on Citing Sources. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/how-to-avoid-plagiarism/

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Did you know that almost all universities and colleges prepare a plagiarism assessment of the bachelor- and master thesis? Stay away from bad surprises! Use our plagiarism checker to scan your thesis before you hand it in with the same software , that many Universities, Colleges and High Schools use as well!

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1. Upload your work - in all common formats

You can upload your work directly on the PlagAware homepage. We support all common file formats like Microsoft Office, Open Office, Adobe PDF or simple text files.

You do not have to prepare your paper specifically for the plagiarism checker. If you want, you can convert your file into a text file before uploading it, so that the file is smaller and uploading is faster.

Immediately after uploading, we read out the text content and delete the original file from our server. The pure text is deleted after the check has been carried out - automatically and in its entirety.

2. Choose your ScanCredit package and start the search engine

After the analysis of the file you will be shown which ScanCredits package is suitable for the check of your work. Unused ScanCredits are retained for future checks .

Your work is now being compared in the background with over 70 billion online sources in all languages . For maximum accuracy and security, each sentence is examined individually. This means that even rewritten and changed text passages can be reliably detected.

3. Check the identified sources and revise your work

After the plagiarism checker has completed its work, you will receive an e-mail from us with the result report in PDF format. In the report, all identified sources are marked in colour, one click will take you directly to the identified source.

But with PlagAware you do not only get a PDF test report! Rather, you can analyse your report interactively, e.g. compare your text and the source, mark detected sources as correctly cited or exclude them from the check completely.

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Frequently asked questions about plagaware plagiarism checker.

Many universities and numerous schools routinely use the PlagAware plagiarism checker for the submitted bachelor thesis, master thesis or seminar paper. Many of these universities and schools are customers of PlagAware. You should therefore be very sure that you have correctly identified all the sources you have used in your work. Otherwise it can happen that this mistake is interpreted as an attempt of deception - with all the consequences, up to the denial of the respective degree. With the PlagAware Plagiarism Checker you can be sure that you won't have any unpleasant surprises , and therefore you can submit your work with the good feeling of having indicated all sources.

No. Your university will not find out about the check at PlagAware. In contrast to many other providers, the works are not fed into a paper pool, but are automated and completely deleted as soon as the evaluation of the plagiarism checker is completed. The reuslt report is displayed only to you alone; if desired, the check can also be carried out completely anonymously. We only need a valid e-mail address to which we can send the results of the check.

As a rule, you can upload your work without preparing it specifically for the Plagiarism Checker. Nevertheless, there are some tips which can make working with PlagAware easier:

• check_circle PlagAware ignores all pictures and graphics in the bachelor thesis. If you want, you can therefore upload a version without pictures, which makes the upload faster. The result of the check will not change.
• check_circle PlagAware supports all common file formats. Nevertheless it can sometimes happen that a special file is not readable. In this case you can save your work as a "text-only file (*.txt)" and upload this file. This also reduces the file size again.
• check_circle Perhaps your work contains tables or directories of which you are sure that no plagiarism can be present. In this case you can delete these parts before uploading them to save ScanCredits. However, you should not delete the bibliography, because often bibliographies are copied from other works and will be checked by your university. Furthermore, PlagAware uses the bibliography for checks to mark correctly indicated sources.
• question_answer Are my data and my work safe with PlagAware? Yes, because the protection of your work and your data has the highest priority here at PlagAware. Therefore, the Plagiarism Check is carried out according to the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). All servers of PlagAware are located in data centres in Germany, so that your data never leaves the EU. All uploaded documents will be deleted from our servers completely, immediately after the text has been read out. As soon as the check has been completed and you have finished the evaluation, you can completely remove all data, texts and evaluations from our systems with just one click. An automated deletion after a freely selectable period of time is also possible. In contrast to other providers, your work is never stored in a database, which is used for plagiarism search by other users.
• question_answer What exactly do I receive when I order the plagiarism check? After the check of your paper has been completed, you will receive an e-mail from us with the report in Adobe PDF as well as detailed instructions on how to interpret and draw conclusions from it. With your password you can also login to the user area of PlagAware, where you can interactively evaluate your assessment. Here you can e.g. display sources side by side with your work or mark correctly quoted sources as such. Best of all, you can change your work as often as you like and review it as often as you like without having to buy ScanCredits again. Here you can find more details about Version check of your work .
• question_answer How long does the process for my Bachelor thesis take? The plagiarism check of your bachelor thesis is carried out completely online, automated and without manual interaction. Therefore, it usually takes less than 10 minutes until you receive the result report via e-mail. In individual cases, the assessment may take a few hours if your thesis is very complex, if there is a high demand or if many users want to conduct the assessment simultaneously. In general however, you can count on the rule of thumb: 1 minute per 10 pages of plagiarism check.
• question_answer For how long are my purchased ScanCredits usable? Your purchased ScanCredits are usable indefinitely and can be used for the plagiarism checker in the future. This also means that you can carry out scans of individual parts of your work - even while you are writing the paper. The costs for the checks are billed on a page basis . In contrast to many other providers you do not have to buy a new scan if your account still has enough ScanCredits.
• question_answer Which texts does the PlagAware plagiarism checker take into account? The scan covers all texts freely available on the Internet, currently more than 70 billion sources. Often sources are found that are usually hidden behind payment barriers, provided that free copies or summaries of these texts have been indexed by search engines such as Google or Bing. If you have cited paid journals or books in your work, even these articles are often listed correctly as sources of your work, though maybe at a different address. To make sure that all paid texts are listed completely and with the expected address, you can deposit these texts in your private library. This way you ensure that the Plagiarism Checker is also considering these paid texts.
• question_answer Who is using PlagAware? The PlagAware Duplicate Content Finder has been used for over 10 years by more than 40.000 active users from more than 300 schools, universities and companies. In this process PlagAware checks on average more than 1000 documents - day by day! PlagAware is therefore one of the most used systems for Plagiarism Checks of scientific works.

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