How to avoid plagiarism in academic writing

Smart Student

25 Sept 202108:46

Summary

TLDRIn this video, the speaker discusses common mistakes people make when it comes to plagiarism and how to avoid them. These include not paraphrasing correctly, using a thesaurus to change just a few words, and altering the original meaning of a source. The speaker then offers actionable strategies to avoid plagiarism, such as improving understanding of the topic, keeping track of sources, citing as you write, and using plagiarism checkers. The video emphasizes the importance of proper citation and understanding to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Takeaways

🎓 Understand common plagiarism mistakes, including incorrect paraphrasing even with citations.
📖 Avoid only reading a small section of text when paraphrasing; increase your understanding of the entire topic.
📝 Don't just change a few words using a thesaurus to avoid plagiarism; the whole sentence structure must be altered.
⚠️ Changing the original meaning of a source to fit your needs is also considered plagiarism.
🧠 Improving your understanding of the material helps you paraphrase effectively and avoid plagiarism.
📚 Keep track of your sources while researching to avoid misattributing citations and committing plagiarism.
✍️ Use the 'cite as you write' method to integrate citations as you draft your paper, saving time later.
🧰 Using plagiarism checkers can help ensure your paper's originality, keeping the plagiarism score low.
🔍 Aim for a plagiarism score in the single digits to avoid penalties from professors or grading systems.
👍 Use YouTube's features to support content creators, like the 'thanks' button, for feedback and suggestions.

Q & A

What is the most common mistake students make when paraphrasing?
-The most common mistake is not paraphrasing correctly but including an in-text citation, which students think will protect them from plagiarism.
Why is paraphrasing incorrectly a problem even if a citation is included?
-If the paraphrasing is not done correctly, even with a citation, the material can still be considered plagiarized because the text hasn’t been sufficiently rewritten or transformed into the student’s own words.
What mistake do students make when they only read a small portion of a source?
-Students sometimes only read the immediate passage they want to paraphrase without understanding the broader context, which leads to poor paraphrasing because they don't fully grasp the subject.
Why is using a thesaurus to change a few words not enough to avoid plagiarism?
-Using a thesaurus to just change a few words doesn’t alter the structure or meaning of the sentence enough, so it’s still considered plagiarism as the material remains too close to the original.
What happens if a student changes the original meaning of a source while paraphrasing?
-Changing the original meaning of a source is also a mistake. Even though you're paraphrasing, you cannot modify the essence or the message of the original content, as this could lead to misrepresentation of information.
What is the key to paraphrasing correctly, according to the speaker?
-The key to paraphrasing correctly is to fully understand the topic before attempting to paraphrase it. If a student struggles, it’s often because they don't grasp the subject well enough.
What strategy does the speaker recommend to avoid unintentional plagiarism?
-The speaker recommends keeping track of your sources as you research, which ensures you cite correctly later and don’t mix up which information came from which source.
What does 'cite as you write' mean, and why is it useful?
-'Cite as you write' means adding citations as you are writing your paper, instead of waiting until the end. This method helps save time and reduces the chances of plagiarism.
How does the speaker suggest using plagiarism checkers?
-The speaker suggests using plagiarism checkers to see if your work scores too high on the plagiarism scale. Keeping the score in single digits is recommended to avoid problems.
What plagiarism score should you aim for on a plagiarism checker?
-You should aim to keep your plagiarism score in the single digits (below 10%). If your score is 10% or higher, you need to revise your work to reduce instances of plagiarism.

Outlines

00:00

🎉 Welcome to Paraphrasing and Avoiding Plagiarism!

The speaker greets the audience with excitement, introducing a new video series about paraphrasing. They recap a previous lesson on the six types of plagiarism and transition into discussing common plagiarism mistakes. The speaker teases some tips and strategies to help avoid plagiarism and humorously struggles to remember how many they’ll provide, promising to cover it all in the video.

05:01

⚠️ Common Mistake 1: Incorrect Paraphrasing with Citations

The first major mistake students make is thinking that simply including an in-text citation while failing to paraphrase properly protects them from plagiarism. The speaker emphasizes that improper paraphrasing, even with a citation, still counts as plagiarism.

📚 Common Mistake 2: Narrow Understanding of the Material

In the second mistake, the speaker explains that students often paraphrase a small portion of the text they read, like a single definition, without fully understanding the broader context. This leads to weak paraphrasing. The speaker stresses the importance of deepening one's understanding of the topic to improve paraphrasing.

🔄 Common Mistake 3: Thesaurus-Only Paraphrasing

The speaker describes how using a thesaurus to change just a few words in a sentence does not count as paraphrasing and is still considered plagiarism. They advise students to reword the entire sentence rather than just swapping a few synonyms.

🚫 Common Mistake 4: Changing the Source’s Meaning

In this mistake, students change the meaning of a source’s content to better fit their own paper, which the speaker warns against. Altering information like data or demographics to suit one’s needs misrepresents the original source, leading to plagiarism.

🔍 Key Strategy 1: Paraphrasing or Quoting Correctly

The speaker reiterates that proper paraphrasing or directly quoting a source is the most important way to avoid plagiarism. They highlight that fully understanding the material being paraphrased is essential to expressing ideas accurately in one's own words.

📝 Key Strategy 2: Track Your Sources

The speaker advises students to keep track of their sources while researching. Misattributing sources is still considered plagiarism, whether intentional or not, so it’s important to note where every piece of information comes from.

✍️ Key Strategy 3: Cite as You Write

The speaker shares a personal strategy: citing sources immediately while writing. They recommend writing and researching simultaneously, adding citations as they go to avoid confusion later and save time during the final edits.

🧪 Key Strategy 4: Use a Plagiarism Checker

To ensure that plagiarism is avoided, the speaker suggests using plagiarism checkers to scan papers before submission. They mention that professors use the same tools and that maintaining a low plagiarism score, ideally in the single digits, is a good practice to follow.

👍 Conclusion and YouTube Features

The speaker summarizes the video by encouraging the use of plagiarism checkers as students learn how to paraphrase effectively. They also introduce a YouTube feature called 'YouTube Thanks' to support content creators and remind viewers to subscribe to the channel for more educational content.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is the act of rewriting a text in your own words while preserving the original meaning. In the video, paraphrasing is highlighted as a key method to avoid plagiarism, but it must be done correctly. Incorrect paraphrasing, even with proper citation, can still be considered plagiarism if the original structure or meaning of the source material is retained too closely.

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to the act of using someone else's work or ideas without giving proper credit, thus presenting them as your own. The video focuses on various forms of plagiarism, both intentional and unintentional, and emphasizes the consequences of failing to avoid it, such as misusing sources or improperly paraphrasing.

💡In-text citation

An in-text citation is a brief reference within the body of a paper that indicates the source of information or ideas. The video stresses that simply including an in-text citation is not enough to avoid plagiarism if the paraphrasing itself is incorrect or too similar to the original source.

💡Thesaurus misuse

Thesaurus misuse occurs when someone attempts to avoid plagiarism by only changing a few words in the original text using synonyms from a thesaurus. The video warns that this approach is insufficient because it fails to change the structure or meaning of the text and is still considered plagiarism.

💡Source integrity

Source integrity refers to maintaining the original meaning of a source when paraphrasing or quoting it. The video highlights how altering the meaning of a source to fit the needs of your paper is a common mistake and constitutes a form of plagiarism, even if unintentional.

💡Understanding the material

Understanding the material is crucial for successful paraphrasing. The video advises that students must fully comprehend the content they are paraphrasing to accurately and effectively restate it in their own words. Failing to do so often leads to plagiarism due to the inability to express ideas correctly.

💡Plagiarism checker

A plagiarism checker is a tool that scans a piece of writing for potential instances of plagiarism by comparing it against a large database of sources. The video suggests using such software to ensure that a student's work is sufficiently original before submitting it, and to keep the plagiarism score in single digits.

💡Citation tracking

Citation tracking involves keeping an organized record of all the sources used during research. The video recommends this strategy to avoid accidental plagiarism, as misattributing or forgetting sources can lead to improper citations.

💡Cite as you write

The 'cite as you write' method involves integrating citations into a paper as the research is being written, instead of waiting until the end. The video promotes this approach as a way to avoid losing track of sources or misattributing information, which can lead to plagiarism.

💡Accidental plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism happens when a person unintentionally plagiarizes by misquoting, improper paraphrasing, or failing to properly cite a source. The video underscores the fact that accidental plagiarism is still punishable and encourages students to take precautions like using plagiarism checkers and tracking their sources.

Highlights

Introduction to common plagiarism mistakes and how to avoid them.

First mistake: Not paraphrasing correctly despite including an in-text citation.

Second mistake: Paraphrasing from a single passage without understanding the broader context.

Importance of reading around the topic to improve understanding for better paraphrasing.

Third mistake: Using a thesaurus to change just a few words without rewriting the sentence fully.

Changing the meaning of the source material is still considered plagiarism.

Tip: Always improve your understanding of a topic to paraphrase it effectively.

Paraphrasing and direct quoting correctly is the most reliable way to avoid plagiarism.

Keep track of your sources to avoid incorrect citations, which can still lead to plagiarism.

Personal tip: Cite as you write to ensure proper referencing as you develop your paper.

Using a plagiarism checker to ensure your paper has a low plagiarism score before submission.

Keep plagiarism scores in single digits to avoid being marked off by professors.

Final advice: Consistently use plagiarism checkers while paraphrasing to refine your work.

Reiterating that both intentional and unintentional plagiarism have the same consequences.

Encouragement to use YouTube’s new 'thanks' feature to support content creators.