Plagiarism simply means copying the ideas, thoughts, and content of others and presenting them as your own. As per writing norms, whenever a writer uses the work of his fellows or predecessors, he is bound to give them their credit. If he doesn’t, that is considered an act of deceiving.
With the number of internet users reaching 4.63 billion, the consumption of online content has reached an unprecedented height. I mean, no other technology or product has ever been used at such a large scale in human history. The daily production of online data is roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes. Currently, the web is filled with data on every topic in the world.
Access to this data is just one click away. This prompts some writers to copy content from the internet, thinking that it would save them from the trouble of rigorous research and writing. However, little do they realize that this ease is going to convert into an unbearable burden.
How to Fix Plagiarism-5 Simple ways to avoid duplicate content?
So far, we have explained the definition and consequences of plagiarism. But that isn’t enough, it is important to provide an alternate way to avoid duplicate content.
These are the 5 ways to avoid duplicate content.
1. Write to Express- Not Impress
First and the foremost way to bring out original content is to write your thoughts. Instead of memorizing certain areas and numbers, learn to research and formulate a point of view on a topic.
And how do you develop that? By reading quality materials. You should always depend upon primary source material to understand the topics. Quality reading gives you a perspective and depth that memorization can’t.
Once you have ample knowledge about your topic, it will be depicted in your written draft. And with that, you can find your original expression, which would make you stand out from others.
In the famous words of Allen Ginsberg:
“To gain your voice, you have to forget about having it heard”
2. Don’t Copy- Go for Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing means rewriting a draft in an alternate manner. The practice is among the most effective antidotes for plagiarism. The writers use it to express other people’s thoughts in their own words which provides validity to their argumentation.
For effective paraphrasing, a writer should possess a strong understanding of original content, and efficient linguistic and writing skills. Without this combination, the rewrite would only look like a 3rd-grade copy of the source document.
The easiest way to paraphrase is to use the sentence rephraser. These tools can act as an ultimate plagiarism fixer, bringing the percentage to 0%. The tools use advanced AI algorithms to understand and interpret the input. The technology allows them to not just rewrite but also improve the overall quality of content as well.
See the content below to understand how a paraphraser works:
This is how a quality online tool rewrites it.
“Commercial content can help restore your reputation and position on search engine pages by diluting negative content and creating a better and more accurate image of your company using white SEO techniques. We can work with social media channels, static websites, featured articles and videos to restore the trust and power of your company. Even if your online reputation is flawless, the process of increasing the popularity of business content will help you take advantage of these brilliant reviews. By introducing new opportunities for your brand, we use your customers ’positive feedback to create exciting content that gives them what they want.”
The highlighted words show the alterations which have been made to the original content. The above content is 100% unique, and undetectable by any plagiarism checker. You can use these tools to remove plagiarism from your content.
3. Cite Properly
If you are directly referring to research or data, make sure to add proper citations. It is only fair to give credit where it is due. The citations shouldn’t be treated as enemies, they give validity to your article.
Also at times, you are required to copy a complete quotation. You need to add proper referencing in that case as well. Proper citation through Citation Maker allows you to post exact words without having to worry about any copyright infringements or strikes.
Citations prove that you know contemporary literature and are eligible to talk on this subject. Writers should be familiar with APA, Harvard, and other referencing styles.
4. Choose Quality over quantity
To avoid plagiarism, you should always focus on writing thought-provoking content. Whenever a writer goes after achieving a certain word count, he is inclined to use online sources for help.
This not only increases plagiarism but also downgrades the overall quality. Such content is always repetitive, non-engaging, and redundant. Therefore, a writer should seek a quality of content over word count.
5. Don’t Rush for Submission- use a plagiarism checker
Being a writer, this is one thing that should be an integral part of your routine. Once you are done with writing your blog or article, make sure to verify the plagiarism percentage.
For that, you should use credible plagiarism checkers. These checkers can tell you the plagiarism percentage, and highlight the exact sentences and the sources from which they have been copied. After that, all you need is to rewrite these sentences to make your article 100% original.
Consequences of Plagiarism
Plagiarism isn’t just a morally flawed practice; it has consequences that go far beyond the moral realm. This section highlights the potential consequences that plagiarism entails.
- It damages your online reputation
- It reduces the organic traffic on your web page
- It lowers your website rankings
- If repeated multiple times, it can result in copyright strikes.
- In extreme cases, it can result in monetary loss or a lawsuit.
- The search engine can take down your website upon multiple copyright strikes
We hope the above reasons are sufficient to stop you from plagiarizing.
Final Words
Plagiarism isn’t any choice for writers. A writer shouldn’t even think of feeding on others’ fruit. It affects his credibility and writing skills. This article explains how a writer can avoid plagiarism by using 5 simple ways.
If applied in the right spirit, these ways would ensure that your content is always unique, and free from any duplication.
