To put it in simple words, plagiarism refers to copying the works, words, and ideas of a different person by showing them as one’s own work or ideas. Plagiarism and its types are more commonly seen in academic writings like assignments, research papers, research documents, PhD theses, manuscript writings, and so on.
This article has been divided into two parts to make it easier for you to understand and get rid of plagiarism in an effective way.
Types of Plagiarism
Plagiarism in any form or type is an act of dishonesty and may lead to strict consequences for the scholar. However, it is important to know the type of plagiarism in order to avoid plagiarism.
Below are some common types of plagiarism which are often noted in scholarly works.
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Self-Plagiarism
One of the most neglected types of plagiarism is self-plagiarism. Self-plagiarism refers to plagiarism when the scholar ends up copying their own previous works as they don’t see it as stealing someone else’s ideas. It could be intentional or unintentional. However, it is considered harmful in both manners. Some universities may allow partial self-plagiarism (using the same data for different studies having different objectives and similar cases). Therefore, it is suggested to consult your guide in such a case.
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Accidental Plagiarism
Accidental plagiarism refers to plagiarism when the author or scholar forgets to cite the source, put quotation marks, or provide the credits to the original author. In any case, the plagiarism committed can severely impact the work submitted by the scholar and may lead to its rejection as well.
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Inaccurate Authorship
Inaccurate authorship can cause worse-case scenarios than just the submission rejection. It happens when an author is given credit even without being referenced or when an author has not been mentioned even after being referenced or being a part of the current research development. In any case, this becomes a case of betrayal and may invite resistance from the other authors’ side.
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Source-Based Plagiarism
This is another type of plagiarism that is caused by the author’s carelessness. In source-based plagiarism, there could be a few reasons leading to it. First, the sources mentioned are also reference links and not the actual cited work. Second, the sources mentioned are not rechecked and turn out to be non-existent. Third, the sources are fake or made up. Any of these reasons can impact the authenticity of the research document adversely.
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Mosaic Plagiarism
Also known as patchwork plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism can be easily spotted. In this type of plagiarism, the scholar picks phrases, sentences, and ideas of other authors or from other works as it is, puts them in different parts of their research, and does not provide credit to the original authors. It is an offensive form of plagiarism and can harm the image of the scholar.
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Paraphrasing Plagiarism
In this case, the scholars pick ideas, sentences, or phrases from other authors and paraphrase them in a way that they are not recognizable after mixing them with their own work. Even though it is not easy to catch such plagiarism, once caught it can lead to rejection as well as penalties as per the terms and policies of a university.
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Direct Plagiarism
Direct plagiarism can refer to plagiarism where an author picks the content (sentences, paragraphs, or ideas) from other works, and quotes them but does not provide the credits to the original author. There could be a change in a word or two to keep it different from the original work but the rest of the copied content can be easily spotted.
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Complete Plagiarism
Lastly, the most shameful type of plagiarism is Complete plagiarism. It included copying the entire work of some other author and submitting it as your own work. This is the most shameful and thus, can lead to the most severe consequences. Not just rejection of the research work, but also the admission application of the scholar may also get nulled by the university along with the charges.
Ways To Get Rid Of Plagiarism From Your Thesis
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After reading and understanding the different types of plagiarism, let me quickly provide you with some tips for how to get rid of plagiarism or avoid plagiarism in your academic writing from the start.
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Stick to all the used resources
Cite the resources side by side even if only one sentence or single idea has been included in the document. Also, remove the cited resource right away in case the quoted idea has been removed from the text. Do it for all the cited references.
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Quoting
If the ideas can be put in a sentence or phrases, then use quotation marks and put the reference citation. Do not consider rephrasing the one-line sentence in your own words and not mentioning the reference.
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Paraphrasing
In case you need to refer to a paragraph to support your idea or argument, then consider rephrasing it in your words and mixing it with your original idea to avoid direct plagiarism. However, mention the resource in the citations without forgetting.
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Mention Original Authors
Make sure the references you are mentioning are original resources and authors by double-checking the ideas and links. Avoid citing the reference link of the resources quoted in your research to avoid plagiarism in your thesis writing.
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Plagiarism Checking Tools
There are free as well as paid tools for plagiarism checks like Turnitin. These tools help in checking plagiarism in your document and highlighting the plagiarized part for you to remove plagiarism easily.
The above-mentioned points are the most effective hacks for how to get rid of plagiarism from your PhD thesis development as well as other academic writing documents.