Plagiarism is a serious academic offense that can have severe consequences for students. It is the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without giving them proper credit. Plagiarism can take many forms, from copying and pasting entire paragraphs to paraphrasing someone else’s work without attribution. In order to avoid plagiarism, there are several strategies that students can employ.

Firstly, students must understand what constitutes plagiarism. This includes not only copying and pasting text, but also using someone else’s ideas without proper citation. Even if the student has put the ideas into their own words, they still need to acknowledge the original source. This can be done through in-text citations, footnotes, a bibliography list or references.

Secondly, students should always take careful notes when conducting research. This will help them keep track of where their ideas are coming from and ensure that they don’t accidentally use someone else’s work without proper attribution. It is also important to be mindful of the source material and how it is being used. If the source material is being paraphrased, it is important to make sure that the original meaning of the text is not lost.

Thirdly, students should always use quotation marks when directly quoting someone else’s work. This will clearly indicate that the words being used are not their own and must be attributed to the original source. It is also important to ensure that the quotation is accurate and not taken out of context.

Fourthly, students can benefit from plagiarism detection tools, such as Turnitin and Ithenticate. These software programs can check written work for potential instances of plagiarism. These tools can help students identify areas where they may have inadvertently used someone else’s work without proper attribution, or use it to reduce the similarity percentage in their work.

Finally, students should always seek guidance from their teachers or academic advisors if they are unsure about how to avoid plagiarism. To gather some valuable advice and resources to help students ensure that their work is original and properly attributed.

In conclusion, plagiarism is a serious academic offense that can have severe consequences for students. To avoid plagiarism, students must understand what it is, do not copy others work, if you did write it in your own words and give proper citation, never reuse images and tables from others without citation, and finally be aware or available plagiarism detector tools and use them smartly. By employing the mentioned strategies, students can ensure that their work is original and properly attributed, and avoid plagiarism.

Written By; Rand Sahawneh and Tamara Al-Quraan