Some Tips to Stay Away from Plagiarism in Your Dissertation

Theft or stealing is a crime even if it is of someone’s content. When you borrow the idea of another author or use their original content in your dissertation without giving them credit, then it induces plagiarism in your work. While plagiarism can occur due to an intentional or unintentional attempt at copying an original work, it must be avoided at all costs. Here, we give you some of the most effective tips to stay away from plagiarism.

• Understand plagiarism: As prevention is always better than cure, make sure that you understand the concept and reasons for plagiarism occurring in your content. Consult your supervisor on it and ensure that you are creating an original piece of work.

• Organize your notes correctly: When you perform research, you refer to a variety of external sources of information. Ensure that you are noting down the correct sources in your notes and keeping your ideas separately from the ideas of other authors. Good planning to avoid plagiarism will help when you start writing your dissertation.

• Cite right: Whether you are using another author’s idea in its original form or paraphrased form, do not forget to give them its credit by making a proper citation and reference to their original work. For citations and references, use the professional style that has been suggested to be followed by your academic institution.

• Quote right: Using an idea in its original form is very important to be quoted in the right manner. Thus, you must use quotation marks around that original quote or idea and then cite the author. Avoid long quotes, usually those having more than 40 words.

• Clear your doubts: In situations where you are unsure of whether to make citations or not, it is best to be on the safe side by citing the source. You may also consult your supervisor regarding such doubts.

• Use plagiarism check tools: There are several free tools available online to check plagiarism removal services for your documents. When you are done with your dissertation, check it on a reliable tool. If you find any traces of plagiarism, keep a note of those sentences or sections and rewrite the plagiarized content in your own words.

Although the best way to avoid plagiarism in your dissertation is by writing content in your own words, you can still stay away from it by understanding plagiarism, citing your sources correctly in the required style, and detecting and removing any existing plagiarized content in your final document.