A Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism

A Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious offense that can lead to expulsion from college. This is because plagiarism is a fraudulent act wherein the offender tries to pass off another person’s ideas and words as his or her own. It is important to avoid plagiarism at all costs, to avoid the repercussions of the act and to maintain your academic honesty. Here are some tips on how to avoid plagiarism:

Know your enemy

The first step to avoiding plagiarism is to know what plagiarism is and why people do it. As mentioned above, plagiarism has to do with stealing one’s intellectual property. There are basically two types of plagiarism: intentional and unintentional. Intentional plagiarism is self-explanatory; many academicians see this as type as an unpardonable offense. Unintentional plagiarism occurs when citations are not done properly. Research well on plagiarism and you are already on your way to avoiding it.

Know the rules

Next, you have to understand the rules for citation, your assignment, and writing in general. Avoiding plagiarism, writing effectively, and making citations properly will all require you to know the rules. Begin with your assignment. Understand what your teacher is asking from you by asking questions, asking for guidelines, and taking notes of specific rules the teacher may have (especially those on format and citation). Next, do some research on how to make proper citations throughout your paper. Consider what sections need citations, when citations are needed, where to put them, and how to enter them properly.

Know why you should follow the rules

It is hard to follow the rules if you are not sure why they are there in the first place. Rules against plagiarism are not only meant to protect the author’s whose words and thoughts have aided academic and intellectual progress. The rules are also there to help you arrive at new knowledge, to help you express your own ideas and feelings, and to help you become a more effective writer. Challenge yourself to go beyond the confines of what has already been said and thought. Not only will you avoid plagiarism in doing so, but you may even become a quotable source yourself.

Photo Credit : Digirebelle

Welcome to the Examples of Personal Statements Blog

Welcome to our WordPress blog.  We’d like to give you a quick introduction of what we seek to accomplish with this blog and what to expect from this site in the future.

Examples of Personal Statements Blog offers the following free essays:

sample personal statement essays for college and university admissions.
Example personal statement essays for law school applicants.
Sample MBA program application essays
Sample Graduate school statement of purpose
Example AMCAS essays and medical school admissions essays

We also feature application essay writing tips that aim to help you write high quality compelling personal statement essays based on your biographical information and experiences.  Other article topics include admission tips, financial aid, and other admissions-related topics.

Please support our Blog by sharing the link with your friends, posting our link on your blog or MySpace/Facebook profile.

Thank you

The Examples of Personal Statements blog Team