Why is it essential to use plagiarism checkers for journals?
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s work as one’s own without giving due credit to the original author. It is considered illegal and is a breach of academic integrity.
It can have severe consequences on the student’s academic journey or even in a prospective future career. The results can range from the rejection of research papers to the cancellation of projects to even legal actions being taken against the person.
What is plagiarism in journals?
This is especially true for research journals mainly because it focuses on novel research methods. A plagiarism issue will be a significant hit on its reputation. One of the main priorities for research journals is publishing original, factual, and written work by the scientists working and actively pursuing research in that field.
When the articles of the research journals are referred to for their research findings or other use the journal as a basis for their study, they rely on the work’s authenticity and novelty and tale the citations very seriously.
Hence any research journal attaches an immense value to original work. Any plagiarized content or duplicate content published will cause the journal’s quality and credibility to be considered.
The most common form of plagiarism in research journals is self-plagiarism. One submits someone’s own previously written report without citation. Another common form of plagiarism is paraphrasing.
Another person’s work is modified by a few words while keeping the original framework intact and submitted without citations. This leads to wrong citations by others who refer to this research, leading to a loss of academic integrity.
How does it affect grades?
Plagiarism can wreak havoc on the reputation of any institution. Thus every institution takes plagiarism detection very seriously. From failing classes to a reduction in grades, students are penalized by varying amounts for plagiarizing. They can even get expelled.
Sometimes a notation is posted on the transcript with “Convicted of Plagiarism,” written that remains in place for a specific time after the incident.
In extreme cases, students may face civil penalties for plagiarism if they copy significant public work portions, as this counts as copyright infringement. Also, other legal actions can be taken against students that can destroy future career prospects for them. Thus plagiarism is exceptionally harmful to students.
Not only does the academic integrity of the institution and community come into question, but plagiarism also limits the critical thinking and research involved in developing an original paper or report. This negatively impacts the overall academic growth of a graduate student.
How can students avoid plagiarism in journals and research papers?
- Paraphrase
After collecting information relevant to the research papers, one should make a habit of writing in their own words. Copying verbatim is plagiarism if more than two words in a row from the main text are there without citation.
If more than two words are used together, make sure to use quotation marks. However, writing something in one’s way is always useful as it expresses the student’s knowledge of the subject and the depth of research.
- Cite sources
Citing is a must when referring to journals and articles. It is an effective way to avoid plagiarism. Every educational institution or research institution that conducts research has a specified format that they follow for citing articles.
One should stick to that format if some of the material used for the research paper were written by the same person previously that has to be cited. This would ensure that self-plagiarism is not taking place.
- Quoting
It is always a good practice to use a quote precisely the way it appears. That way, a point can be emphasized upon. This ensures no accusations of plagiarism can come up.
- Citing Quotes
Page numbers or paragraph numbers from where the quote was taken and the book, author, and publisher should be mentioned for every quote.
- Referencing –
One of the most common ways to avoid plagiarism is including a reference page or bibliography at the end of any research paper. This must meet the document formatting guidelines used by the concerned educational institution.
- Use a plagiarism checker:
One of the most effective ways to counter plagiarism is to use a plagiarism checker. It can be used to compare multiple files online. The most common types of plagiarism easily detected are by plagiarism checkers are direct plagiarism and self-plagiarism (if the work has been published elsewhere).
However, the plagiarism checker for journals and online plagiarism checkers use complex algorithms with which other kinds of plagiarism can also be detected to a certain extent. This restores the authenticity of the student’s work.
