Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism
Searching Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism?
Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism Is Here!
Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism
Learn more about Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism
Looking for Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism?
Top results. Find Are You Plagiarizing By Accident? Learn How to Check for Plagiarism Here! Click Here!
AUTO ACCIDENT? GET FAIR COMPENSATION!
There Could Be An Accident Waiting To Happen In Your Future. Hopefully Not, But Get The Facts Before It Happens! Get FREE Insight Now!
The internet has provided an unprecedented medium for distributing the written word. It has also provided and unprecedented medium for copying the written word. Online plagiarism is rampant and many authors using plagiarism detectors to ensure that no one is copying their work. Some authors use plagiarism checkers for another purpose: to make sure they aren't accidentally copying other people's work.
Accidental Plagiarism
Even the most reputable authors can "steal" other people's work without realizing it. This commonly happens in two ways.
Often writers are creating secondary resources, using articles written by other authors as research sources. They take notes from these sources then turn those notes into prose. In the process they may inadvertently use the same wording as the original author. A particularly well-written passage may stick in our minds and without realizing it we are recreating someone else's writing rather than coming up with original thoughts.
The other case is rarer but still happens often enough to be a concern and that is the "great minds think alike" problem, less flatteringly known as the "monkeys on typewriters" problem. It is possible for two authors who have never met to write virtually the same piece. This may be because they use the same sources, particularly if writing on a subject where source are rare, or simply wild coincidence.
The Legal Ramifications of Accidental Plagiarism
Regardless of the lack of intent, if you publish a copy of someone else's work you have created a serious problem. Plagiarism isn't simply unprofessional; it's illegal. You can be subject to substantial fines or even criminal prosecution. Although accidental plagiarism is rare, a quick run through a plagiarism detector can save a writer a world of trouble.
You may be thinking that there is no chance of creating an exact duplicate of someone else's work by accident, but you don't need to do so to be subject to penalties. Actual plagiarists use sophisticated techniques such as modifying sentence structure or using synonyms to create a nearly exact copy that they hope will fool plagiarism detectors. If you manage to create a document or even part of a document that is suspiciously close to someone else's work, you may be subject to legal action even if it was a mistake.
Plagiarism Checking Software Is Cheap Insurance
Modern plagiarism detector programs use advanced algorithms to search millions of online and offline documents against what you have written. If it finds a match, you can review the source and see if you need to change your document for your own protection.
In today's litigious world, "I didn't mean to" is not a defense that will stand up in court. Accidental infractions of the law are prosecuted just as vigorously as deliberate criminal acts. The cost of a plagiarism detector is less than a single fine for accidental plagiarism.
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on a Plagiarism
Detector, visit http://www.checkforplagiarism.net/.