Hints and Tips # 3: How to...Avoid Plagiarism.

The dreaded "P" word. None of us think we will do it but it is no simple matter to avoid it (a much as it might sound simple to just say "don't copy or buy work online!").

Plagiarism and with that, academic misconduct, can be both intentional and unintentional and indeed it is even possible to plagiarise yourself, (how many of you know that becaus I didn't, until recently!). But for all this, there are things that can be done to minimise the risk.

First of all there is planning. As much as planning work might seem to take away from actual writing time and it might seem preferable to put pen to paper and just bash out the work as quick as humanly possible, all academic work requires planning to some degree (there will be more on planning at a later date!). By planning your argument and within that, your individual points in terms of what they will contain and what evidence they will rely on, you are less likely to simply forget the citation or

reference when it comes to committing that final

edit to paper.

Secondly, reading. Now this is something of a double edged sword because while it might seem preferable to read as much and as widely as possible and therein see what had already been said in your specific subject area, there is a risk that you will unintentionally replicate something you have read simply because it is in your mind when you are writing. The way to overcome this then is again tied to planning and to noting down the reference as you find it so you can easily go back later and double check that you are not treading on someone else's academic toes!

Proofreading your work, (or have someone else proofread it) to see if you or they can spot any areas which sound suspicious or familiar. It might sound odd but it is possible to look at something and think "that doesn't sound like me", so you should be conscious of how you speak and write. From a marking perspective, an unfamiliar voice, stands out on a page. However, I do not recommend proof reading each others work while writing and by the same token, don't write work together in a group (actual groupwork excepted!), because if anything this is more likely to increase the risk of unintended plagiarism. You work together, you admire each others points, you read and re-read paragraphs and before you know it, their idea or words have slipped into your own. Proofread after you have written your work (I also think this is better for mental health!)

Finally self-plagiarism. This is where you replicate work that you have already submitted either within your institution or elsewhere and it is all too easily picked up by plagiarism detection software. For this reason, it is recommended to either stay away from questions which you recognise or think "oh I've written on that before!" and do something new (be different, step outside your comfort zone!). Also, keep all your old drafts and submissions, just in case you do need to check back on what you said once upon a time!

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