Is it Plagiarism if you Cite? Incorrect or Paraphrase yourself

A good essay writer should cite the work well to avoid committing plagiarism. In addition, citing your sources well helps the audience to locate sources easily. Citing also gives credit to the author to indicate that your research was authentic.

One should cite your work properly, it remains plagiarism-free. This article explains why citing your sources well will not lead to plagiarism.

Is it Plagiarism if you Cite?

It is not plagiarism if you cite the source of the information well because that gives credit to the original author. However, it will be considered plagiarism if you cite the source wrongly or you provide inaccurate citations like page numbers and authors.

To avoid any issue of technical plagiarism, cite your sources well using the right referencing style.

Citing or referencing can only be plagiarism if you cite wrongly. That implies failing to stick to the guidelines as per the given citation styles such as MLA or APA.

Moreover, if you paraphrase without crediting the original author, it amounts to plagiarism. One should remain careful while citing sources in the essay to make your research credible. 

For instance, when you copy someone’s idea and fail to give credit, we term it as plagiarism.

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Instances when it is Plagiarism Even if you cite

1. Copied

When you copy a particular verbatim word to word without citing well, then it indicates that you plagiarized. Suppose you copied it word by word, ensure that you put the whole information in the quotation marks.

Also, cite all the copied ideas lest you become guilty of plagiarism.

2. No Credit

Some authors fail to give credit to the original writers of the work that they cited which amounts to plagiarism. One should show off scholarship by icing the cake of a well-cited piece.

That shows that you did the proper research and establish the writer’s credibility. The purpose of giving credit to your cited work is to make it authentic.  

3. Poorly Cited/Referenced

Before you cite your work, ensure that you follow the rules of your citation styles whether is it the Chicago or Harvard.

Ensure that all the cited work remains in quotes. Otherwise, failure to do so means that there is no citation hence reflecting as plagiarism when subjected to an anti-plagiarism software such as SafeAssign.

4. Copied Exam

When you copy-paste the answer from the internet and use the same text in the exam, it amounts to plagiarism.

When the examiner checks your answers through any anti-plagiarism application and finds your answers to be suspicious, it can land you in various penalties according to the institution.

If you are stealing answers from the internet, the perfect way to escape plagiarism is by paraphrasing the text to make it unique.

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Is it Plagiarism if you cite

Citing is not plagiarism as you will be acknowledging that the cited work belongs to someone else. It only acts as a fact-checking tool to prove the accuracy of the given information.

Besides, citation makes your research to be better. The reader will know that you did the proper research and quoted your sources to back up your arguments in the essay question.

Also, good citation makes one a better writer since it eliminates the hallmarks of lazy thinking and vagueness.

Finally, citing is not plagiarism because it makes your work verifiable. One can track down your sources and prove if the facts given are accurate.

Instances when it is not Plagiarism if you cite

Well-Cited

Citing your work cannot be plagiarism if done correctly. One should liaise with the lecturer to know the type of style to use in any given assignment suppose the instructions are not clear.

One should be careful about citation practices to make your work credible. If you cite your sources well, even the anti-plagiarism software will not flag it off. It will interpret it as not your own hence your paper remains original.

Used the Point

When you are writing an essay, you can use a point from a different author to elaborate your arguments. To overcome plagiarism, you must cite accordingly. That is not stealing. You are only using someone’s point to elaborate what you want to say and make your arguments valid and credible

Backed up your argument

When you cite your source well, ensure that you back the information with strong facts.

When you are writing your essay, you intend to convince the reader to agree with your point.

The only way to make your research authentic is to cite your sources and articulate your arguments well to prove that you understand what you are talking about.

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How to Cite Your Sources Well

Citing should not land you in doubt or fail to make your paper credible. Students must know the right way to do it when showing off their scholarly skills.

When you use one’s ideas, it is better to cite such information to give credit to the original author. Some of the methods to use when citing are as follows:

1. Use Appropriate format

Different academic journals or institutions require a particular citation format. So, before writing, you should check their guidelines.

Suppose they did not specify a particular citation style, then you should settle for one and remain consistent throughout your paper.

Also, the right choice of format depends on your discipline and field. For example, if you are dealing with social sciences, the right one is APA. For humanities, go for MLA. Otherwise, other disciplines like engineering or medicine have specific styles to use. You can read their papers and determine which style to use.

2. Avoid Copy-Pasting

Copy-pasting is another aspect that you should avoid to make your work credible.

The right approach is to paraphrase the work before you cite it. That shows that you intend to ensure your work remains credible.

A paraphrased work will indicate some form of plagiarism. But, once you cite it well, it will not flag your content off as plagiarized.

Moreover, since you acknowledged the original author, it makes indicates that you performed good research that backed your points.

3. Use Current Sources

When you are citing, it is crucial to use current sources. You can get your information from the journals and past work that are available and traceable.

When the reader wants to seek some clarifications, it is easier to track those sources online and get additional details.

For that matter, it is credible to use the current sources which have updated information concerning your thesis.

4. Use Credible Sources

Not all sources are credible. Some information is not suitable for citing since they lack authority. Once you know the topic for your essay, you should research the information from credible sources which makes your research appear authentic.

Some sources may sound sensible but lack proper facts to use and build your arguments as you write your essays. The best practice is to use books and other journal papers for your research. When the lecturer sees that you cited from respected journals and authors, it makes your work appear credible.

5. Avoid Blogs

Many people are creating thousands of blogs daily. Unfortunately, not all the content that you will find in every blog is authentic. Some blogs only carry half-baked information making them unreliable for one to cite their work.

In addition, most of the blogs are shallow hence one should not use them when citing. They carry little information that one should avoid using when carrying out meaningful research that you can use to build your argument convincingly.

6. Use Citation Checkers

Lastly, you can use a citation checker to detect stylish errors or any inconsistencies in your work. If it finds a mistake, it will suggest a correction. One can use this citation checker as a fast way of formatting your document correctly.

You can also seek a citation editing service. One should locate an expert who should cross-check your reference and other in-text citations and ensure that you are on the correct track.