Avoid Plagiarism in College Writing
Anthony B. Smith Jr.
COLL 100
American Military University
Angela Matthews

In today’s culture, it is very difficult to be successful without having a solid foundation of education. Writing in general is and will always be a part of the college process. Some college students love it and mostly others hate it. For the students that find a lack of interest, they seem to discover loopholes or back doors, which in the end, leads to plagiarism. In order to seclude one from negative behavior, there are multiple techniques and concepts that can help students avoid plagiarism in college writing. To show exactly how to avoid plagiarism, one would have to understand what it is. Neville asserts that Plagiarism is intentionally done by students because they either choose not to acknowledge the works of others or they ignore their obligation to do so (2010). This definition can be understood in one basic way which is one not willing to put in the effort and cite references correctly. Plagiarism is taken very seriously, not just in college, but in society as a whole. One must be certain that they are giving credit where credit is due. Even though Neville’s definition mentioned an intentional decision, but plagiarism can also be unintentional also. This happens when sources aren’t cited correctly or quotations are in the wrong places. How may plagiarism appear in college writing? There are three main ways this can be done. Forms of plagiarism are: when a student uses words or ideas from a source without admitting it is not their own, taking words directly from the source without using proper quotation marks even if it is cited, and taking the same words or sentence structure from the source and replacing them with similar words (2004). Initially thinking, plagiarism might not seem as if it is that big of a deal. Putting in the effort to cite references correctly and conducting research plays a big role in the college writing process. In writing, students can and seldom misunderstand what does and doesn’t need to be referenced. Having a good understanding of what general knowledge is can make all of the difference. There are two types of general knowledge; general and subjective. General knowledge requires no work cited (2010). A very elementary, but effective example would be that the president of the United States is Honorable President Barack Obama. Subjective knowledge is information that needs to be cited correctly (2010). It usually consists of info that is not generally known like the President of the United States. An example would be the statistical rate of obese children in the US. An essay or paper is usually made up of these particular types of knowledge’s which can be detrimental if they are confused in any way. Seeing that plagiarism can be easily found, there are ways to avoid plagiarism. Purdue Online Writing Lab suggests that students should budget their time to ensure that they can paraphrase and cite appropriately, it is better to not wait until the last minute (1994). Hmm! This is very important and goes back to students being lazy and not putting in the effort to combat plagiarism. The absolute best way to avoid plagiarism is to get help when needed from an instructor. Students are able to contact, whether by email, phone, or mail, their instructors and get the help they need. The reason this is best option is because they are able to show you exactly how referencing should be done therefore depleting your contributions to plagiarize. Girard gives tips for students to help avoid plagiarism such as: reading the material they prefer to reference carefully, proper usage of quotes with a citation, and to be sure to receive permission prior to using any published illustrations, figures, tables photographs and documents (2004). Universities had to come up with ways on a higher level to fight student procrastination and laziness which eventually lead to plagiarism. Now, depending on the school, have specific programs they use to detect and deter plagiarism. The most common and new program is Turrnitin. Turnitin is an online software system that identifies plagiarism and is used as an aid for students and instructors to foster an awareness of how to write original papers (2010). Turnitin was very helpful to the education experience as well as students so they could see how to make improvements and have original papers. In conclusion, the bottom line is that plagiarism is a big deal! Depending on the universities policies and procedures, the consequences can be harmful not only to the student, but for future college learning experiences. When writing in college, be sure to cite sources properly. Remember even if it is intentional or unintentional, it can still be seen as plagiarism. Students cannot afford to use excuses such as I didn’t know or I didn’t mean to. Having excellent study habits and time management skills will go a long way and bring in heaps of future success.

References
Batane, T. (2010). Turning to turnitin to fight plagiarism among university students. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 13(2), 1-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1287029764?accountid=8289
Girard, N.J. (2004 July). Plagiarism: An ethical problem in the writing world. : Association of Operating Room Nurses. AORN Journal. 80(1)
Neville, C. (2010). The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism Maidenhead, GBR. Open University Press
Taylor, D. (1994). Purdue Online Writing Lab Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/958/01/