How can you identify plagiarism in your content?

Plagiarism is the act of copying someone else's words or ideas without giving proper credit. It can damage your reputation, credibility, and SEO ranking as a content creator. To avoid plagiarism, you need to know how to identify it in your content and how to prevent it in the first place. Here are some tips to help you with that.

Key takeaways from this article

Leverage online plagiarism tools:

Utilize tools like Copyscape, Grammarly, or Turnitin to scan your text against a vast database of web sources. These platforms highlight potential plagiarism, allowing you to review and revise content before publication.### *Attribute your sources:Always give proper credit when using someone else's ideas or words by citing your sources. This practice not only avoids plagiarism but also enhances the credibility of your content.

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1 Use online tools

One of the easiest ways to check your content for plagiarism is to use online tools that scan your text and compare it with millions of sources on the web. Some of the popular tools are Copyscape, Grammarly, Quetext, and Turnitin. These tools can highlight the parts of your content that are similar or identical to other sources and show you the original links. You can then review the results and make the necessary changes to your content, such as paraphrasing, quoting, or citing the sources.

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Harshil Patel

Helping global brands grow with content strategies & SEO!
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I use Copyscape and I trust the tool to its core. Be it any article on the web, it can easily identify plagiarism within a matter of seconds. And if not Copyscape, I compare the content from where it's sourced from and try to find out the plagiarised content as the free tools aren't of much use (not so accurate). It takes a lot of time with a naked eye but you cannot rely on free tools if not on Copyscape!

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2 Cite your sources

Another way to avoid plagiarism is to cite your sources properly whenever you use someone else's information, facts, opinions, or arguments in your content. Citing your sources means acknowledging the original author and providing the details of where you found the information, such as the title, date, publisher, and URL of the source. There are different citation styles that you can follow, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard. Make sure you use the same style consistently throughout your content and include a reference list at the end.

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DeniseRenee, Book Writing Coach

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It is easy for a piece of content to inspire your creativity. You may feel compelled to provide your take on the topic (or dance trend), give your reaction or even create a parody. In these cases, it is proper online etiquette to give attribution (a mention and/or a link) to the content and creator who inspired you. Just Google the 2021 Jimmy Fallon show fiasco with Addison Rae and Keara Wilson (the creator of the Savage dance challenge on TikTok) to learn why it’s important.

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3 Write in your own voice

A third way to prevent plagiarism is to write in your own voice and express your own ideas, insights, and perspectives. Writing in your own voice means using your own words, tone, and style to convey your message and personality. It also means adding value to your content by providing original examples, anecdotes, stories, or data that support your points. Writing in your own voice can help you stand out from the crowd and showcase your expertise and creativity.

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Myilraj G

➦ Blogger-Turned-Entrepreneur |-| Content Writer |-| SEO Specialist — ➦ Grow your business organically & show on first page in 8 months — ➦ I empower bloggers to turn their passion into profitable business
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Sharing our own experience when writing will not throw any plagiarism error. It happens when we don't know about the topic, but have to refer other sources while writing. As a blogger or content creator, we must have to keep ourselves updated with latest trends. It helps to create original content avoiding plagiarism...

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4 Use quotation marks

A fourth way to identify and avoid plagiarism is to use quotation marks whenever you copy someone else's exact words in your content. Quotation marks indicate that you are not claiming the words as your own and that you are giving credit to the original source. However, you should use quotation marks sparingly and only when the words are very important, memorable, or authoritative. Otherwise, you should paraphrase or summarize the source in your own words and cite it accordingly.

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5 Compare your content

A fifth way to check your content for plagiarism is to compare it with your own previous works or with other content that you have used as inspiration or research. Sometimes, you may unintentionally plagiarize yourself or others by repeating the same phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that you have written or read before. To avoid this, you should review your content carefully and look for any similarities or overlaps with your own or other sources. You should then rewrite or delete any parts that are too similar or cite them if necessary.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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DeniseRenee, Book Writing Coach

Write your book & grow your brand!
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Very few ideas genuinely deserve the distinction of earning the label “original.” Most of our knowledge, wisdom and thoughts are derived from previously existing ones and evolve when we add our perspective that has been informed by our unique combination of experiences. I believe the most important and responsible thing we can do when creating and sharing content in any form is to be transparent about and cite the people and ideas who are major influences on our thoughts.

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How can you identify plagiarism in your content?

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1 Use online tools

2 Cite your sources

3 Write in your own voice

4 Use quotation marks

5 Compare your content

6 Here’s what else to consider

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