Combating plagiarism – part 1
There are times when you find it hard to properly cite you sources due to some uncertainties. One of which is being confused which ideas are originally yours and which are absolutely referred from others. This case occurs when one has somewhat similar ideas with a source. When you modify the phrases from a reference, does this still require proper citation?
Ignorance of what to do when we encounter citation problems would probably lead to plagiarism. And to be able to avoid such, here are some relevant guidelines:
Proper consultation with research instructors
Teachers know best when it comes to the research paper they assign to you. When it comes to your research topic, they can give you ideas of whom and what sources to consult. They can also teach you how to lay and organize your own ideas on your paper. They also have enough knowledge to teach you how to cite your sources properly. And they could also initially check the originality of your paper before the final submission. They would be much more than willing to help if you approach them to ask for their guidance in your work.
Organization of thoughts
It is often inevitable that you use the ideas of others to support your points in a research paper. With this, it is important that you know which ideas are really yours and which one are taken from others. It is also a necessity to explicitly show the different sets of ideas in the research paper, those which are yours and those of others. The readers must clearly know this for them to be able to understand more your unique ideas and this will also tell them that you are not plagiarizing.
