What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgment. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition.
Why is this a "Similarity Checker"?
A true plagiarism checker compares a document against a massive database of web pages, academic papers, and books. This tool is a **Similarity Checker**; it performs a key part of that process by comparing two specific texts against each other. It can help you see if parts of your writing are too close to a source you've been using, which is a crucial step in avoiding unintentional plagiarism.
How to Avoid Plagiarism:
- Cite Your Sources: Always give credit to the original author when you use their ideas, data, or words.
- Use Quotation Marks: When you use an author's exact words, enclose them in quotation marks and provide a citation.
- Paraphrase Carefully: Rephrasing someone else's idea in your own words still requires a citation. Make sure your version is sufficiently different from the original.
- Use a Plagiarism Checker: Before submitting work, use a tool to check for unintentional similarities to other sources.
