Blog

Five places you don’t want to get caught plagiarizing

We’ve all been there-a tight deadline looming overhead and only a few words on your document. When it comes to crunch time, creating your own work is always the answer no matter how long it takes. Here are five places you don’t want to plagiarize any work from.

Your final paper

You’ve worked so hard all semester to get the grade you deserve. Don’t ruin it by copying and pasting from a source you found on Wikipedia. Be sure to write in your own words to make the paper sound like you. Teachers and professors are trained experts on what copied work looks like, so don’t chance it!

Your job application

You’ve found your dream job-finally! After attaching your resume you are filling out a few questions of why exactly you’re the best candidate for the job. Don’t be tempted to look at someone’s resume that may be similar to yours and add a blurb to your application. While this may not hurt you legally, you certainly won’t get hired.

Your editorial debut 

Whether you’ve been writing for a paper for twenty years or are contributing to a digital publication for the first time, be sure to cite where necessary. Getting caught using other words next to your by-line may have you banned for writing for years to come.

Your medical research journal

After all the months or years dedicated to focusing on a study, explaining the findings in your own words is something the whole community takes seriously. Keep your research at the front of their minds by writing original content.

An important speech in front of hundreds (or thousands) of people

If you’re speaking at an event-awards ceremony, conference, political convention, or even a friend’s wedding, everyone will be listening. Now is your time to shine-don’t mess it up by “borrowing” a few lines from someone else without referencing them. Not only will you embarrass yourself, but you’ll be remembered as the one who plagiarized their speech.

For all of your writing needs, be sure to write your own, original content. When you’re ready to protect your work, be sure to use plagiarism detection services from Copyleaks.

Find out what's in your copy.