Plagiarism guide for beginners
When you use someone’s work without his/her permission or credit is known as plagiarism. It can be in the form of written material, audio, or video.
Let’s understand some basic concepts regarding plagiarism.
Copyright
It is the legal right of the owners to grant permission or stop others from using their work according to the laws.
Copyright owner
The copyright for work is owned by the owner or the employer of the owner who paid to get the work done.
What can be copyrighted according to the US copyright law?
Written works, video works, audio works, and all the conceptual works are protected by US copyright law.
Which works can’t copyrighted?
Facts, governmental works, court decisions, and works in the public domain can not be copyrighted.
Procedure of copyrighting
If you fulfil the requirements, you do not need to register for copyright. However, you need to register for lawsuit.
Registration can be done online on the website of the US copyright office. After the registration, you will be given a certificate.
When does copyright infringement occur?
Copyright infringement occurs when you violate the owner’s rights to reproduce, redistribute, derivate, or display works.
Fair use
A law allowing the usage of copyrighted material for educational or informational purposes without any profits is known as fair usage.
Infringement VS plagiarism?
Plagiarism is mostly related to academic works, while infringement is used in legal matters.
What is DMCA?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is copyright for digital works and considers piracy as a crime.
What is CC?
CC stands for creative commons. It is an American organization which believes that sharing can make our world a better place. It focuses on the expansion of flexible and reasonable rights. However, CC does not replace the laws.
Why is plagiarism done?
It is always challenging to come up with original ideas. That is why people go for the easy way.
How can you avoid plagiarism?
Here is how you can avoid plagiarism.
- Come up with your ideas.
- Write your own words.
- Avoid rephrasing,
- Use a tool to check the plagiarism.
- Cite the sources.
- Use a proper method to cite the sources.
- Be extra careful while finalizing your work.
How to cite?
Usually, an in-text citation is done, and it is linked to complete information of the source placed at the end of the article. Sources can be cited by either through APA or MLA. However, different organizations and academic institutions use different referencing styles.
Tools for checking the plagiarism
- Copyscape
- Google Alerts
- Trackback notifications
- Turnitin ( For academic content)
Conclusion
We can make this world a better place by sharing. However, It is always a good idea to come up with our won ideas. We should respect and give credit to those who did the hard work. We hope that you understood the basics of plagiarism. Let’s write!