Tips To Avoid Plagiarism In Dissertation Writing

Tips To Avoid Plagiarism In Dissertation Writing

When going in for the perfect dissertation writing, there are a number of things that the writer  is doing all at one and the same time. These include everything from reading through a load of research that they have managed to put together, to sifting through any number of notes that they may have made to analysing the research that has been conducted, the results that have been produced and finally, putting together the analysis that was taken out of the entire process to finally put together the dissertation. Then, since they are already working on it, where is the writer who would not wish to do the most perfect job possible at their work?

That said, writing a dissertation is very difficult and not the least because of the many things that a dissertation writer is expected to do, and all of them simultaneously. In such a case, ending up with some little amount of plagiarism in your work is only natural and to be expected. The universities and dissertation committees that will eventually be marking the work are not so understanding and complaisant however. That is why we at Dissertation Pros have put together these tips on how to avoid plagiarism within your dissertation.

  • Paraphrase As And When Required

It is understandable that the introduction and literature review portions of your work will be based more on the work that has been done in related fields of study rather than your own words, and as far as that goes, it is quite understandable. What is important, however, is that all of this work should be paraphrased as much as possible. Here, there is one trick that students need to always keep in mind. Using more than two words from the text that you are using as your reference material would constitute plagiarism. For instance,

To be or not to be

would be considered plagiarism of famous Shakespearean character, Hamlet’s soliloquy.

  • Quoting Properly

If we simply consider the example quoted above and take it in the sense that these words are put within quotation marks, then they become:

“To be or not to be”

a reference to Shakespeare’s play. However, here it is essential that students then reference the quote properly. While this is part of a famous text, students often search for literature reviews and supporting reference material, sometimes even amongst the most obscure of reading material. Here, then, is where they must really learn to reference their work properly, in the style that has been specified by their educational institution.

  • Citing Material

Obviously it is nearly impossible to search for material from at least twenty different sources and then end up paraphrasing all of it into a twenty to thirty pages essay, all in your own words with plagiarising. However, students must understand that it is essential that they cite any work, even that which they may themselves have written, at some earlier date, properly, (for e.g. in the APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago or any other style preferred by their educational institution.)

Doing so can ensure that students have a plagiarism free dissertation at the end of the day, to hand in to their university!