What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. In short, it means representing another person or entity's ideas as your own. This can be done overtly, by piecing together and your work using fragments lifted directly from other sources, word-for-word and without citations; it can also be done by using the ideas of others (theories, data, opinions, etc.) without citing a source. Most commonly, plagiarism is unintentional and is a result of improper referencing.
How to avoid plagiarizing
The good news is that plagiarism can be easily avoided by paying a little extra attention. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Keep clear and organized notes while writing, revising and editing your work.
- Use a variety of different resources rather than just one or two.
- When in doubt, use quotation marks around phrases, sentences or paragraphs borrowed from another source.
- Provide citations, even when paraphrasing.
- Learn how to properly cite your sources.
- If you're still not sure, consider running your text through an online plagiarism checker, such as this one: https://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/.
Why is it so important to avoid plagiarism?
The question of plagiarism can be complex, but if you're worried it might appear in your manuscript it is imperative to address the concerns and take the necessary steps to avoid it. One of the most basic and immediate reasons for this is that the inclusion of plagiarised content can block or severely delay the publication of your book. This is because distributors require that the author retain a license and/or permissions for the use of any uncited material or content belonging to someone other than the author, including but not limited to content that has been copied and pasted from the web or any other place.
You must cite your sources when:
- including verbatim text
- paraphrasing from another source
- referring to your own previously published work
- representing any other non-text-based content of someone else's (such as graphs, data, imagery, etc.).
You don't need to cite your sources when:
- describing something that is accepted to be common knowledge (such as the fact that smoking is hazardous to one's health).
Furthermore, per section 9 of the Tellwell terms & conditions, the author takes full responsibility for the content of the work being published. Tellwell currently does not employ any intellectual property lawyers or any other legal authorities on what constitutes unpublishable content. While our editors will certainly point out anything that might raise a red flag for them, they are not legal experts. If an author is truly concerned about plagiarism and/or other copyright infringements, it is best practice for Tellwell to suggest that they seek consultation from an authority.
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