VRKM – The Best Advice in Avoiding Plagiarism

When it comes to preventing plagiarism, there are a number of skills that any student should have. Some of these abilities include paraphrasing, citation, taking notes in the appropriate format, and managing their time effectively.

However, one of the most crucial abilities is also one of the skills that is mentioned the least: the ability to communicate with your instructor.

When it comes to determining what constitutes and what does not constitute plagiarism in the classroom, the final word rests with the instructor, even though honour codes, internet guides, and private tutors are all helpful resources for learning how to avoid plagiarism.

On the other hand, this authority can frequently give the impression that a teacher is less of an educator and more of a plagiarism police officer – as if they are merely there to identify and punish anyone who plagiarises, even unknowingly. This perception is not always accurate, but it does happen rather frequently.

However, the role of teachers is to assist students in acquiring knowledge, and this includes gaining an understanding of how to properly cite sources, give credit when credit is due, and utilise other strategies to avoid plagiarising.

This covers everything from more fundamental questions, like which citation format/style to use and what kinds of sources are appropriate, to more in-depth concerns, such how to properly paraphrase and which pieces of information require citations.

Your instructor should be your first and primary point of contact for any and all citation-related inquiries, whether you have a general question about citation or are actually in one of the murky areas of plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a challenging topic, and having a conversation about it with your instructor can be nerve-wracking. This is especially true when there is the possibility of being disciplined for the offence. Having said that, there are a few things you can do to make communicating with your instructor simpler and more productive.

Have a Particular Question: It is unlikely that you will receive a satisfactory response if you discuss plagiarism using generalisations and hypotheticals. Instead, you should focus on answering a particular issue regarding the task while using an example from your own work. This guarantees that you will be able to obtain the necessary response in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of indirection possible.

Positivity is the way to frame the question: If you have a question concerning plagiarism, the ideal way to phrase it is not in terms of how not to plagiarise but rather in terms of how to properly cite or include anything in your work. Rather than asking, “Is this plagiarised?,” you should rather inquire, “How should I cite this if I want to include it?”

Find the Appropriate Moment: Timing is critical for the majority of the questions that you pose to your instructor. If they are occupied with other students or preparing for another lesson, you shouldn’t bother them with your inquiry at that time. Pay them a visit during office hours or at another time that is not within school hours. Ensure that they have the time to sit down with you and discuss the matter while they are able to do so.

Even while it could appear like you’re disturbing your instructors by asking them about difficulties linked to plagiarism, in reality, this is exactly what they want to hear from you.

The fact that students frequently don’t appear to grasp and don’t even bother to ask questions about plagiarism is one of the major sources of dissatisfaction for many educators. Therefore, if you are unsure about a problem with attribution or citation, contact your teacher about it. They will likely be quite thankful to you for doing so!