How can I avoid
plagiarism and
copying/pasting?

Tips for writing and citations

Avoiding plagiarism in your thesis

For research-based written work, there are rules to follow in order not to be accused of copying/pasting or plagiarism: put text in quotes, add references and footnotes, apply citation standards, write a bibliography, etc.

In order to promote copyright and intellectual property, you must indicate the sources you use.  In this page, Compilatio lays out the key points to provide you a deeper understanding of best citation practices.

 

Summary: 

Why is plagiarism prohibited?

Why should you respect copyright? Why should you avoid duplicate content?

To attest to honest behaviour
To attest to honest behaviour
To promote original creations
To promote original creations
To contribute to research
To contribute to research
To attest to the quality
To attest to the quality

How can I avoid plagiarism?

 

Zero plagiarism in your thesis

Some reminders to avoid falling into the trap of copying/pasting:

  •  Indicate your sources

  • Cite images and graphics
  • Paraphrase and rephrase ideas
  • Make references to the bibliography
  • Leverage simple-to-use similarity-detection software
    - Compilatio's Magister: software to help teachers assess student work
    - Compilatio's Studium: software to help students with writing         
    - Copyright's Compilatio: software to help editors in publishing

     

              

 

To learn more about academic integrity, check out regularly our blog posts, subscribe to the Compilatio newsletter and our social networks (see bottom of page 😉 ).

Tips to avoid plagiarism
avoid plagiarism

Quotation marks required

  • Individual work that was already graded
  • Quotation (copied word-for-word or translated)
avoid copying pasting

Quotation marks not required

  • Individual work
  • Restated idea (paraphrase)
  • Restated and translated idea
  • Visual (image, graphic, photo, illustrations)
  • Common knowledge (legends, historical events, etc.)

How do I check for plagiarism?

Compilatio Magister to detect plagiarism in your students' work


The plagiarism detector for teaching professionals by far. Compilatio Magister will help you train them to respect academic integrity.

Compilatio Studium to support you in your academic work


The student plagiarism detector. Compilatio Studium helps you to write your assignments and to cite your sources properly.

Compilatio Copyright to check plagiarism in your productions


The plagiarism detector for writing professionals. Compilatio Copyright allows you to avoid plagiarism and duplicate content.

APA citation standard

How to use citation standards?

 

Cite your sources correctly!

Bibliographic references should follow a precise citation standard.

The standard determines what to include and in what order. It is either chosen by the writer or imposed by the educational institution. You should verify which standard to follow before writing an internship report, dissertation, thesis or any other research-based work. In all cases, only one standard should be used for the entire document to ensure consistency, which the grader will appreciate.

See our blog article on citation standards

 

The 4 most commonly used citation standards are:

Where should you include bibliographic references?

 

Bibliography and Webography

In order to respect copyright, bibliographic annotations may appear in various places in the research work:

  • Include its reference in the text, before or after the extract copied
  • Mention the author and details in a footnote
  • List the sources used in the writing of the assignment in the bibliography.

The bibliographic reference allows the examiner to deepen his or her knowledge, certifies the quality of the assignment and helps to respect copyright. There are various ways of formatting your bibliography, through rigorous classification:

  • In alphabetical order
  • Chronologically
  • By type of content
  • In order of appearance in the work.
An effective bibliography: great, but how?
avoid plagiarism students

References required

  • Individual work
  • Restated idea (paraphrase)
  • Restated and translated idea
  • Visual (image, graphic, photo, illustrations)
  • Common knowledge (legends, historical events, etc.)
plagiarism quotes bibliography

References not required

  • Individual work
  • Common knowledge (legends, historical events, etc.)
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Compilatio

Compilatio helps students and teaching staff understand what exactly plagiarism is in order to prevent it better: understand what exactly plagiarism is in order to prevent it better: definition, legal obligations, risks and punishments, copyright compliance guidelines, etc.