Patchwork plagiarism is where the author copies materials from many sources and later rearranges them to form a specific pattern. Similarly, the same author fails to acknowledge the sources.
Also, patchwork plagiarism is where the writer inserts parts of someone’s materials without acknowledging the author. It is an ethical practice that may land the offender into legal trouble.
How People Commit Patchwork Plagiarism?
Patchwork plagiarism is real when the writer mixes both direct verbatim and original work, making it harder for others to detect. For one to declare a piece as plagiarism-free, one must acknowledge the external sources.
This kind of plagiarism occurs when you fail to cite your sources well. As a rule of thumb, you must cite your work when you include arguments that are not common knowledge in your research paper.
The following are primary sources of how patchwork plagiarism occurs:
Copying from Many Sources
It is a complex form of plagiarism committed when you are writing your essay paper. The writer depends on varying sources and makes an intertwined set of data. The only mistake that the author does in this scenario is failing to give credit to the original writer.
The writer maximizes different sources to form one piece of written work. Such cases are the worst form of plagiarism hence one needs to be careful when handling your written pieces.
Copying from a Single Source
Such a type of plagiarism occurs when the writer copies phrases or specific paragraphs from a single source.
Copying occurs when the writer lifts an idea from an original work without the permission of the author. The information could only be valid if you credit the original author.
Consequences of Patchwork Plagiarism
The author may encounter grave consequences when participating in patchwork plagiarism. Firstly, the faculty will take disciplinary action against you resulting in either facing suspension or expulsion.
Another effect that follows is one may encounter grade reduction.
As such, the author who is guilty may not get what he had been expecting leading to a reduction in morale and low self-esteem.
If you are a blogger, then such kind of plagiarism may lead to low search engine rankings.
Remember, certain nations passed laws and acts that impose certain penalties on people who commit plagiarism
How to Avoid Patchwork Plagiarism
Patchwork Plagiarism is the act of copy-pasting one’s work either intentionally or unintentionally. The cool thing is one can avoid it to make the final draft original and authentic. You can use the following tips to avoid patchwork plagiarism.
1. Cite Your Sources
When you are using the text or an idea that did not originate from you, it is vital to add a citation in the writing. Ensure you use all the rules of citation. Also, ensure that you understand the standards of the paper and enforce them accurately.
When citing, include the full name of your source. Furthermore, indicate the date when the author published the materials.
Finally, include anything that respects the style guide that you are using as per the given instructions. Remember, different schools have different levels of acceptable plagiarism, which further vary from one faculty to another.
2. Use Quotation
Another method of preventing patchwork plagiarism is using quotations. Whenever you insert a verbatim or a source of words in your writing, use quotation marks. The design denotes that the words in the quotes are from a different person.
Whenever you are using a direct quote, then allow the readers to know where you got your quote from.
When using direct quotes, then use them sparingly.
Also, let these quotes not have a large amount of text.
We use quotes when identifying a key idea to act as an inspiration for your topic. It also indicates that you did extensive research.
3. Paraphrase
Paraphrasing is a key tactic that one can use to reword a text without necessarily losing its meaning. One must write it in unique words by avoiding taking one word and replacing it with synonyms.
You should rewrite the sentence without compromising its meaning. If you fail to do it well, paraphrasing can slip into plagiarism. Any successful work will involve dancing with words and unique phrases.
Rewords the sentences well and avoid using similar words or phrases as it would not sound original. Remember, the citation is key here since you are using another person’s idea.
4. Spice It Up
You can add value to the content by avoiding using all the details from the same sources. The best way to add value is to use your own understanding and insights to bring out the points clearly. As such, you are likely to score high marks.
Also, by using your insights, it is a perfect indicator that you know what you are writing about. You can get great insights by performing broad research. As such, it assists you in exhausting all the details until whatever you write clicks.
5. Present Your Own Idea
Instead of riding on other people’s work, take your time to explore what you can write in a unique and original manner.
Challenge yourself to use unique points to make your paper original and effective. However, you should also apply all the guidelines as indicated above to make your work appealing.
It can be tempting to repeat ideas if you are writing on the same topic for varying assignments.
You can recycle some ideas hence leading to self-plagiarism. There is a risk of self-plagiarism since the tutor did not allow you to use your old work.
6. Plagiarism Checker
Several plagiarism checkers exist to help you kick out traces of plagiarized text in your work. If you conduct thorough research on a particular topic, some sentences or phrases will begin to stick in your mind. Such will tempt you to use them in the final draft without citing them well.
You can use any online plagiarism checkers to identify such issues before you submit your final paper.
Among the leading brands to help you to check your paper for plagiarism are Grammarly, a Small SEO tool, and more.
They will provide reliable suggestions for you to use to overcome plagiarism.
7. Reference a Page
One method of overcoming patchwork plagiarism is to use a reference page. That should be at the end of the paper.
The best approach is to add it to the list and sort out what to include and ensure you do not miss any important element.
8. Internet as a Sources
Many people do not treat the same information they get from the internet like the one from the book. Well, the internet is also a source of your information and hence you must cite it when polishing your work. You can avoid plagiarism by citing all the used online sources.
Understanding Patchwork Paraphrasing
Patchwork paraphrasing is piecing together information from a source. In this case, you are not copy-pasting the work from your source but paraphrasing the quoted text to retain the meaning.
Patchwork paraphrasing may sound like a quote in your argument. However, you rather paraphrase to avoid the reader interpreting it as plagiarism. Such an approach is hard to detect since it lacks telltale signs to gauge if the writing is a patchwork approach.
When doing patchwork paraphrasing, you should ask yourself if the writing is your own creative work. Ensure that you use the right phrases that will not deviate from the meaning of the sentences.
How Patchwork Paraphrasing prevents Plagiarism
Patchwork paraphrasing ensures that you overcome the trap of plagiarism if done carefully.
You must read your quote and process the content in your own words without sacrificing the meaning of the sentence.
When you run such a text in any plagiarism checker, it may be hard to detect it since you did not use the original words.
The author must be creative by using unique wording and phrases that do not sound similar to where you are getting your information.
Patchwork Plagiarism vs. Incremental Plagiarism
Incremental Plagiarism comes when writing a speech. Here, the author fails to cite the direct quote from the original source. This plagiarism is about speeches.
On the other hand, Patchwork plagiarism is about writing essays. It is committed when the writer uses a direct source in sections without quoting it properly.
While both are different, the two represent similar malpractice of not citing sources. Incremental plagiarism appears when speaking content from others without credit. It is ideally wrong for the writer to use someone’s work without citing it well when giving a public speech.
While patchwork plagiarism is a bit different from incremental, it also comes real in writing. Not only in speeches but even in songs and lyrics.
Well, the writing could be original but the spots within that piece could be a direct lift from a different piece without proper quoting.
As noted in our guide about incremental plagiarism, you will be guilty of this plagiarism if you make a speech without attributing the original source.
The author can decide to use several sources and intertwine the information to appear unique yet plagiarized.
We can overcome the two types of plagiarism by learning the hard part of using original phrases to argue a point. The plagiarism checkers will not discriminate between the two.
If the information is not unique an original, then plagiarism checkers will flag it off and make you guilty of doing shoddy work. Ensure you polish your work well.
Joseph is a freelance journalist and a part-time writer with a particular interest in the gig economy. He writes about schooling, college life, and changing trends in education. When not writing, Joseph is hiking or playing chess.