Mosaic Plagiarism: What Is It And How To Deal With It?
Mosaic plagiarism, also coined as patchwork plagiarism, is one of the common types of plagiarism refers to the duplicating of phrases/paras followed by ideas from multiple sources and compiling them to make way for new content. This involves slight rephrasing of paragraphs while maintaining multiple original words and structure. This kind of plagiarism demands more effort compared to other types of plagiarism and is more deceitful than merely duplicating and pasting from a particular source.
The online plagiarism checker can, however, effectively check for plagiarism.
Why Avoid Mosaic Plagiarism?
Mosaic plagiarism, as a whole, like any other plagiarism type, is an ethical concern. A writer who is presenting duplicate content is enacting theft, thinking that they would reap benefits from this kind of theft. This is applicable in both scenarios: whether you wish to earn better grades on your school paper or are a freelance writer who wishes to make money.
Preventing Mosaic Plagiarism Like a Boss
Avoiding Mosaic plagiarism is quite imperative if you are a writer as it can break your integrity. Apart from losing your value as a writer amongst your peers and readers, mosaic plagiarism can also prove fatal for your future career endeavors. However, if you are a student, you might lose your chances of becoming a leader. Additionally, both intentional and unintentional plagiarism can take the respect away from the original content, which might hint at greater trouble if the original creator of the content decides to sue you.
Here’s How You Can Prevent Mosaic Plagiarism
Recognize Your Souce
When mentioning an idea or suggesting an idea that isn’t yours, make sure to include recognition in the writing that relates to the source’s full name, the published date, and every other element of citation that is needed by the style guide that you are following.
Mention the Quotations
In case you include the words of the source into your writing, then the simplest plagiarism detection tool is verbatim, which utilizes quotation marks around the text to let you know that the words are duplicate and isn’t your creation. A direct quote must also recognize the source to let enlighten the reader about its source.
Paraphrasing is Key
Paraphrasing is getting the ideas of the source rewritten in your own words, sans altering its meanings. But be mindful that paraphrasing can become plagiarism if you are unable to pull off incorrectly. Succesful paraphrasing requires a little bit of effort, including rewording and formatting your wording originally and trying to skip using multiple same words or source phrases.
Present the Words In Your Unique Way
Rather than duplicating someone else’s work, think of ways on how you can present it yourself. Ask what unique point can you present in the writing that is your own. Remember that if you are mentioning an idea of the source to make your point, you would have to adhere to the guidelines to prevent plagiarizing.
These tips can help prevent plagiarism in your work, and trust us; you should give them a try. Apart from being mindful of what makes way for plagiarism, try and find ways to prevent plagiarism through regular practice and plagiarism checker.