A plagiarism checker is an important part of modern day life. Whether you are a teacher checking your student's homework and essays or a freelance writer looking to protect your work, knowing how to check for plagiarism is increasingly essential.
Plagiarism is the term that is used to describe the situation when a writer copies another writer's work and passes it off as their own - in effect it is word theft. Without the use of a plagiarism checker this can remain undiscovered. Plagiarism has been in existence for many hundreds of years. The advent of modern technologies, however, has made it extremely common. It is possible with a few clicks of a button to copy and paste huge swathes of another author's work. The use of plagiarism has increased in schools and universities with students passing copied work off as theirs. Students are able to easily find the answers to questions and sample essays on the Internet. Plagiarism is also rife on the Internet as the growth of websites has meant that there are an increasing number of opportunities for authors to submit their work. There is also a growth in websites who are just seeking content to fill their pages to attract advertising without caring where it has come from.
The Importance of Checking for Plagiarism
It may appear that halting the spread of plagiarism and catching plagiarizers is an impossible task. However, as new technologies has increased the ease in which work can be plagiarized, so it has helped to produce a solution. By employing a plagiarism checker, people can quickly check whether a body of work contains any sections that have been copied from elsewhere. This is useful for teachers and lecturers, freelance writers, editors, website owners and anyone else who has an interest in ensuring that their interests are protected. Some of the key reasons why a plagiarism checker are important are listed below:
Students
Many students are expelled from college or university each year for plagiarism. While sometimes this is done on purpose, there are many instances when a student may inadvertently plagiarize another writer. Incorrectly citing a quotation, for instance, could well be seen as plagiarism. A plagiarism checker will highlight any problems early on and allow the student to put this right before handing in their work.
Teachers
Teachers are increasingly aware of the issues of plagiarism and check work frequently. This helps them to identify students who are using plagiarism as a form of cheating. Many colleges and universities have strict policies on plagiarism.
Freelance Writers
For freelance writers, their written word is their income. If their work is plagiarized then this damages their potential earnings. A plagiarism checker will show if their work has been stolen and being published elsewhere on the Internet.
Editors
Editors need to check for plagiarism when commissioning new writing projects. 'Must pass copyscape' is frequently seen on ads for freelance writing jobs. By checking for plagiarism, editors can be sure that they are getting new and original work.
Website Owners
Website owners need to check frequently and ensure that their content has not been copied or plagiarized. The copying of website content is unfortunately increasingly common and can cause a loss of traffic and advertising revenue if it remains undetected.
Types of Plagiarism Checkers
There are many different applications that are suitable for checking for plagiarism available. These are mostly online applications that compare a certain body of work with other articles on the Internet. These systems range from the very simple to the highly complex. Many online plagiarism checkers are free. These include:
In addition to online checkers, there are also a number of plagiarism software programs that are available for purchase.
