When we start the college life there are rules and guidelines that we need to learn.  Although college is pretty similar to high school, it definitely has it’s differences.  One thing that a college students really need to understand is the seriousness of plagiarizing in college.  Plagiarizing in college is a serious consequence, and is not tolerated by most colleges.  If you get caught plagiarizing, you may be asked to leave the college entirely, get an automatic “F” in the class, and you will most likely receive the “label” as “a plagiarizer.”  If you want to make sure you never fall into this situation, there are a few different ways you can avoid plagiarism when you write your next paper.

Outline – First of all, when you write a paper, you should always create an outline beforehand.  This will give you a good idea on what you’re going to write about.  Also, it will organize your paper, and will be a starting point so you don’t go blank when you’re starring at your computer.  When you create an outline, these are all your own ideas, therefore plagiarizing isn’t as likely.

Top of your head – When you’re sitting down to write your paper, usually you will read it aloud to yourself and then think of ideas right from the top of your head.  It is always a good idea to write down what you think sounds good, then look at other ideas online if you’re struggling.

Look it up – It is always a good idea to look up what you’re writing about and look at some sample papers.  If for some reason they sound very similar, you may want to change yours around.  There is always that possibility that someone may have the same ideas as you, so look up some samples just to make sure.

Never copy – If you are struggling to write a paper, and you’re looking for samples online for guidance, never copy word for word.  It is okay to change how other people say things to get ideas, but never use word for word, because you will get caught!

As you can see, plagiarizing in college is very serious.  Most professors will be extremely hard on you the rest of the class if they’ve caught you plagiarizing in their class.  Always make sure you do your own work.  It is okay to get ideas from others, but always be sure to change how you’re going to say things if you use someone else’ idea.  If you want to make sure you never get caught plagiarizing, be sure to consider a few of these points above.