“What’s Mine Is Mine, What’s Yours Is Mine”: A Quick Reminder about Plagiarism

Posted on 11th August 201611th August 2016 by sticklerproofreading

Plagiarism was a popular topic this past July in the US. All sorts of questions about it came up on the first night of the Republican convention.

Did Melania Trump crib Michelle Obama’s Democratic convention speech from 2008? Did Mrs. Trump write her own speech or did someone write it for her? Does it count as plagiarism if you’re speaking in platitudes and making value statements that most people would generally agree with?

Regardless of anyone’s political convictions, the incident was a good way for many teachers and professors to reintroduce the concept of plagiarism to their students. Many English teachers in particular jumped at the chance to comment on the issue. Most of them pointed out that students at their respective schools would face expulsion or, at the very least, a failing grade if they were caught plagiarizing an assignment.

Which brings us to the question, “What exactly is plagiarism?”

To plagiarize is to use someone else’s ideas or work, while taking credit for it as though it is your own.

The simplest example would be a student that copies someone else’s article, and puts his or her name at the top.
Some students just copy phrases, or reword much of the source material without providing adequate references. They will often rely on synonyms in order to conceal the fact that they have copied someone’s idea, but they’ll leave the sentence structure as it is. However, structure matters just as much as the words do when it comes to plagiarism. If the structure is not that different from the original, the source information is missing, and there are several unattributed quotes sprinkled throughout the work, it’s plagiarism.
Even if you completely reword a passage and leave no trace of the original, if the structure of your sentences or your arguments is the same, you must cite your source—otherwise, it’s still plagiarism.

You can see some wonderful, practical examples on Princeton’s Academic Integrity page.

So why is plagiarism such a big deal?

First off, it’s a form of stealing, which most people find morally and ethically reprehensible. Not only do plagiarists steal ideas, but they steal the time and effort that was put into the research, writing, and publication of those ideas.

But besides that, if you’re a small fish in a big academic pond, who does it hurt?

Well—it hurts you most of all. You won’t have learned anything from the task you’ve been set, and you’re very likely to find that you fail your assignment or have your journal article rejected (universities and journals have plagiarism programs that check for this kind of thing, and believe us, they do use them!). In the unlikely event that you do get away with it, even if you never, ever plagiarize again you might be called out on it later on in your career, calling all of your achievements up to that point in time into question.

When you’re using other people’s research, staying organized in terms of your sources and citations is the key to preventing plagiarism.

However, people can also plagiarize unintentionally.

There is a fairly common phenomenon called cryptomnesia. You hear an idea or you read it somewhere, but you forget that you’ve already been exposed to it. When the idea comes to you later, it seems original. But the points above still stand—if you write down someone else’s idea and neglect to cite the origin, you’ve just committed plagiarism, albeit, in this case, accidentally.

So what can I do if I’ve written an, essay, dissertation, thesis, or other work with many sources?

Here at Stickler, we recently introduced plagiarism checking as an add-on to our academic editing service. We use top-of-the-line software to scan your document and highlight anything that might be plagiarized, and then provide you with a full report and suggestions so that you can address the problems. Check out https://www.sticklerproofreading.com/additional-services for more details.

Choose Wisely: How to Select a Good Academic Editing Service

Posted on 26th July 201626th July 2016 by sticklerproofreading

You’ve spent hours on researching and writing that dissertation or journal article. But all that effort is wasted if there are typos, misspellings, and punctuation mistakes, and it’s even worse if you haven’t made your point quite clear or defended your thesis fully.

There’s only one thing left to do: Find a good academic editing service.

Out of the thousands of results, which one should you choose?

First thing’s first. We think it’s better to use a company than to have a friend or family member edit your work.

We’re not trying to knock having someone do the editing on an informal basis, because there are many amazing individuals out there who can add value to your project. However, if your work needs anything beyond a cursory check for spelling and grammatical mistakes, an academic editing service may be a better option for you. A reputable service will have vetted the editors for you in advance and can guarantee a certain level of expertise and quality. Plus, you know you’ll have follow-up support if you need it.

In addition, high-quality academic editing services can offer rush delivery and quick turnaround times if your deadline is looming. Established editing services also have the flexibility to handle payments through several channels, and can provide instant quotes.

Once you’ve got a list of academic editing providers that appeals to you, it’s time to narrow them down. First, of course, it’s important to pick a service that falls within your budget.

But you should also look deeper.

Look for firms that clearly highlight having had years of experience in editing and proofreading, and specifically in academic work, since this is a very specialized type of editing. Since you’ll have done all the technical and content legwork they don’t need to have extensive knowledge about your subject, but they definitely need to be well-versed in academic standards and conventions.

For academic editors, it’s also important that they’re experienced with the style manuals and citation styles (APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, etc.) your school or discipline follows. If the academic editor also offers formatting, that’s a plus.

A great academic editing service should give you the level of service you need to get the language and formatting up to academic/publishing standards. (Full disclosure: Some companies only offer a basic spelling and grammar check, but not checks for style, consistency, flow, clarity of argument, and so on. We here at Stickler, on the other hand, are pleased to offer all of this—and more—as part of our core service.)

Last but not least, the firm you choose should be personable. This isn’t always a priority for people looking to have their papers edited and proofread online, but it’s important to feel comfortable with the firm that is providing you with this service. They’ll be more likely to understand your needs and the parameters of your project, and you’ll feel more comfortable asking for exactly what you want. A good editor should suggest edits and track changes, and an even better one will take the time to identify areas that are in need of further development, additional source material for credibility purposes, and so on.

You’ve finished that final draft. What are you waiting for? Contact an academic editor today and take that next step.

Five Ways an Academic Editing Service can Help Improve your Work

Posted on 15th June 201629th June 2016 by sticklerproofreading

When you’re looking for academic editing services in LA and beyond, you want to make sure the writing stage of the thesis, dissertation, essay, or other type of academic paper is complete. This means that all the arguments should be in place, the citations verified for completeness, and the text checked for technical accuracy.

An academic editor will help you to bring your paper up to publishing or submission standards; however, editors are not able to write your work for you. Here are some of the aspects most high-quality academic editing services can help with.

1. Document Formatting.

Students can lose valuable marks because they have failed to format their document correctly, and manuscript submissions to journals risk being rejected for publication for the same reason. Such formatting might include spacing between lines or headings, inclusion of page numbering, and specific indentation. An academic editor can help with all these things, and can also ensure that things like font, heading style, referencing style, and so on are consistent.

2. American vs. British English.

There are a number of differences between American and British English. For example, while American English uses “color,” British uses “colour.” However, just to confuse matters, while American English always uses “–ize” endings for words like “organize,” in British English both “organize” and “organise” are acceptable (for example, the Oxford English Dictionary stipulates “–ize” endings, while other dictionaries and journal styles use “–ise”). The spelling style that is appropriate for your document can depend on the conventions of your field or the style specified by your journal or other submission guidelines. However, the most suitable version will be applied as part of any academic editing service, and the editor will also have extensive knowledge of the other conventions of American vs. British English.

3. The Oxford Comma.

The Oxford (or “serial”) comma is used within lists before the final “and” or “or.” However, some styles prefer to leave it out. When you submit a professional essay, dissertation, or other type of paper for editing, your academic editor will know whether the Oxford comma should be used based on accepted standards or the style guide provided.

4. Sentence Fragments.

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence; in other words, it does not make sense by itself. This can be acceptable at times—for example, in bulleted lists—but fragments should generally be avoided in academic text. It can be tricky to identify a sentence fragment, but an academic editor will be able to identify issues like these easily.

5. Using only “He” or “She.”

In the past, it was acceptable to use “he” even when the person referred to could have been female (for example, “If a manager faces a problem with a subordinate, he may have to take disciplinary action.”). Today, this is often seen as outdated and potentially sexist, so in many situations “they” is considered more appropriate. An academic editor will be able to help with issues like these given the context of your argument, the conventions of your academic field, and wider language trends.

If you’re looking for academic editing services, Stickler can help. As well as editing and proofreading your document with respect to aspects such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation, our editors will help to improve your paper’s clarity and word choice, and address all the aspects above (and more!). For a full description of our professional proofreading and editing services, please check out our website. We also offer academic translation services!

Top Five Tips for Academic Editing

Posted on 6th June 201629th June 2016 by sticklerproofreading

Once your paper, dissertation, thesis, or other academic document has been written and you’ve triple-checked your facts and sources, it’s time to start the difficult job of editing and proofreading. This step is essential, as even the smallest errors can significantly damage your grade or cause your work to be rejected for publication.

However, editing and proofreading your own work can be difficult. Here are our top five tips for academic editing.

1. Read your academic paper out loud. It’s important for academic editing!

Remember that if it doesn’t make sense to you, it won’t make sense to your professor or to the editor of an academic journal. Besides helping you assess the clarity and flow of your paper, reading aloud can help you find missing or double-typed words, and mistakes in punctuation.

2. Lose your pride.

You know your paper, essay, article, or thesis is amazing—or at least you think it is—but now you need to take a step back to edit and proofread it like it’s not even your own work. Turn off your pride for a moment and read it like it’s new to you. Does your paper or thesis make sense? Now is the time to clarify sections and expand on areas of your paper that aren’t clear.

3. Consider word count.

Word counts are put in place for a reason, which might be related to space requirements (or time requirements in the case of student work), accepted practice in your field or target journal, or both. You should always try to adhere to the exact guidelines provided even if you feel like you’ve fulfilled the requirements of the assignment in fewer words. Likewise, if you have gone over the word count, it’s likely that your paper would benefit from additional editing.

4. Check for consistency.

Is your document formatting consistent from page to page? Are you using the same fonts for each type of heading and subheading? Have you formatted your tables, figures, and references consistently, and in line with any style guidelines? Failing to follow guidelines or using a number of styles for tables and figures not only looks unprofessional, but can take the reader’s mind away from your topic and argument.

5. Double check the references.

For most academic papers, you will need to include a reference list or bibliography of some kind. Ensure that the references are complete, and that each item is consistently styled. You will usually be required to provide full details for each source, including the author name, the year of publication, the article or chapter title, the book or journal name, and so on.

Even after completing the steps above, papers almost always benefit from complete editing and proofreading services from a professional company, such as Stickler Proofreading. Professional editors will be able to examine your paper with fresh eyes, and apply their expertise and knowledge to get your paper up to submission or publication standards. As well as finding any errors that you have missed, they will highlight unnecessary repetition, as well as sections that may require further explanation or additional sources, thereby helping to ensure that you deliver the best academic paper possible.