How To Avoid Plagiarism In Your Science Research Paper
When conducting a scientific research paper, one of the biggest gaffe that could possibly be undertaken by a researcher is plagiarism. Plagiarism is wrongfully taking someone else’s ideas or publications and attempt to pass them off as your own work, whether done accidentally or intentionally. Many university students will be dismissed from their education institutions if they conduct such heresy and many working professionals will be fired or stripped of membership from unions and organizations. The best way to ensure that one avoids plagiarism is by:
- Conducting proper research
- Fact checking
- Consulting with a professional
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Conducting proper research
A student will never be able to write a factual scientific research paper without conducting proper research. Although this unfortunately means sitting in a library or in the lab doing project after project, the pay-off will benefit the individual immensely when they finish their work and even hopefully get published. Research is the backbone to any quality research paper, regardless of discipline. Without research, especially in science, the world would not have progressed as far as it has with medicines and diseases cured.
Fact checking
When conducting research, a student must ensure they are citing works of scholarly origin. This ensures that a student does not put a biased piece of information into their text by accident, such as stating that the Sun rotates around the Earth. Although a student is entitled to their opinion on almost everything they could think of, they have to ensure that their research is backed up by facts and not by what their mother or milk man may have told them to believe.
Consulting with a professional
If a student is struggling to ensure that their research is being properly conducted, they should consult with someone in the department they are working with. The professors of science have conducted years of research and will be able to help a student understand their discipline better.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Freshmen students have not studied as in depth as a senior or a graduate student. Therefore, freshmen conducting scientific research papers should not delve past what they are intended to write about because they are more than likely filling their paper to appear more intelligent. Students must ensure that they are conducting research for their given educational level.