# Fight off the urge to plagiarize



## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

If it is a creative writing paper, i would have finished it a long time ago. Sadly it is not I have to write a 8-page single spaced research paper on environment. I was not about to copy and paste from different sources and put together a 8-page paper because I actually want to write my own work and I don't want to risk the chance of being caught. But 8-pages, come on! I only wish I am knowledgeable enough to write that long.


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## Gossip Goat (Nov 19, 2013)

@natalielu92, when is it due?

Does it have a specific topic?


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## Dao (Sep 13, 2013)

Be honest with your instructor and get his or her help immediately. Tutors are usually available in the department too. Communicate your problem so they can help you! Most instructors appreciate when students do this.

Never plagiarize. It's unethical to steal someone's ideas and claim them as your own. Your professor has probably read the all material on his or her subject as well and will recognize it.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

Gossip Goat said:


> @natalielu92, when is it due?
> 
> Does it have a specific topic?


The first draft is due on April 27th, and the professor will make lots of comments and then give it back to us. We get to choose whatever topic we like. My pick: will higher income eventually reduce environmental degradation


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## Gossip Goat (Nov 19, 2013)

natalielu92 said:


> The first draft is due on April 27th, and the professor will make lots of comments and then give it back to us. We get to choose whatever topic we like. My pick: will higher income eventually reduce environmental degradation


I suggest you read tons of articles (since you still have time). See what would be considered common knowledge (because that does not require citations) whatever is based on experimentation and the likes cite it then add to it.


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## Psychophant (Nov 29, 2013)

If it's college and you get busted, you're failing the class, period. There's a chance you'll get kicked out too if it's really bad, so weigh the risks carefully, because these things are easier to trace back than you might think. An equally unethical, but less risky thing to do would be to pay someone online to write it for you.. uh, but don't do that either.

If it's on the environment, then you're in luck, because there are _so_ many easy to find research papers on that (and you have tons of time to find them). Decide on a thesis, make an outline with body paragraph topic sentences, then find as much decent sounding research as you can and add links into the outline so you have them handy. From there, it's basically just a matter of fluffing it all up with elegant prose and all that Englishy stuff.


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

natalielu92 said:


> The first draft is due on April 27th, and the professor will make lots of comments and then give it back to us. We get to choose whatever topic we like. My pick: will higher income eventually reduce environmental degradation


One questions and a few points from a paper writing savant (wrote 14 pages over two papers in one day, aced both of them. Don't try that):

Question: is your topic set in stone yet? If not, check out point #1. 

1. Don't pick a topic until you've seen how easy it is to research. 
2. Start a word document for research. At this point you can just copy/paste, you're not turning this in. Include the links so you can return and cite them properly. 
2a. Wikipedia is your friend. Not to cite, but you can use their references and see if the topic looks like a good one.
3. Use some sort of organization device. I like to outline, but brainstorming works better for others. 
3a. While you are working on your outline/brainstorm, have your teacher's rubric/assignment handout in front of you. 
4. Google search: riverpoint writer, how to write topic sentences, how to write conclusions. 
5. Is your paper a persuasive or expository paper? It sounds like a persuasive paper, in that case (and you need filler) look up the counter-argument and how to refute that counter argument. You could even post your topic in the Debate Forum here, and ask people to debate you on it.
6. It's a first draft, so if you have any perfectionism tendencies try to repress those. This is more about getting your ideas on paper. 

Hope that helps, feel free to spam questions.

Not only is plagerism bad (mmm kay?) if the teacher is willing to spend time looking at your paper it's pretty easy to spot. This is a good enough excuse to share an anecdote that my wife (middle school teacher) caught a student this year copy pasting from IMDB :laughing:.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

bigstupidgrin said:


> One questions and a few points from a paper writing savant (wrote 14 pages over two papers in one day, aced both of them. Don't try that):
> 
> Question: is your topic set in stone yet? If not, check out point #1.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip! Interesting story too. If there is anything I learnt: never pretend that teachers don't know how to google, because they know better. 
Just a few questions. How many reasons do you think is sufficient for the argument(This would be the longest paper I ever written in my student life)? If I can only think of three does it mean it's not a good topic to write? I am counting on adding more reasons after looking at others research papers. 
What portion of the 8-pages should be used for making a counter-argument?


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## Miharu (Apr 1, 2015)

Pick a topic you have a loooot to say about.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

sibylvane said:


> Pick a topic you have a loooot to say about.


What are some good research topics on development economic? 

Might be a little late to change topic since I already put down 4 pages of rambling essay. :frustrating:


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

natalielu92 said:


> Thanks for the tip! Interesting story too. If there is anything I learnt: never pretend that teachers don't know how to google, because they know better.
> Just a few questions. How many reasons do you think is sufficient for the argument(This would be the longest paper I ever written in my student life)? If I can only think of three does it mean it's not a good topic to write? I am counting on adding more reasons after looking at others research papers.
> What portion of the 8-pages should be used for making a counter-argument?


Hmm, well generally for me each age is two paragraphs per page. However, my papers are 1.5 spaced, so for a single-spaced paper that means I usually have 3 paragraphs per page and 24 paragraphs total. It's a little long, but you might be able to get away with spending one page on the introduction/background. A counter-argument + refuting it shouldn't take up more than one page (3 paragraphs). I would probably send no more than one page on each argument, with points of each argument taking up one paragraph each, if that makes sense. 

Another big rule is always provide evidence and cite what isn't common knowledge. Your citations are going to help fill up the paper as well; but try not to let them take up more than half of any one page. 

Of course, this is a first draft, so it's okay to go long/short, depending on your teacher's expectations.

Also throw the paper into https://www.grammarly.com/ if you have time; fixing grammar errors on your paper is going to take up some time, might as well do it with the first draft.


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## Miharu (Apr 1, 2015)

natalielu92 said:


> What are some good research topics on development economic?
> 
> Might be a little late to change topic since I already put down 4 pages of rambling essay. :frustrating:


Actually, if you have only 4 more to go - you might as well just continue it. And as for topics, that's for you to decide, honestly. 

But if I were you, I'd probably write about the things that we could improve (regarding the economy; is that acceptable?) then back it up with explanations. You could easily fill up 8 pages, I think.


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

natalielu92 said:


> The first draft is due on April 27th, and the professor will make lots of comments and then give it back to us. We get to choose whatever topic we like. My pick: will higher income eventually reduce environmental degradation


Not sure if this means exactly what I think it means, but you could easily compare pollution levels from 3rd world, developing, and developed 1st world countries. It's that developing period that seems to hurt planet Earth the most (think industrial rev. England/America, current day China). As economies transition from low-tech manufacturing to services, pollution goes down. The rub is that can a globalized capitalistic economy only support 1st world counties, or do we need suckers to make the goods we want to buy?


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

I wrote an 11 page paper for Environmental Science class in one night, so I can't say I have much sympathy here. :tongue:
mine was over weighing the pros/cons of imperialism


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Use proper referencing, your own writing creativity and proper understanding of the subject and you won't have that problem.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

bigstupidgrin said:


> Not sure if this means exactly what I think it means, but you could easily compare pollution levels from 3rd world, developing, and developed 1st world countries. It's that developing period that seems to hurt planet Earth the most (think industrial rev. England/America, current day China). As economies transition from low-tech manufacturing to services, pollution goes down. The rub is that can a globalized capitalistic economy only support 1st world counties, or do we need suckers to make the goods we want to buy?


Yes it's exactly what you think it means Thank you! I still haven't pick a side though because I feel like there might be more reasons to argue against it. 

1. Even though empirical study shows the emission of conventional pollutants have been reduced but there are many unknown toxic pollutants and other kind of wastes produced, so the total waste are not getting smaller. 2. The first world countries have create environmental policies and institutions to enforce the discharge of pollution, so companies have shift the manufacturing to developing countries, it is still polluting the environment just in a different place. 3. Wildlife distinction, ecosystem is disrupted.... 

Sometimes when I was writing a paper I thought to myself okay I just put down everything I have to say about this subject, but according to the assignment word limit I am only half way down now what...


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

Swordsman of Mana said:


> I wrote an 11 page paper for Environmental Science class in one night, so I can't say I have much sympathy here. :tongue:
> mine was over weighing the pros/cons of imperialism


Wow, good for you!


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## Beetle (Oct 2, 2014)

I would plagiarize and just change some wording and sentences around. Never got caught. 
But obviously don't listen to me though :laughing:

But yeah, look at other's research papers or articles and fluff up your sentences and use long words. It does really help in upping the page count.


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## Dao (Sep 13, 2013)

Yomiel said:


> An equally unethical, but less risky thing to do would be to pay someone online to write it for you.. uh, but don't do that either.


I second this. Don't do this, OP.

An instructor at a community college I became close with told me about how a student got nailed on this; a TA elsewhere seeking cash on the side noticed the advertisement, traced the student and reported him to the instructor. Academics trawl these listings, especially because they tend to get grouped together with tutor listings, and you never know when you could get reported by one.


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## LostFavor (Aug 18, 2011)

Like the others have said, plagiarizing isn't worth it. Reaching out to tutors, teachers, etc. (or heck, reaching out to strangers like you're doing here) is always a better option than cheating. Not just cause it's unethical but because you most likely will get caught and it will screw up your academic career royally.

That said, if you're struggling with finding enough words, there are basically two major approaches to fixing the problem as I see it: 

1) Fluff it with big words, long sentences, etc. You can even use more academic language to try to make it sound more authoritative (not really my preferred method cause I like to keep things succinct, but it's one approach - you also run the risk of your teacher seeing through the fluff bullshit and giving you a lesser grade for it). 

2) Read more. Find more sources, especially if you need a certain amount of citations in your paper and you're running kinda low. The more sources you have, the easier it's going to be to comprehensively cite and the easier it's going to be to write about the subject.

I always found it helped to take notes while reading a source, marking page or line numbers where I noticed something that stuck out to me for later. That way I could return to it more easily.

Also, when you are fresh from reading a source, always be careful about making sure you cite when a thought is not yours! I used to read a source sometimes and then immediately after, if I paraphrased from it, I'd tend to use some of the same words they did (I did this unconsciously). I had to be wary of plagiarizing accidentally. In other words, when in doubt, cite it.


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## Coburn (Sep 3, 2010)

Keep in mind that odds are if you did choose to plagiarize, you're most definitely not the first one to do so.

Which means the teacher is probably pretty aware of what plagiarism looks like on his assignments and can easily spot it.


As to hiring someone...the scheme is only as smart as the person running it. And seeing as it's college kids who usually offer this service...I wouldn't take a chance on it.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

Pilot said:


> Keep in mind that odds are if you did choose to plagiarize, you're most definitely not the first one to do so.
> 
> Which means the teacher is probably pretty aware of what plagiarism looks like on his assignments and can easily spot it.
> 
> ...


Never try to hire someone to write for me and never will.


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## angularvelocity (Jun 15, 2009)

vivafara said:


> Yes it's exactly what you think it means Thank you! I still haven't pick a side though because I feel like there might be more reasons to argue against it.
> 
> 1. Even though empirical study shows the emission of conventional pollutants have been reduced but there are many unknown toxic pollutants and other kind of wastes produced, so the total waste are not getting smaller. 2. The first world countries have create environmental policies and institutions to enforce the discharge of pollution, so companies have shift the manufacturing to developing countries, it is still polluting the environment just in a different place. 3. Wildlife distinction, ecosystem is disrupted....
> 
> Sometimes when I was writing a paper I thought to myself okay I just put down everything I have to say about this subject, but according to the assignment word limit I am only half way down now what...


Dont forget the use of graphs, tables and figures. They shouldn't be huge, but those can take up a considerable amount of space while also allowing you to discuss the importance of those in your paper. Off the top of my head, I'm sure there are graphs that show average income and environmental waste correlations etc.

and btw - like most said, don't plagiarize. Writing these papers actually go much quicker than you think.

Find your thesis. What do you want this paper to say? Find arguments that support it. Tie articles together and make a case.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

@vivafara:

Citation Machine: Format & Generate Citations â€“ APA, MLA, & Chicago (Keep this handy. You'll need it.)

Read books, articles, etc. Learn about the topic. Form your own opinion about it.

It helps when there's some conflict, so maybe find someone else's views that are against your own, to get some perspective. And to get excited about the topic.

What does income mean for the environment? What ways _could _it affect it, negatively, or positively? Would _less _income be better?

What kind of income are they talking about? Income for people in general, or income put towards the environment?

Ask questions. Take chances. Get messy. Make mistakes. :kitteh:


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

This is just simple math. 

Look at the consequences of plagiarism. It will probably result in _at least_ a zero for the assignment. Next, look at the consequences for a late paper. Maybe 10% off? One of those seems doable. Next, look at what percent of your final grade the paper is. If it's 20%, a 10% deduction is 2% of your final grade and less than a third of a letter grade, while a zero for the assignment is literally two entire letter grades. This is not a difficult decision. 

To extend a paper, if "eight pages" is just that, and not actually something like 2400 words, figure out how to use footnotes intelligently. They will both make you look clever, and burn up a lot of space. They're really a win-win. Have a topical, yet slightly tangential idea in mind that will disrupt the flow of the paper? Throw it in a footnote!


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

Random aside: in my school copying off of your own work is considered plagiarism.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

Just_Some_Guy said:


> This is just simple math.
> 
> Look at the consequences of plagiarism. It will probably result in _at least_ a zero for the assignment. Next, look at the consequences for a late paper. Maybe 10% off? One of those seems doable. Next, look at what percent of your final grade the paper is. If it's 20%, a 10% deduction is 2% of your final grade and less than a third of a letter grade, while a zero for the assignment is literally two entire letter grades. This is not a difficult decision.
> 
> To extend a paper, if "eight pages" is just that, and not actually something like 2400 words, figure out how to use footnotes intelligently. They will both make you look clever, and burn up a lot of space. They're really a win-win. Have a topical, yet slightly tangential idea in mind that will disrupt the flow of the paper? Throw it in a footnote!


The ideas are just getting better and better. Use a footnote...hmm let me find out how to use it first.


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## Vivafara (Apr 2, 2015)

bigstupidgrin said:


> Random aside: in my school copying off of your own work is considered plagiarism.


What!? That's bizarre I'm not allow to copy some of my old paper to my new paper? I don't understand the rationale behind this.

It's funny today in class. One student recommended a website that to help us generate the proper citation. And the professor said, "I don't really care if your paper is cited properly as long as you have some sort of citation. I will not tolerate plagiarism." Lol


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## WitchPuddin (Jul 13, 2014)

Well, without graphs, I think that would be around a 4000 word paper. (Probably much less with)

I would plan everything out and break up the paper into four even sections that you can finish on separate days, because if it's only 1000 words a day over 4 days or so, that's much more manageable.

If you haven't begun your paper, start as soon as possible.

I've learned the hard way that you shouldn't put off large works.

And If you have access to Mac's 'Numbers', it's much easier to use than Excel to make graphs, IMO.


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