How to Remove Plagiarism from Your Essay

How to Remove Plagiarism from an Essay (Step-by-Step)

In the world of academia, plagiarism is one of the most serious offenses. It undermines the principles of intellectual honesty and can lead to severe consequences, from a failing grade to suspension or even expulsion. While some plagiarism is intentional, a significant portion is accidental, stemming from improper paraphrasing, incorrect citation, or a misunderstanding of academic rules.

For international students, the challenge is even greater. Navigating a new educational system with different standards for academic integrity, all while writing in a second language, can make it easy to fall into common plagiarism traps.

The good news is that if you've run your essay through a plagiarism checker and received a high similarity score, it's not the end of the world. You can fix it. At everessay.com, a professional essay writing service dedicated to providing plagiarism-free academic help, we've guided thousands of students through this exact process. This step-by-step guide will show you how to identify, correct, and remove plagiarism from your work effectively.

Step 1: Identify the Plagiarism with a Reliable Checker

Before you can fix the problem, you need to know exactly where it is. Don't rely on free, obscure websites that may be inaccurate or could even store your data. Use a reputable plagiarism checker.

• University Tools (like Turnitin): Most universities provide access to software like Turnitin. This is the gold standard, as it's likely the same tool your professor will use.
• Trusted Services (like Grammarly Premium): Paid services often include a high-quality plagiarism checker that compares your text against a massive database of academic papers and web pages.

Once you have your report, do not panic at the percentage. The report highlights matching text, not necessarily plagiarism. Your job is to analyze these highlighted sections to determine why they are flagged.

Step 2: Analyze the Highlighted Sections

Go through your report section by section and categorize each instance of matching text. You will likely find one of the following issues:

• Direct Plagiarism: A sentence or passage has been copied word-for-word from a source without any quotation marks or citation. This is the most serious type.
• Mosaic Plagiarism (Patchwriting): This is a very common trap. It occurs when you take a sentence, change a few words using a thesaurus, but keep the original sentence structure and core phrasing. It is still considered plagiarism.
• Improper Citation: You may have cited the source, but you failed to use quotation marks for a direct quote. Or, you paraphrased but forgot to include an in-text citation.
• Self-Plagiarism: You reused content from a previous essay you wrote for another class without getting permission from your instructor.

Understanding the type of issue will tell you how to fix it.

Step 3: Choose Your Correction Method (The 4 R's)

For each highlighted section, you have four primary methods of correction. Think of them as the "4 R's" of removing plagiarism.

1. Rewrite (The Art of True Paraphrasing)

This is your most powerful tool. Proper paraphrasing is not just changing words; it's about completely reformulating an idea in your own voice.

• Read and Understand: Read the original sentence or paragraph until you fully grasp its meaning.
• Look Away: Put the original source out of sight. This is a crucial step to avoid accidentally copying the structure.
• Write it in Your Own Words: Explain the concept as if you were teaching it to a friend. Use your own vocabulary and sentence structure.
• Compare and Cite: Once you're done, compare your version to the original to ensure you've preserved the meaning accurately. Then, add an in-text citation at the end of the sentence.

Example:
* Original Source: "The rapid proliferation of digital technologies has fundamentally transformed communication patterns, enabling instantaneous global connectivity but also fostering ideological echo chambers."
* Incorrect Paraphrasing (Patchwriting): The fast spread of digital tools has basically changed communication styles, allowing for quick worldwide connection but also creating ideological bubbles. (This is plagiarism).
* Correct Paraphrasing: Modern communication has been completely reshaped by the swift advance of digital technology. While these tools allow people across the globe to connect in an instant, they also contribute to the problem of people only being exposed to opinions they already agree with (Author, Year).

2. Quote

If the original author's wording is particularly powerful, unique, or is a specific definition you need to use, quote it directly.

• Use Quotation Marks: Place the copied text inside quotation marks ("...").
• Cite Immediately: Follow the quote with a proper in-text citation according to your required style (APA, MLA, etc.).
• Don't Overdo It: Essays should primarily consist of your own analysis. Use direct quotes sparingly to support your points, not to make them for you.

3. Reference (Cite Everything)

This is a non-negotiable rule. Every single idea, statistic, fact, or piece of information that did not come from your own brain needs a citation.

• Paraphrased ideas need a citation.
• Direct quotes need a citation.
• Data and statistics need a citation.

If a sentence is flagged for plagiarism, your first check should be: "Did I include a citation?" Often, simply adding the correct citation is the fix.

4. Remove

Sometimes, a highlighted sentence is not essential to your argument. If it's a minor detail or a redundant point and you're struggling to paraphrase it effectively, ask yourself: "Do I really need this sentence?" If the answer is no, the simplest solution is to delete it.

Step 4: Re-Run the Plagiarism Check

After you've gone through your essay and applied the "4 R's" to all the highlighted sections, run it through the plagiarism checker again. Your similarity score should be significantly lower. The goal isn't necessarily 0% (common phrases and correctly cited sources will still be flagged), but you should see that the problematic direct matches have been eliminated.

The Ultimate Solution When Writing Is Too Much Hassle

As you can see, removing plagiarism is a meticulous and time-consuming process. It requires a strong command of academic English, a deep understanding of citation rules, and a lot of patience. For many students, especially those studying abroad, it's an overwhelming task on top of an already heavy workload.

If you find yourself struggling, remember that you don't have to do it alone. Instead of risking your grade on accidental plagiarism, you can turn to a reliable, professional academic writing service.

Everessay is here to help. Our team of expert writers specializes in creating 100% original, custom essays from scratch. We offer:

• Guaranteed Plagiarism-Free Essays: Every paper is written to your exact requirements and checked with sophisticated software to ensure its originality.
• Professional Essay Writers: Our writers are native English speakers with advanced degrees who are experts in academic writing and proper citation.
• Urgent Essay Help: Facing a tight deadline? We can deliver high-quality, original work quickly.
• Specialized Support for International Students: We provide dedicated essay writing help for non-native speakers, ensuring your work is not only plagiarism-free but also grammatically perfect and well-argued.

Don't let the stress of academic writing hold you back. Pay someone to write your essay and get the expert, reliable help you need. Visit everessay.com today for a custom, plagiarism-free essay that will meet the highest academic standards.```