Nothing can damage an academic reputation or student record more than an accusation of Plagiarism.

Even the hint of an accusation can impact your grades or your livelihood, so it is essential to turn in copy and assignments that are completely plagiarism-free.

While some plagiarism is intentional, most is not. Improper citations and quotes that are not correctly identified are considered plagiarism as well.

Since it is critical to avoid plagiarism in all forms, writers and students should routinely use an online Plagiarism Checker before submitting work.

What Is a Plagiarism Checker?

A plagiarism checker is a piece of software available online that can check a document or a portion of a document for duplicate or plagiarised content. The Checker scans the Internet for other uses of the same phrases, terms or quotes. In some cases, a sensitive plagiarism checker can also detect similarities in wording and paraphrasing.

Plagiarism checkers look for direct quotes and similar wording between your document and other pieces of content online. Quotes cited correctly are not plagiarism, but will still be detected by plagiarism detectors, as will similar sentences, paragraphs, phrases, and titles. Common word pairings and uses are not considered plagiarism — a detector that is so sensitive it picks up common word combinations would not be very useful.

A plagiarism checker compares your document with others and highlights the similarities. This allows you to ensure your quotes are cited properly and that you have not been inadvertently influenced too much by one source. If you get a positive result from a plagiarism checker, you can go back and correct the problematic part. If you submit an important document without checking, you could end up in trouble and with a failing grade, so taking this extra step is a critical part of the writing process.

Plagiarism detectors are available online from a variety of brands; I have tested each plagiarism checker with the same passage to give you an idea of how effectively they work. Discovering which plagiarism checker is reliable and accurate will give you the best possible results. I've included a review of the plagiarism checker by Grammarly and other brands to help you make the best selection for your needs. 

Why Use a Plagiarism Checker?

Since plagiarism checkers can swiftly scan your entire document and compare it to others found online, it is an effective way to ensure you’ve created an entirely original piece and that you have cited any sources or quotes properly. Consider a plagiarism checker an essential part of writing — just like spellcheck software — that ensures your document or paper is the best it can be.

Plagiarism checkers can be used to cross-check text for duplicated content (this may include quoted material, paraphrased material, similarities in wording, etc.). This essential writing tool helps to ensure that the text is original and correctly cited.

Plagiarism checkers offer you a variety of benefits and can help ensure your work is the best it can be. In an academic setting, a plagiarism detector prevents a wide range of problems and can help you polish and prepare your work for submitting.

Benefits of Using Plagiarism Checkers for Your Writing

Superior Results

Google is good for many things — if you need to know when a local shop is open, you are looking for directions, or you're shopping for something new, you can’t beat Google’s results. If you want to check your document for plagiarism, though, Google can be hit or miss.

This is problematic because Google could give you false results and tell you that your own paper is just fine (when there are incorrectly cited quotes or other issues). You could submit a flawed paper that doesn’t get the grade you deserve or that triggers an academic review.

If Google gets it wrong and says you have plagiarism, even though you have correctly cited your work, you could end up making unnecessary changes that weaken the document. This also adds time to the process and could end up impacting your grade. Using a plagiarism checker like Turnitin from the start eliminates these risks.

Clarity

Even if a search engine like Google can find a phrase or piece from your document online, it is not always clear where that piece is. Google may return a page for results but not give you the details you need to find the problem. This is incredibly frustrating and could lead to a paper you're not entirely happy with. 

High-Quality, Detailed Matches

When you use a free plagiarism checker, you get a detailed report of the matches found along with a percentage of the document that is considered to be duplicate content. This is useful because even a document that has quotes that are properly cited could get a lower grade if you have too many of them. If quotes and other properly cited phrases are too large of a percentage of your paper, it could impact your grade. 

Peace of Mind

When you use a plagiarism checker for your work, you can submit it with confidence, knowing it is free of duplicate content and that every part of it is cited properly and ready for review. This simple step can eliminate risk, improve your work and reduce the stress and anxiety that comes when it is time to submit a document you've worked on for a long time. 

For Writers

If you're creating content for a client or publication, running your finished piece through a plagiarism checker can help you spot any quotes that need citations. Running a quote through a checker can help you find and authenticate the source, too. 

One of the worst things you can do as a writer is turn in copy with plagiarised content, even accidentally. The editor who finds the copied content will likely reject the piece and refuse to work with you in the future.

Which Plagiarism Checker Do Teachers Use?

Teachers use a wide range of tools to check for plagiarism, including the free checkers listed below. Since they have the same access to tools you do, running your document through a free plagiarism checker before submitting ensures you know what kind of results they will get.

Some teachers still rely on Google, but more savvy instructors will use a plagiarism checker like Turnitin, so you should do the same, just in case.

Which Plagiarism Checkers Are Available for Students?

You have several options when it comes to checking your document online:

• Turnitin: This plagiarism checker is used by many courses and programs and is available through Brightspace. This detector is often in official use for a course and used to check submissions automatically against a variety of sources.
• Grammarly: You may know Grammarly for their writing improvement and proofreading tools, but they also have a robust and useful plagiarism detector.
• WriteCheck: This is another version of Turnitin, available for students to check for plagiarism.
• Google: While it is not terribly effective, some teachers use Google to detect plagiarism. This works best for direct quotes and entire passages but is not sensitive enough to pick up paraphrasing in many cases.

Below is a detailed look at each of these options, so you can decide which one is best for you. I tested each tool with a piece of copied text, some paraphrasing, and an improperly cited quote to see what they picked up.

What Is the Best Plagiarism Checker for Students? Our Reviews May Surprise You!

I reviewed the plagiarism checkers below to get the latest insights on this important process — here's what you need to know about these useful tools: 

Turnitin

When you ask which plagiarism checker universities use, this is the one you're likely to hear in response. While there is no way to check this from the student-facing side (without submitting a document to a teacher) here's what you should know about Turnitin. 

Turnitin is a software solution for schools, sold by a business, to a business, so you can't check your own individual work. You should understand what it does and the benefits the brand promises to the school. According to Turnitin's sales materials, every document that is submitted to a teacher through the portal is scanned and checked. Turnitin stresses that it is more than a plagiarism checker and that it provides a comprehensive and proprietary scoring system for each piece it scans. The brand provides a “similarity index,” a percentage score and a report that gives teachers more insight into the piece. 

• Cost: Turnitin is sold to schools, not students, so you can't buy access or an account. You can access it free if your teacher is using it.
• Pros: This is a sophisticated piece of software and able to provide teachers with accurate details about your piece. 
• Cons: You can't run your paper through on your own before submitting it. 

If your teacher is using Turnitin, you should run your paper through another plagiarism checker before submitting it. This is a good practice before you submit any paper, but absolutely essential if your teacher is using Turnitin. 

Learn More About Turnitin

Grammarly

Grammarly has both a paid and a free plagiarism detector; this feature is offered alongside the proofreading tools the site is known for. You can access Grammarly for free and check your paper in an instant. Our results are detailed below. 

• Cost: Free, with a premium version available. 
• Pros: Fast, free and easy to use, Grammarly also proofreads your document and checks for a wide range of issues. 
• Cons: Reporting is not as robust as other tools. 

I ran our passage through Grammarly. While it did pick up intentional plagiarism and an improperly cited quote, it allowed a pretty heavily and obviously paraphrased passage through. Here are the results: 

See my comprehensive Grammarly Review.

Try Grammarly

Paper Rater

This plagiarism detector is free and easy to use; it asks questions about your paper before it is checked. You can indicate your grade level, what type of paper it is and other factors before checking. Note that pushing the “premium” button will automatically transfer you to Grammarly. 

• Cost: Free.
• Pros: Fast and easy to use.
• Cons: This plagiarism checker was not as accurate as Grammarly – it did not detect the obvious plagiarism in my passage – and opting for the premium version offered in the results transferred us to Grammarly. Save time and use Grammarly or another detector from the start to avoid issues. 

Try Paper Rater

Unicheck

This plagiarism checker offers plenty of features but requires more details to get started. While the other checkers on our list allow you to just drop in a passage and go, this one requires a login and some additional details. 

• Cost: Varied, I was quoted $15 to check the submitted passage and 99 others. 
• Pros: Unknown, premium access required. 
• Cons: Promoted as a free service, Unicheck requires you to pay before your paper is checked, but it doesn't tell you this until you enter your email, personal details, and your paper. 

Try Unicheck

PlagScan

This is a paid plagiarism checker, but one that does offer a free trial. You do have to sign up to use this program, but the signup is fast, easy and does not require a credit card for the trial period. Once my email was verified, I received immediate free credits — enough to check the passage and some future papers as well. 

• Cost: You get 20 credits free – after that, 100 credits will cost you $12.00
• Pros: Very sensitive checker that picked up all of the intentional plagiarism and paraphrasing. Robust reporting and easy-to-read details. 
• Cons: Not many, though you do have to share your email and details to access the checker. 

Try PlagScan

ProWritingAid

This versatile plagiarism checker offers some additional features that make it suitable for all kinds of writing in addition to being easy to use. The free trial version offers a full lineup of tools and robust reporting. 

• Cost: Free version available
• Pros: Very comprehensive list of potential issues to check beyond plagiarism, including overused words and other components that could improve your writing if addressed. 
• Cons: Few, this is a useful and fully functioning program. A beginner could find the sheer number of choices overwhelming, but it is intuitive and easy to use. 

See my full ProWritingAid Review.

Try ProWritingAid

So Which Plagiarism Checker Is Best? 

By deliberately inserting plagiarised and paraphrased passages, there was an advantage of knowing what the detector “should” uncover. Of the brands above, all but Paper Rater picked up on the plagiarised passages. Two, including PlagScan and ProWritingAid, also identified the paraphrased sections, making these slightly more sensitive and useful. 

Grammarly and ProWritingAid also offered additional perks, including proofreading and insights into grammar.

I would consider using ProWritingAid for its versatility if you are interested in the best combo of comprehensive detection and editing tools — and don't mind paying for the service. The free version of PlagScan was a favorite, as well, and picked up everything I expected it to. 

Add one or more of these plagiarism detectors to your writer's toolbox and you'll never have to worry about the work you're submitting again. 

The post Best Free Plagiarism Checker for 2020: A Detailed Guide appeared first on Become a Writer Today.