Avoiding Plagiarism in the EE. Essential Tools and Techniques

Plagiarism is a major no-no in your Extended Essay, and dodging it is critical to keeping your academic cred and crushing it. From what I’ve seen as an IB writer, many students accidentally copy stuff just because they don’t understand what plagiarism is or how to steer clear of it. Let’s vibe through the must-have tools and tricks to keep you on point and make your EE writing flow easier.

What Is Plagiarism in the Extended Essay?

In the IB Extended Essay, plagiarism means claiming someone else’s thoughts, words, or work as your own without giving them credit. It’s taken very seriously whether the plagiarism is intentional or by mistake.

The IB certainly has the right to be strict about this, as the whole point of the extended essay is to show how well you can study and come up with your reasons. If you copy someone else’s work without giving them credit, these goals are lost.

IB standards say that creativity and critical thinking are two of the most essential parts of the EE. Students shouldn’t just repeat what other people have said; they should be able to examine and assemble different pieces of knowledge. Plagiarism, in my opinion, shows a lack of effort or knowledge and reflects poorly on the student’s academic integrity.

The severe repercussions of plagiarism include a failed grade on the Extended Essay or even losing your diploma. I don’t think the risk is worth it.

From what I’ve seen, students often get it wrong when they think they don’t need to cite a source when they paraphrase or lightly rewrite it. This is a huge mistake. You must credit the person who created the idea even if you wrote something down. One of the best ways to avoid plagiarism and maintain originality is to learn how to cite sources correctly.

Plagiarism can have serious repercussions, including losing your license, whether planned or not. Every student should put plagiarism at the top of their list of things to do to avoid it in the Extended Essay. I believe the best way to handle giving thanks to sources is to be too careful.

What Are the Common Types of Plagiarism in the Extended Essay?

Plagiarism in the Extended Essay can appear in many ways, and knowing what they are is essential to dodge any slip-ups that could mess with your IB diploma. From what I’ve seen, a lot of students accidentally plagiarize just because they don’t get all the ways it can happen. If you know what to watch for, you can dodge a lot of drama later.

Below, I’ve listed the most common kinds of plagiarism students find in their Extended Essays so you can spot them and avoid them.

Direct Plagiarism

This is the most straightforward form of plagiarism: taking someone else’s words exactly as they appear in a source without using quotation marks or giving credit. If you’re careful, I think this is the easiest form to avoid, but students often do it when they’re in a hurry to finish their reports or don’t keep track of their sources properly.

Using someone else’s exact words, you must quote and cite them according to IB rules. Not doing this can be a severe breach of academic honesty.

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism may seem odd, but I know it happens when students use parts of their work without permission or credit. Self-plagiarism occurs when you use parts of an Internal Assessment or an essay you did for a different class in your Extended Essay.

Remember that even your work needs to be treated with the same scholarly standards as other sources. That’s what I think is most important.

Paraphrasing Plagiarism

Many students copy too closely from the source without mentioning it. This is a bad habit that they should avoid.

The thoughts belong to the original author, even if you’ve changed the words. Many students make this mistake when they think that changing a few words means they don’t have to cite the source. Do not believe this!

Mosaic Plagiarism

Patchwork plagiarism, another name for mosaic plagiarism, occurs when students combine parts of different sources’ texts to make their own without crediting the original authors.

This kind of plagiarism can be tricky because the person may not copy whole text sections but rather take small pieces from different sources without credit. It seems especially dangerous because it’s easy to miss if you’re not careful.

Accidental Plagiarism

This option is one of the most annoying kinds of plagiarism for students because they don’t mean to do it. Accidental plagiarism happens to me when students either forget to cite a source or don’t know they need to.

Facts that aren’t general knowledge should always have a reference, but many students mistakenly think they don’t. Always take the precautionary approach and credit everything to avoid accidental plagiarism.

How to Avoid Plagiarism in the Extended Essay?

Now that you’ve got the lowdown on plagiarism let’s look into how to avoid it in EE writing. From what I’ve seen, starting with solid preventive moves is the ultimate way to keep your work clean and free from those mistakes.

Check out these steps to maintain academic integrity and whip up an EE that shows off your brainpower.

Start with Proper Research Habits

First, you must learn to conduct research well to avoid plagiarizing in the EE. It means that you need to be apparent from the start. When students do their research, one of the biggest mistakes they often make is insufficient sources. Always write down a lot of notes as you read your study materials.

Make it clear which ideas are your own, which ones you’re summarizing, and which are straight quotes. I’ve learned that it’s easy to forget where information came from if you try to rush through this process or skip steps.

Here are some habits that can help you stay on track:

• Make a new document for your notes and name them.
• Use highlighters or color coding to tell the difference between your thoughts and the information you’ve taken.
• Write down the source information immediately, including the author, title, release date, and page number, even if you’re not sure you’ll use it in your essay.
• Before you quote or paraphrase, you should always write down the complete reference of the source.

Starting these habits early on will help you stay organized throughout the process and save you time and stress when you start putting together your Extended Essay.

Use Proper Citation Styles

The IB lets you use different reference types, like MLA, APA, and Chicago, and you must stick to one throughout your EE. From my observation, uneven reference is a common problem that can make your writing look less trustworthy. It may seem small, but according to IB standards, picking a reference style is essential to showing your study correctly.

If you’re unsure which style to use, it’s best to ask your Extended Essay supervisor. Different subjects may have different tastes when it comes to citation styles.

No matter your style, ensure all your sources are correctly mentioned, in-text, and in a complete list. It includes any sources that you quote or summarize.

Master Quoting and Paraphrasing Techniques

Choose the right amount of paraphrasing and quoting. I’ve seen that using quotes too often can break up your essay and make it hard to follow your point. On the other hand, wrong paraphrasing without giving credit can be the same as doing plagiarism without meaning to. Mastering quoting and paraphrasing is very important to avoid plagiarism in the EE.

When the exact words of a source are essential to your case, you need to quote them. Quotes should be used rarely, though. The voice of your thoughts should come through in the essay, not the writers you’re quoting. Also, you should cite all your sources, even if you only changed a few words.

Essential Tools to Detect and Avoid Plagiarism in EE

We’re lucky to live in a time when technology can help us. Many tools can help you avoid plagiarizing, and I’ve found that using them early and often is essential.

Online Plagiarism Checkers

I really think you should use a plagiarism tool like Turnitin or Grammarly on the final draft of your Extended Essay. These tools can check your work against billions of internet sources and find instances of copying you may not have meant to do. This step can help you avoid problems before you send in your EE.

Citation Generators

It can be easier to cite sources when you use tools like EasyBib or Citation Machine. But you should always check the created sources again to ensure they are correct.

Such tools are helpful but occasionally make small mistakes, so it’s always a good idea to check everything yourself.

Reference Management Software

Tools like Zotero and Mendeley can help you organize your research and make notes instantly if you have a lot of sources to track.

These tools are beneficial if you have a lot of study to do for your EE. I’ve seen students do well in their writing because they have a good way of keeping track of their sources.

Conclusion

If you do these things, you can confidently go into your Extended Essay knowing you’ve done everything possible to avoid plagiarism. To be academically honest, you should stay organized, learn how to properly cite sources, and use the available tools to check your work. This way, your EE will show how hard you worked on it, setting you up for success in the IB program.

Our IB Writing Service is here to help if you get stuck or need extra help. We’ve been writing IB essays for decades and have mastered every part.