![Screenshot_20221011-082616.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZ9SfhviXBwVZjDd1wxSJFzuQ4nL4D6eu1K8eZQyzoLBp/Screenshot_20221011-082616.png) ^{made with markup app} ### Hello Friends! ***How do you do? I would like to seize this opportunity to thank everyone who always posts in Steem4nigeria. Thanks for keeping our community active! But I want to remind us to always remain original because Steemit is designed to reward original content creators, it's known as Proof Of Brain (POB).*** ***I know it might be difficult to avoid plagiarism since we're living in an internet era where information can be easily accessed just with our fingertips. But we have to try and keep original to keep Steemit clean and devoid of copied and scam content. In this article, I will intimate us what plagiarism is, and the possible ways we can avoid it.*** --- --- ### What Is Plagiarism? ![Screenshot_20221021-204613.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZc768ei6uy3gq66pxD8SYrBCjkr9zpf3Jx1pT89UU4L8/Screenshot_20221021-204613.png) ^{made with polish app} ***Plagiarism is the intentional stealing of someone's idea or wordings and posing as yours, without giving credit to the rightful owner. Plagiarism can happen accidentally though, and this is when you don't properly reference the right source of information, word, or image, or you copied yourself.*** ***The simple act of copying and pasting can seem harmlessly fun, you know you don't need to think. But it has a serious implication in this prestigious platform, and even in other professional settings.*** --- --- ### Reasons We Should Avoid Plagiarism: ![Screenshot_20221022-055346.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmb83CWCPDEndS72ALbkCVUgdWh9V7SZpobaoCjUbmjPG4/Screenshot_20221022-055346.png) ^{made with markup app} ***Plagiarism is an act of dishonesty and it's highly prohibited in Steemit and steem4nigeria community.*** ***If you're caught guilty of plagiarism then you will be subjected to sanctions like:*** ***(1) Being downvoted with a very big account with Fat Steem Power (SP) like the SC01 and SC02 accounts. Oh, this reminds me of the @hungry-griffin too! Do you know what that means? Your visibility will be reduced to zero likewise your reputation.*** ***Dear members and friends of Steem4nigeria we need to be on the watch out because a team led by @abuse-watcher is out to fight plagiarism in the Steemit platform, and hungry-griffin is supporting this detective. Ah you know what that means, let's flee from plagiarism, spamming, copywriting infringement, scams, etc. Let's help in keeping our precious platform clean!*** ***(2) Steem4nigeria has zero tolerance for plagiarism, you will be tagged a plagiarist if you're guilty, and if you persist in the act then we won't hesitate to mute you.*** ***(3) you will lose your reputation and the respect of other users.*** ***This is how serious plagiarism is, simply don't take credit for the original Author of a particular idea, and hope to benefit from it.*** --- --- ### Ways To Avoid Plagiarism: ![Screenshot_20221022-055131.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNVgnG5Ue1WdHNAVgCmjw1BdNNeGMuDpBxCENWe8mafuk/Screenshot_20221022-055131.png) ^{made with polish app} - ***Always reference any idea, image, or wording that is not yours.*** - ***Include quotation marks around any text that is not yours. Use this icon `>` if you quote verbatim from a blog and cite the source at the end of the quote to help your readers to gets to know the person you're quoting from*** - ***paraphrasing, but be careful not to slip into plagiarism, and as long as the main has not changed, cite the source.*** ***I will advise you always present your idea instead of parroting the source's idea or words. We are free to explore a particular topic and then write about it ourselves. You can ask yourself what unique points or perspectives can I contribute to my content which is absolutely mine.*** --- --- ### Things To Consider Before Hitting The posting Button: - ***Always proofread your content and make the necessary corrections before posting it.*** - ***Even when you're the one who solely creates your post, still check for plagiarism to be on the safer side.*** - ***you can use any of these plagiarism tools to scan your content before posting it:*** - https://smallseotools.com/plagiarism-checker/ - https://www.grammarly.com/plagiarism-checker?utm_medium=content - https://www.duplichecker.com/ - ***Properly reference any image that is not yours and make sure it's free to use. Note Images with watermarks are not free.*** - ***You can always source for free images using these sites:*** - https://www.pexels.com/ https://unsplash.com/ https://pixabay.com/ - ***Don't be in a haste to make a post, always take your time to think creatively about what to write, and how it will benefits other users, then you will come out with something beautiful.*** - ***Don't fail to pay attention to little details, so that you may not fall victim. Let's flee from plagiarism and keep Steemit clean!***

![Screenshot_20221021-201227.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmTayWcvW1td8yJjmEop6mf5rVee9aCcH7gkkkt6puzTB9/Screenshot_20221021-201227.png)