What Counts as Plagiarism
Plagiarism isn't just copying entire paragraphs — it's any instance where you present someone else's ideas, words, or structure as your own without proper attribution. In a literature review, common forms include:
- Direct copying: Using an author's exact words without quotation marks and a citation
- Patchwriting: Changing a few words from the original but keeping the same sentence structure
- Inadequate paraphrasing: Rewriting content too closely to the original phrasing
- Missing citations: Presenting ideas from a source without referencing the author
- Self-plagiarism: Reusing your own previously submitted work without acknowledgment
Paraphrasing vs Rewriting
Effective paraphrasing means expressing someone else's idea in your own words and your own sentence structure. Simply swapping synonyms while keeping the same structure (patchwriting) still counts as plagiarism in most universities.
Tip: Read the source, close it, and write what you understood in your own words. Then compare with the original to ensure your version is genuinely different. Always add the citation.
Common Referencing Mistakes
- Using in-text citations without a corresponding reference list entry (or vice versa)
- Incorrect formatting — mixing APA and Harvard styles, for example
- Citing secondary sources as if you read the original
- Forgetting page numbers for direct quotations
- Over-relying on a single source in one section
How Turnitin Is Used
Turnitin compares your submission against a massive database of academic papers, websites, and previously submitted student work. It generates a "similarity score" — but it's important to understand that this score is a starting point, not a verdict.
- A similarity score of under 15% is generally acceptable, though this varies by university
- High similarity in your reference list or properly quoted text is normal and expected
- Examiners focus on where the matches occur — a 5% match in your argument is more concerning than 20% in your bibliography
- Some universities now also run AI-detection scans to check whether content was generated by language models
At DissertationLog, every piece of work we deliver includes both a Turnitin plagiarism report and an AI-detection report, giving you full transparency and confidence before submission. Learn more about our quality assurance process.
Summary
Avoiding plagiarism in your literature review requires genuine paraphrasing, consistent referencing, and an understanding of how tools like Turnitin evaluate your work. Don't risk your academic career with shortcuts — invest in proper writing practices or seek expert academic support that guarantees originality.