Is it Really Necessary to Use a Plagiarism Checker for Your Thesis?
Do You Need a Plagiarism Checker?
Many students run their work through a plagiarism checker before the printing and binding process. However, they’re often left wondering whether it was really a necessary step. This fact is clear: If you don’t use a plagiarism checker, your university definitely will do so during the thesis or dissertation evaluation process.
A plagiarism checker essentially verifies that the text you are submitting is your own intellectual property. Of course, you are supposed to use existing research in your research paper, however, every single passage that you quote has to be properly referenced.
Errors are far too common, so these checkers will verify that you’ve properly identified any sources used. If you’re not 100% certain that your referencing is correct in your dissertation, then you should absolutely consider having a plagiarism checker run over your document.
NOTE: Mistakenly citing a source incorrectly is still considered as plagiarism (even if you only forget a detail such as the year it was published). Careless errors like this can lead to drastic consequences and you could even fail your thesis or dissertation.
Plagiarism Software: Free or with a Fee?
Once you’ve made the decision to use a plagiarism checker, you’ll notice that there’s two options online: free or fee-based. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, so we’ll examine each option in detail for you.
The Pros and Cons of Free Plagiarism Checkers
Various online providers offer free plagiarism software. Naturally, directly choosing the cheapest option sounds like a good idea for your student budget, but you should be aware of the pros and cons.
Free plagiarism checker pros:
- They’re free
Free plagiarism checker cons:
- Confusing data protection policies
- Dodgy providers
- Hidden costs for complete versions
- Character or word limits
A free plagiarism checker will save you money, but there’s also the risk that your dissertation or research paper won’t be properly checked. A lot of the free providers use algorithms that only check every third or fourth sentence of your paper, as opposed to the entire thing. If you use a free plagiarism checker, you may still end up with referencing errors in your paper.
Additionally, many of these free providers are located outside of Europe and therefore, aren’t subject to European data protection laws. If your data isn’t properly stored, it may be shared outside of the company’s database. In the worst case scenario, your thesis or dissertation might even be published without your permission, before it’s submitted to your university.
Another data protection disadvantage is that many free plagiarism checker providers save your uploaded master’s thesis or essay to their databank indefinitely. This means that even after you’ve submitted your research paper, your intellectual property could be shared around the internet without your permission.
Warning: There’s a chance that your university uses the same plagiarism checker to verify your dissertation, master’s thesis or research paper. This means that your entire paper will appear as plagiarism, because some plagiarism software providers save the uploaded papers before adding them to their databank as a source text.
Advantages of a Professional Plagiarism Checker
In the end, it’s completely your decision whether or not you should choose a professional, fee-based plagiarism detector. If you’re not too concerned about the data protection policies (or lack of) and your paper is a shorter essay or term paper, then a free plagiarism detector may be fine. However, for a milestone project such as a master’s thesis or a dissertation, a professional, fee-based plagiarism detector is worth considering. Plus, spending money on your academic work is definitely a good investment.
Checklist for Finding Trustworthy Plagiarism Checker Providers
Once you’ve decided between free and fee-based plagiarism detectors, you need to find a trustworthy provider. We have created a list with some easily-identifiable features you should look out for:
- How professional is the provider? Check out the terms and conditions along with their presence on other websites. Go with your gut if you have a funny feeling!
- What are their ratings? Take a look at some independent rating websites.
- How long does the plagiarism software take? If it only takes two minutes, there’s no way the plagiarism checker can be looking at every sentence in your document.
- Data storage: Your thesis or dissertation should be removed from the provider’s server within 24 hours after being checked for plagiarism. Read through the terms and conditions to make sure this is the case!
- Price: Remember, expensive does not necessarily equal high quality. Compare the prices from different providers- prices are normally based on the word count.
- Registration: Registration is time you don’t have to waste! Plus, the provider is simply collecting information about you that just isn’t necessary.
Our Recommendation: The Plagiarism Checker from BachelorPrint
Using the checklist above, we found a service that will save you time and money. BachelorPrint stands out as a top plagiarism software provider. Their plagiarism checker is user-friendly, affordable, and thorough.
Plus, you don’t need to worry about the safety of your data. BachelorPrint deletes all data from their server within 24 hours after the plagiarism check has been completed!
But there’s more! It only takes approx. 10 minutes for BachelorPrint to conduct the plagiarism check on your research paper, dissertation or master’s thesis.
There’s no lengthy registration, you get good value for your money and there’s countless satisfied institutions and students who can vouch for BachelorPrint’s services.
The advantages of BachelorPrint’s plagiarism checker:
- Full check of your document in approx. 10 minutes
- Detailed plagiarism report with links to the sources to ensure quick improvements
- Every sentence is checked
- Scans a databank with billions of sources
- The best value for your money!
The 3 Steps to the BachelorPrint Plagiarism Checker
In just a few clicks, your dissertation, research paper or thesis will be analysed by BachelorPrint’s plagiarism checker.
Step 1: Uploading
The first step is to upload your thesis or dissertation to the BachelorPrint server. There’s no need to reformat your document into a PDF or anything else- the plagiarism test tool from BachelorPrint accepts all normal file formats!
Step 2: Checking
During the plagiarism checking process, your essay or dissertation is split up into many smaller sections with the help of an algorithm within the plagiarism checker. These sections are then compared with billions of sources that are stored in a databank. The identified plagiarism is gathered and transferred into a plagiarism report.
Step 3: Improving
Once the plagiarism checker has finished its job, you’ll receive a report where any suspected plagiarism is highlighted. You’ll receive the report via the e-mail address you provide. BachelorPrint’s software provides a link to the suspected plagiarism, so all you need to do is click on the link and improve the passage that’s been highlighted.
Choose Your Plagiarism Checker Carefully!
Plagiarism is completely avoidable! Unfortunately, this isn’t what students want to hear. Accusations of plagiarism are just annoying, especially when it’s simply due to carelessness or maybe you’ve simply incorrectly referenced a source. When writing a scientific paper, or a dissertation, it’s vital that you know how to properly reference your sources!
Play it safe and run your dissertation through a plagiarism checker. With a quick internet search, you’ll find that there is an abundance of providers who offer their services for free. However, if you’re working on a major paper such as a master’s thesis or a dissertation, then it’s worth paying a professional provider for a proper plagiarism check. When choosing a provider, you need to trust your instincts. If you’re confident in the provider you’ve chosen, then nothing can go wrong.
In the end, we recommend the plagiarism checker offered by BachelorPrint. Their many customers only have positive things to say about their experiences!
