How to Use Grammarly to Check for Plagiarism
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In the digital age, ensuring the originality of your content is more critical than ever. Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, can have serious consequences, from damaging your reputation to legal repercussions.
Thankfully, tools like Grammarly make it easy to check your work for plagiarism.
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the steps of using Grammarly’s plagiarism checker to ensure your writing is original and properly cited.
What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is a comprehensive writing assistant that helps you improve your writing by checking for grammar errors, spelling mistakes, style issues, and even plagiarism.
Its plagiarism checker compares your text against billions of web pages and academic papers in ProQuest’s databases to ensure your content is unique.
Steps to Use Grammarly’s Plagiarism Checker
1. Sign Up and Log In
To use Grammarly, you need to sign up for an account. There are free and premium versions available, but the plagiarism checker is only accessible with a premium subscription.
Once you’ve signed up, log in to your Grammarly account.
2. Access the Plagiarism Checker
There are several ways to access Grammarly’s plagiarism checker, depending on the platform you are using:
Using the Grammarly Web App
- Go to Grammarly.com: Log in to your account and navigate to the Grammarly Editor.
- Upload or Paste Your Document: You can either upload a document from your computer or paste your text directly into the editor.
- Run the Plagiarism Check: Click on the “Plagiarism” option located in the right sidebar. Grammarly will scan your text and highlight any matches found.
Using the Grammarly Desktop App
- Download and Install: If you haven’t already, download the Grammarly desktop app from the Grammarly website.
- Open Your Document: Open the document you want to check in the Grammarly desktop app.
- Run the Plagiarism Check: Similar to the web app, click on the “Plagiarism” button to initiate the scan.
Using Grammarly in Microsoft Word
- Install the Add-In: Download and install the Grammarly add-in for Microsoft Word.
- Open Your Document: Open your document in Microsoft Word.
- Run the Plagiarism Check: Click on the Grammarly tab in the toolbar, then click “Plagiarism” to check your document.
3. Review the Results
After the scan is complete, Grammarly will display a detailed report of any potential plagiarism. The report includes:
- Highlighted Text: Sections of your text that match other sources.
- Original Sources: Links to the original sources where the text was found.
- Plagiarism Percentage: An overall percentage indicating how much of your text is potentially plagiarized.
4. Make Necessary Corrections
If Grammarly detects any plagiarism, take the following steps to correct it:
- Cite Sources Properly: If the text is a direct quote or paraphrased from another source, ensure it is properly cited according to the required citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
- Rewrite Content: For unintentional plagiarism, rewrite the highlighted sections to make them original.
- Remove Duplicate Text: If the text is not essential, consider removing it entirely.
5. Recheck and Finalize
After making the necessary corrections, run the plagiarism check again to ensure your text is now original. Repeat this process until the plagiarism percentage is zero or within an acceptable range.
Benefits of Using Grammarly’s Plagiarism Checker
- Accuracy: Grammarly’s plagiarism checker is highly accurate, providing reliable results by comparing your text against billions of sources.
- Convenience: It’s easy to use across multiple platforms, including web browsers, desktop apps, and Microsoft Word.
- Comprehensive Reports: Detailed reports help you understand and address potential plagiarism issues effectively.
Conclusion
Using Grammarly to check for plagiarism is a straightforward and effective way to ensure your writing is original.
By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can confidently submit your work knowing it is free of plagiarism.
Whether you are a student, professional writer, or content creator, Grammarly’s plagiarism checker is an invaluable tool to maintain the integrity of your work.