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Are you in the process of completing your college applications and are wondering if the Common App checks for plagiarism? In any case, your essay should be original work based on YOUR thoughts and ideas rather than someone else's. But does the Common App actually check for plagiarism or is it just a myth? This post is here to provide some clarity regarding this.
Does the Common App Check for Plagiarism?
The Common App WILL check for plagiarism. Many college admissions committees as well as the Common App itself contain software that can screen submitted essays for plagiarism. This could include checking your submission against a database of essays or filtering your essay to find sentences or phrases that were directly copied from websites or journal articles. Some plagiarism detection software may even be able to detect AI-generated content.
You should be aware that plagiarism is a serious academic offence and could highly impact the outcome of your admissions decisions. Here are some tips on how to avoid plagiarism in your college essays:
Don't copy others: Don't read other people's essays before you start getting your thoughts together for your own essay. Reading someone else's essay could influence your thought process to subconsciously copy their phrases or sentence structure which could potentially be flagged as plagiarism. Once you have chosen the prompt you want to write about, jot down some bullet points and create a few paragraphs on your own. If you need more inspiration after writing down your own thoughts, then you can read some exemplars online, such as on the Clastify website.
Avoid all forms of plagiarism: Plagiarism is a broad term than can involve directly copying another person's words, paraphrasing another's work, or using your own past work without permission. You should be aware of all forms of plagiarism and make sure you avoid all of them.
Using quotes: Your Common App essay is meant to be a reflection of you as a person and should help the admissions officers learn more about your values, beliefs, etc. You should aim to base your narrative on your lived experience, however, sometimes students may choose to include quotes to strengthen the impact of their essay. If you choose to include quotes in your essay, you should clearly state where the quote is from (eg: the person who said it, name of the book/movie/show/poem, etc.) in the main body of the essay. There is no need for a references section in the Common App essay.
Use plagiarism-detection software: If you are unsure whether your essay will be flagged for plagiarism, it is always good practice to use a plagiarism-detection tool to screen your essay before you submit it. Some good options include Turnitin and Grammarly.
We hope that this guide has helped you identify whether the Common App checks for plagiarism, as well as provided you with some tips on how to avoid plagiarism in your Common App essay. Good luck with your college applications!
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