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Looking For Free Essay Papers Online - Avoid Plagiarism

There are two outstanding characteristics in the world of essay writing which dominate proceedings today. The first is that there is an abundance of free essay papers available online. The second is that more and more students seem to be adopting a risky technique of copying and pasting other people's work and passing it off as their own. In a single word this can be described as plagiarism.

Plagiarism of course is not restricted to students in high school or college. There are many examples of journalists, professional journalists employed for media organizations who have been found out using other people's work without proper acknowledgment. It is important here to understand that reproducing somebody else's work is not of itself plagiarism. It becomes a plagiarism when you do not acknowledge the source of somebody else's work you have used. In some cases you may even need permission to republish the material but certainly you should never pass it off as your own work.

So if as a student you are looking for a free essay online and you find an example which you think seriously suits your need, you face a possible dilemma. If you take that free essay you have found online and pass it or parts of it off as your own work you may well have become involved in plagiarism. As I said in the first paragraph this is a risky activity. Because you can find software today which very quickly identifies work which is being copied then your chances of getting away with it, as they say, are growing smaller by the hour.

Why do you want the free essay paper?

If you are looking for inspiration or techniques or ideas then reading free essay papers online is probably an excellent idea. If you have a topic and are looking for research material to write about then finding a free essay paper online which deals with the same subject is a darn good idea. Not because you're going to copy what you find online but rather that you're going to learn from it and create new material which is relevant.

If you have any doubt at all, desist. If you do wish to quote part of an essay paper you found online make sure you understand about the citation of references. Being able to identify the writer of the material and the place in which it was published forms part of the basics of citing other people's work. Doing this prevents you from being involved in plagiarism.