Stick to the Facts to Avoid Content Plagiarism
By Beth Graddon- Hodgson
Over the past few weeks and months, many of my posts here have focused upon writing different elements of your blog content and how to come up with it. I’ve noticed that at
least one comment on nearly every post has questioned how to come up with original content and avoid plagiarism. Here’s the reality – we’d all like to think we’re so unique and brilliant that our ideas are not shared, but that’s just not the case. What that means is that writers need to make sure that their content stands apart as original in some way and that they’re not stealing content from elsewhere.
I won’t go into too much detail about making content “original” since that has been covered in posts about topics and style. To summarize; creating original content is about finding your own voice. What you’re saying might not be new, but you can engage your readers by getting the message across in a way that’s distinctly you. That element also creates a segue into the issue of plagiarism.
If you’re copying and pasting content from someone else’s site, your own voice doesn’t even enter into play. Do that, and you’re also asking for a lawsuit. That idea often scares people off of writing period as they’re worried about being accused of taking other people’s ideas.
When you’re blogging for a business, you will be taking other people’s ideas, kind of…and that’s okay! Facts are facts, they don’t belong to anyone; so stick with those and you’re safe. Whether you’re looking to include statistics, tips or steps that are part of a process, or explanations or definitions about elements of an industry, you can use the facts in your posts with confidence. Say your blog focuses upon plastic surgery – do your research and include information you’ve found elsewhere online about the number of people in the US that have had a nose job. Outline common recovery tips and even summarize how it happens.
Of course, even when you’re communicating the facts there are a couple of things you’ve got to do to avoid plagiarising or duplicating content found elsewhere online. Always rewrite the content so it’s not an exact duplicate (and that’s where you can make your content original with your style, voice and introduction to the facts), and credit the site where you found the information. They might not be able to stake claim to those facts, but it’s important that you say thanks.
Consider this post your introduction to developing original content and avoiding plagiarism. Stay tuned to learn more about how avoiding duplicate content benefits your blog (beyond that not ‘getting sued’ part) and crediting sources and link exchange.
Beth Graddon-Hodgson is a professional writer/blogger and the founder of WriteSourcing a professional blogging, writing and editing service. You can read her posts on blogging for business here at the Wax blog every Tuesday.
Tags: Beth Graddon-Hodgson, blog ethics, blogging for small business, professional blogging, small business marketing, small business promotion
June 1st, 2010 at 11:07 am
These are great tips! I am curious about crediting a source – do I have to get permission before using photos/text, or can I just link back to their site without getting permission?
June 1st, 2010 at 11:55 am
That’s a great question, mainly because Beth did a post on that very topic. Here’s the link but let me know if you still have questions after taking a look!
June 1st, 2010 at 3:01 pm
This is a really important topic. I use the Bureau of Labor Statistics often as a source and it’s vital to give credit where it’s due. I hate it when other people are making money off my content without permission and I expect others wouldn’t like me using their hard work for my profit. There is no problem when someone uses “common knowledge” they find in my work and put it in their own words.
June 2nd, 2010 at 1:28 am
It is quite hard creating original content so, I am using the following method: I am taking articles written in Deutsch and then translating them into English.
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:28 am
great tips! my friend asked me why his own voice doesn’t even enter into play, now i know that!!thanks
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:01 pm
You see it all the time. Especially with blogs about blogging haha. Sometimes it is super annoying and as a reader you think those people are just fancy plagiarists.
One comes up with a idea and the next few weeks you get the same post from different blogging bloggers. Examples right now: Guest posting and content is king.
Nah, whatever the successful blogs are those that stick to their style and own voice.
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:25 pm
I agree. Sometimes you’re not sure if they just don’t understand how to credit sources properly, or if they think because it’s on the internet it’s public domain. I’m glad Beth is writing this series as it can be confusing.
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Interestingly, when I interviewed Lee Odden from toprankblog (he gets more than 100,000 unique hits a month) he said he never uses guest posts, it’s all his own staff. On the other hand, copyblogger uses guest posts all the time so who really knows!
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:43 pm
CJD – exactly! If they’re taking statistics, factual information etc it’s not “yours”. But if they’ve taken your argument/perspective AND your facts without at least putting a different spin on it; it’s just not cool. Whatever they take of yours, even if it’s just the facts…they got it from you, they SHOULD give you a link (but sadly, it doesn’t happen often enough)
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Frank – that’s interesting. Even in doing that, though, I would still emphasize the importance of ensuring you stick to the facts in doing that or insert your own perspective into it somewhere. Or, even just present it with a different tone or style. Even in translation, you want to do something to make it original. You may fall under the radar because duplicate content filters won’t catch you, but there still is a chance someone will hunt down a direct translation so I’d be careful there!
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Zahn – that’s where it DOES get tricky. If a topic is hot, it’s just common sense to write about it. Hot blogging topics are just like breaking news in the traditional medial..you don’t want to miss out. Even if you come up with an original idea or perspective, let’s face it…someone else has probably done it in a similar manner. My belief is you’ve just got to latch onto one element and make it yours – whether that’s with the voice, tone or style or even a slightly different argument. For example, within the first few days of the oil spill, I wrote an article. Most others were focused on predicting how bad it would become, my argument was that there was limited media coverage internationally. In that circumstance, I conveyed many of the same facts, but shrouded it with something else people could latch onto.
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:55 pm
re: guest posts..I’m now inspired to put that on the list for a future topic. But, I will say this. My belief is that the greatest benefit is the “you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours” network it creates.
June 9th, 2010 at 9:20 am
I totally agree about giving credits, re-blogging are usually done by big shot bloggers.
June 9th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
I’m new to the blogging world, so this information is really valuable to me. Thank you
June 9th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Glad it’s helpful! Be sure to check in if you’d like to see specific topics addressed or have questions. Thanks for reading!
June 17th, 2010 at 8:54 am
The best way to avoid plagiarism, not so extensively is to disable right click feature. Most people won’t take time to type.
June 17th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Great idea! I’m not sure if/how you can do that on a blogging application like WordPress or Blogger, however, any idea?
April 26th, 2011 at 5:15 am
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June 19th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
i wonder if it’s possible to disable right clicking on blogger blogs?
September 5th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
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December 12th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Hi! I’m a blogger about Abercrombie & Fitch. It carries an ‘About’ page which makes it clear, with a disclaimer, that the blog is non-profit, fan-run and in no way affiliated with the company…just an unofficial fan blog. Since the start of my blog, it has become quite popular in the internation fan community. However, recently, I have come to find that my posts are beign copied by another blog.
I’ve placed so much time and effort into the presentation of the content. Like you have stated in you post, I take the facts from openings and other news related to the company and write out in my own words. (Sources, such as from fashion and retail, for the facts are also included so that the reader can refer to them). I also happen to be a writer so I always ensure that my written content is fresh and enjoyable for my audience. I furthermore provide perspective and analysis from my own unique point-of-view.
I’ve come across two blogs which directly copy my written work. The majority of the photos on my blog are from A&F and it is explicitly noted who the author is and that it is used for illustrative purposes only. I even provide a link to the source of the image. The pictures by me are credited towards me. It bothers me that they directly copy my written work, however, which is all my original creation.
My blog is really popular. I love it. It’s like my baby. lol. It is growing massively now more so than before. And that others are copying it’s written content threaten my blog’s exclusivity. It is an utter disrespect to my readers who some of which help in developing news stories, too, for the blog. The blog carries massive detailed work that was the result of painstaking research (and loads of brainpower in compostion and structure!) all in my part. I don’t mind people taking the information I have written in my words and sharing it in THEIR own words. Unfortunately, it is directly plagarized. IDK what to do.
December 12th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
First thing, have you contacted the blogs to ask them to a) either stop or b) attribute this to your work?
December 15th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Thanks for giving me a hand!
There is no form of contact information on the blogs plagarizing my work. I’ve thought about leaving a comment, but my comment could just be overlooked. :/ Both blogs haven’t posted anything from December, however, because they haven’t been releasing any posts themselves at all since the beginning of the month.
December 16th, 2011 at 7:30 am
I found this great article on reporting abuse to Google. Check out step 2! http://mrintech.com/deal-with-blog-content-plagiarism-stealing-using-dmca-abuse-reports
December 19th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Thanks again! Really helpful! I’m going to get the author of that page to further advise me in proceeding with the complaint. Your help was awesome!