How to Check Plagiarism in Microsoft Word Document?
As a student, you will need to submit essays and papers that are plagiarism-free. Plagiarism is considered to be a serious academic ethics violation. So, before you submit these assignments, it would be great to check if your work is entirely original. Well, you can do the same on Microsoft Word.
In case you didn't already know, this might come as a surprise to you but yes, you can check your Microsoft Word document for plagiarism. It comes with a tool within Microsoft Edit that shows the extent to which your document is original.
As a bonus, the tool also allows the insertion of citations. Sounds great, right?
Let's find out how you can check plagiarism in a Microsoft Word document. Don't miss to share this with your friends The Best Assignment helper in UK.
Why Plagiarism Checker?
Plagiarism has always been an issue. Earlier, when we used to write everything by ourselves, we knew where the text was from and it was easy to cite and ensure originality. However, with the changing times, we tend to use AI to assist us write our assignments or just to enhance our writing. This has made it even more difficult to track the sources being used.
AI pulls from various sources across the web, such as images, PDFs, books, and websites. Thus, just a basic text comparison is not enough anymore. Rather, we need means to check plagiarism properly. Luckily, with the development of AI, Microsft Word has developed as well.
Similarity Checker - The Microsoft Word Tool
Since Word 365 and Office 365 are subscription-based products, updates are continuously released. Similarity Checker was a tool launched in March 2020 and is continually released across all subscriptions. In some cases, it may take multiple weeks to reach one's account.
Similarity check not only helps the user to check similarities online but also aids in citing other works in the Word document. It shows the user how much of their content is plagiarized and allows the insertion of citations, where necessary. Remember, the tool is available only for text in the English language.
Generally, taking the time to look for and insert the right kind of citation can be hectic and can divert the writer from what they are writing. This is where the similarity checker steps in - it not only helps users write without interruption but also provides credit to the original authors. Thus, it makes the content more authentic and credible as well.
How to Check Plagiarism Using Similarity Checker
In order to check plagiarism on the Word document, open the document and follow the steps mentioned below.
- In the Editor pane, look for Similarity. Then click on Check for similarity to online sources. Once the similarity check is done, the editor will show you how much of the text in the document matches the content that it found online. This is shown in the form of a percentage. Additionally, the editor will also show the number of passages in the file for you to inspect.
- In order to review these passages, click on Similarities reviewed. The editor will take you to the first paragraph of the document. Here, you can choose whether you would like to insert a citation. You can also click on the link provided - this is the online content to which your text matches. After opening the link, you can judge for yourself. Click on in case you do not want to add any citations.
Once a passage is reviewed, the Editor underlines the text in green. When you click on the passage, the suggestion for citation will open again. This is greatly helpful if you decide later to add a citation or read the online source that you ignored the last time.
As you continue reviewing the text in your document, you will keep getting suggestions to add citations. You can decide to accept or ignore the suggestions based on your understanding and the percentage of plagiarism.
Inserting Citations Using Similarity Checker
When you add an in-text citation, a citation is immediately placed right after the passage. Based on the situation, the Similarity Checker may even add quotation marks. In case you do wish to remove them, you can use the Backspace key on your keyboard.
If your Word document also consists of a list of cited works or a bibliography, you can click on Copy full citation. Once it is copied to the clipboard, place your cursor in the bibliography section and paste the citation there.
Microsoft Word's Similarity Checker also allows the user to customize their citation style. This means you can choose Chicago, MLA, or APA style based on your university requirements.
However assignment help says, it is crucial to note that when you change the style, the existing citations will not automatically update. Thus, you will have to delete the citation and run Similarity Checker again by following the steps previously mentioned.
Final Word
With the rising use of AI, it has become highly crucial to check the document for similarity so as to avoid plagiarism. Similarity Checker by Microsoft Word is a highly useful tool for the same. From checking the document for originality to citing the works, the tool can turn out to be really helpful.
Now that you are aware of the tool's functioning, do not forget to check for plagiarism in the Microsoft Word document before submitting your assignment.
