The term plagiarism refers to the representation of thoughts, ideas, or academic expressions and language of another author as your original work. Plagiarism is likened to academic dishonesty. It is not only frowned upon in academics but also in journalism and other institutions. Plagiarism is punishable by suspension or expulsion from work or school, depending on the extent and frequency. If you are found guilty of plagiarism, you can also be subjected to fines, penalties, and in severe cases, incarceration.

It is possible to plagiarize another author's work without intending to. This is because you may have the same thoughts as other people or use the same language as others. However, it does not mean that you will not be punished. It seems unfair, right! The reason why this is the case is that the other person published the idea before you. Therefore, anything you write that is similar to the other person's will be considered plagiarized. So, how do you know if the content has been published by another author? This is where plagiarism checkers come in.

Why Should You Use a Plagiarism Checker?

The question as to whether or not running an article or academic essay or thesis through a plagiarism checker is necessary is very common among students. Some students think that their tutors only ask them to do this to increase their workload. However, this is far from the truth. Below are some valid reasons why you need to use a plagiarism checker:

Types of Plagiarism Software

There are two types of plagiarism software on the internet; free and fee-based. A free plagiarism checker is one whose services you do not have to pay for. At times, such software will not even require you to sign-up. On the other hand, a fee-based plagiarism checker will require you to create an account and pay for the services.

Free Plagiarism Checkers

There are several providers of free plagiarism checkers on the internet. However, before you decide to use them, you need to be aware of their benefits and disadvantages.

Free plagiarism checker: Pros	Free plagiarism checker: Cons
They do not require you to make payments.	The data protection policies are often unclear. Therefore, you won't be sure if the data you share will be safe.
They are easy to use.	Some are not as thorough when it comes to comparing your content with other author's work.
They are readily available.	They have hidden additional costs if you wish to get the full version.
	Most of them have a limit to the number of characters you can check.

While you will save money on such plagiarism tools on the internet, there are risks involved. One of the main risks is that your paper may not be properly checked. The reason why this is the case is that many of these plagiarism checkers use poorly designed algorithms that do not check the entire paper.

Another risk is that the servers that are used by free plagiarism checker providers are not subjected to data protection regulations. To avoid this, you can use VPS hosting with unlimited bandwidth to have an unlimited server. Therefore, the data that you share on these sites is at risk of being shared as it is poorly protected. You might find that a dissertation or thesis you ran through the site has already been published by someone else before you submit it.

Other sites dupe you into thinking that they are free, but in the long run, they ask you to pay for full services.

Why Choose Fee-based Plagiarism Checkers

Fee-based plagiarism checkers are also referred to as professional plagiarism tools. Most fee-based plagiarism detectors charge per check or for a certain number of words. This means that you might be charged per 1000 words or more. The amount varies from one tool to another. However, on average, a single check might cost you less than a dollar. Professional plagiarism detectors are more reliable because they are thorough. They are also safer because they follow a strict privacy code and do not store your content in their data banks. Therefore, you do not have to worry about your work getting stolen.

The choice you make between the two types of plagiarism tools depends on the importance of your paper. For example, the way you treat a regular assignment is not the same way you should treat a major paper such as a thesis or dissertation.

How to Choose the Best Professional Plagiarism Detector

Below are some factors to consider when choosing the best plagiarism checker:

• The terms and conditions provided on their official website
• The ratings according to customer reviews and rating platforms
• The amount of time the tool takes to check an entire paper
• The data protection policies provided on their terms and conditions
• The cost of services
• Registration or sign up process and requirements
  
  

Our Recommendation: BachelorPrint's Plagiarism Checker

In an attempt to make your work easier when looking for the best tool for checking plagiarism, we have reviewed a bunch of tools and found the best one: BachelorPrint. BachelorPrint's Plagiarism Checker is thorough, cost-efficient, highly rated, does not threaten the safety of your data, and takes a short time to run through a complete paper. The tool takes a maximum of ten minutes to run its plagiarism checker for long papers. It is also very easy to register to the site.

How to Use BachelorPrint's Plagiarism Checker

• The first step is to upload your paper to the server. The tool accepts differently formatted papers; hence you do not have to change your paper before uploading.
• Once your paper is uploaded, it will take a few minutes for the servers to compare your content to billions of others on the internet and beyond. The tool uses an advanced algorithm to perform this task
• Once the checking process is complete, the tool will highlight all plagiarized content. The results will be sent to your email. An online source will then be provided for the sources of each highlighted part. This will make it easy for you to improve the content.
  
  

Take Away

Sometimes, plagiarism is hard to avoid because an idea you think is yours may have been published by someone else before you. Regardless, academic and work institutions treat plagiarism as an offense and may impose strict penalties on it. Therefore, it is important to use plagiarism detectors to make sure that you are safe. For an essay or term paper, a free tool could come in handy. However, for an important paper like a thesis, research paper, or work article that could cost you your job or academic success, you should opt for a professional tool.