What is plagiarism & what types of sources do I cite?

As a writer for Draft, when creating content for your client, it is required of you to always cite your sources for your online content. To deliver high-quality work, when you use someone else’s words or ideas, you must always cite them. Otherwise, this is viewed as Plagiarism.

At Draft, we have zero tolerance for Plagiarism, which is traditionally defined as taking someone else’s work and presenting it as your own or using AI to create your content. When you use someone else's words or ideas without properly citing them,you commit plagiarism.

Even if you are simply using a similar concept or idea and rewording it to create your own content, not properly referencing these resources is viewed asstylistic plagiarism. This not only compromises your work but creates a poor experience for your client and could lead to account removal from our platform.

So why take the risk? Instead, you should always cite your sources and showcase your solid research skills. Fortunately, there are many ways you can do this for your online content in this digital world.

Types of Sources

There are many different sources you can use to cite information in your content. Some familiar sources, in order of quality, include:

To create quality content for your client and respective audience, it is always best to use a credible source that is recent, timely, and relevant.

Different Forms of Online Content and Proper Citation Methods

Not all online content follows the same guidelines when providing citations. In fact, many of the more formal ways (like scientific research or academic papers) don't necessarily apply to the digital world. Blogging, for instance, is typically less formal, and the way you give credit is slightly different from what you were taught in school.

Formal Writing- (Online Academic Sources, Scientific Papers, Books)

You should always use proper citations in formal writing, such as in research papers. This includes citing the authors of any quoted or paraphrased material and listing all the sources you used in your essay in a separate section called "Works Cited" or "References."

If you're not sure how to properly cite academic or industry sources, many guides and resources are available online, such as the  MLA Style Guide or the APA Style Guide .

Online Content-Blogs & Other Websites

In informal writing, such as blogging, you definitely need to be more thorough with your citations. For instance, if you're quoting someone in your blog post, you can simply include their name and the article you're referencing in parentheses.

For example:

"John Smith says that 'blogging is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world'" (Smith, "Why You Should Start a Blog").

The easiest way to cite is to include citations in a hyperlink within the content itself. This has become the best practice among most blog and article writers because it allows readers to continue reading without interruption and still allows for flow of content structure.

Example (Hyperlinking):

“ According to MIT Libraries , citing is important to show your reader you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information.”

You can also include a link to the original source at the end of your blog, with a number. That number represents the order in which you present information. For example, if you quote four different studies, you would label them 1-4 based on when you write them in your article.

Example (Hyperlinking & Labelling):

“According to MIT Libraries:

It's important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons:

It's important to note that even though blogging is typically less formal, you should still avoid plagiarism by giving credit where it is due. Even if you are following a specific idea or concept and rewording the content, citations are to always be included. If you are unsure, it is always best to play it safe and provide any links you used to protect your content.

Videos & Images

Citing sources in videos and images is a little different from other types of content since you can't include text citations in your video. When sending your content to your client, you can give credit to your sources by placing links of the images or videos throughout your content.