Plagiarism is harmful in all sorts of content. There is no type of content in which you can commit plagiarism and be fine. There are always consequences and ramifications. In SEO content, however, the consequences can be quite steep and severe. Websites that are found to be using plagiarized content can be penalized on the double. They can end up having their rank decreased and even get completely delisted. To avoid plagiarism and to fix it should it ever occur, there are different measures and methods that you can use. One of them is paraphrasing.
What is paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is a writing technique that involves rewording something – changing the way a piece of text is written but not the meaning it conveys. There are different types of changes that are made to a piece of text to paraphrase it. One of the most common methods of rephrasing something is to change the words that it contains and replace them with their synonyms.
How is paraphrasing a fix for plagiarism?
Paraphrasing is a fix for plagiarism since plagiarism occurs due to the exact similarity that a piece of text has with other existing content. When the text is paraphrased and the wording is changed, the similarity is likewise eliminated. Due to this, the plagiarism is removed.
This is essentially the main way in which paraphrasing fixes plagiarism. However, there are some considerations to be borne in mind in this regard:
Paraphrasing is only considered as a valid and constructive fix for plagiarism when the plagiarism in question happens to be accidental. When paraphrasing is utilized as a means to steal content from a source, i.e., to take the content, change it, and use it as one’s own, it becomes unethical.
When getting rid of accidental plagiarism using this method, you have to make sure that the changes you make are extensive and ample. You should, in other words, make sure that the text is sufficiently changed. If you change a few words and leave the rest, the plagiarism may not go away.
How do you paraphrase content to fix plagiarism?
Now, let’s take a look at how you can paraphrase content to fix plagiarism in it. There are two main ways in which content can be paraphrased:
It can either be done manually, i.e., the process that involves the writer reading the content and making the changes themselves.
Or, it can be done automatedly with the help of an online tool. There are online paraphrasing tools that you can find and use for free.
We will discuss both of these methods in detail one by one.
Manual paraphrasing
To manually paraphrase text to fix plagiarism, here is what you have to do:
First of all, you have to read the content that you are looking to paraphrase and understand its main meaning. This is important because you can’t afford the meaning to change during the paraphrasing process itself. If the meaning is changed, then the purpose of paraphrasing is defeated.
Once you are done reading the text, the next thing you need to do is start making the changes themselves. There are different types of changes that you can make here, which are:
Synonymizing: This is the process of replacing the existing words in the content with their alternatives. For example, the word “heavy” could be replaced with the synonym “hefty.”
Changing sentence structures: This is the process of changing the arrangement of the components in the sentences. In other words, changing the way the object/subject/verb is arranged in the sentence.
Once you are done making the type of changes mentioned above, you should read and check the paraphrased version once to ensure that there are no issues or errors in it. You should look for any changes that you may have made that could alter the meaning or context of the text.
Automated Paraphrasing
The other method of paraphrasing that you can use to fix plagiarism is automated paraphrasing. Automated paraphrasing is where you use an online tool to make the changes to the text rather than doing it yourself. You have to read and check the content just as you do in the manual method highlighted above, but for the changes, the tool does the job for you.
There aren’t a lot of steps that we can mention for using the paraphrasing tools themselves since there are no specific steps that apply to each and every tool out there. Whichever tool you pick will have a different method of use. Plus, using them is not that hard in the first place. We can, however, give you some general tips on how you can get the most out of these tools.
First of all, when you are picking one, be sure to choose a smart paraphrasing tool that is equipped with AI. AI tools are a lot more accurate, and they can make extensive changes to the given text.
When using the tool, make sure you get the most out of the given features. Some tools have a feature that you can use to stop certain words from being paraphrased. You can use this feature to stop proper nouns from being changed. A lot of tools also have a “modes” feature. There are multiple modes that work differently, and you can pick from any one of them depending on how you want the paraphrasing to be done.
Be more careful of the proofreading process when you’re using the tool. Tools can be more prone to make errors as compared to humans, and you should keep an eye out for those.
Conclusion
Plagiarism is something that you have to avoid at all costs when you’re writing content for SEO. There are many different consequences that you have to face if your content gets detected as plagiarized.Luckily, there is something that you can do to deal with plagiarism in your content. You can paraphrase the pieces of your text that come out as accidentally plagiarized. There are various considerations that you have to keep in mind regarding this process, and there are different ways in which you can get about it. We’ve talked about it all in the post above
About The Author
Talha Alvi
Talha Alvi is an SEO specialist and professional Writer at Enzipe. His main aim is to create top-notch SEO-friendly content. He has been delivering content for over 3 years in the form of informative and easy-to-understand articles. Her areas of expertise include writing about - the SaaS industry, Education, Digital Marketing and Information Technology. He is all about quality and continuous improvement, which sets him apart in this industry. So, if you're looking for an SEO expert and writer who knows your stuff, you've come to the right place.
