Did You Steal That Article? 3 Steps To Avoiding Plagiarism

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 27th, 2010

We draw our inspiration from a variety of sources, so it's logical that every now and then someone may say we swiped an article. Of course the charge is false. Bottom line: Real article marketing pros don't steal content, because we don't have too.

Gathering data from many sources can cause a problem now and then. That's why I've developed a three step system for avoiding those accusations and it's served me well for the several years that I've been using article marketing to boost traffic to my Web sites.

If you're holding back from article marketing because of a lack of original ideas - don't fear. Here are three ways to ensure you'll stay clear of plagiarism police when you write your content-rich article:

1.Take the structure, not the words.
When using other people's articles as inspiration for your own ? a very common practice among professional writers ? look at the article for it?s structure and not necessarily the words themselves. For instance, I use templates to quickly write my articles. I use various types of templates, but there are hundreds out there. So just look for the template ? or the structure ? of the article and swipe that. After all, structure isn't copyrighted, but the writer's words are.

2.Draw from many sources.
Another great way to make your articles original is to take pieces of information from a variety of sources and industries. I'm always on the lookout for good ideas, inspiring headlines, and some motivational quotes, which can set off a flood of article content ? giving me five to 10 articles all at once. Start holding on to junk mail, interesting ezines and quotes. When you're looking for advice for your articles, turn to these sources to give you just the boost you need.

3.Gather a bank of your favorite writers.
Some writers just give me the greatest rush of information. No matter how many times I read their books and listen to their pod casts I seem to get something new from what they have to say. Who puts wind in your sails? Whoever it is, there's no crime in taking bits of pieces of their concepts and putting your own spin on them. Chances are, they did the same thing with their mentors/favorite authors.

Bonus solution: Give the author credit. You can always just bite the bullet and reveal your sources so-to-speak. Attribute an idea, thought or phrase to the original author. Then debunk whatever it is he or she has said. You can also completely agree and offer a case study of exactly why you agree with what the author said. Attributing information to the original author silences all plagiarism critics.