What is one effective method to avoid plagiarism in writing?

One effective method to avoid plagiarism in writing involves properly quoting, paraphrasing, and citing sources. This practice ensures that you give credit to the original authors for their ideas and work, which upholds academic integrity. When you quote, you reproduce someone else’s exact words with quotation marks and a citation, thereby acknowledging the source. Paraphrasing allows you to restate someone else's ideas in your own words while still attributing those ideas to the original author. Citing sources, regardless of whether you are quoting or paraphrasing, provides the necessary information for readers to trace back the origin of the ideas, thus preventing any claim of intellectual theft. This method not only demonstrates respect for the original authors' contributions but also strengthens the credibility of your own writing by grounding it in established research and viewpoints.