Plagiarism is the number one “dirty word” in the blogging business. You work hard to produce original content for your blog, so the last thing you need is for your work to be associated with the dreaded “P-word.” The biggest safeguard against this occurrence is running your entries through plagiarism-checking software before you post them.
Here are the top six plagiarism detection programs on the market today.
PlagScan: This may be the best anti-plagiarism software in terms of user-friendliness and easy-to-read report generation. Its accuracy is extremely high, there are numerous tutorials available to learn the program, and it offers a free trial before you commit to paying for it. But its cost structure utilizes PlagPoints, which are units based on every 100 words of text you need to be checked; and unfortunately, individuals pay more per PlagPoint than institutions and larger clients do.
Lowest cost: $13
CheckForPlagiarism.net: This service offers several packages depending on how often you plan to use it, from as few as five submissions per month up to unlimited use. It boasts superb accuracy through its unique “document fingerprint” technology as well as round-the-clock customer support, and it takes less than five minutes to sign up for an account. The big drawback is that the program does not integrate well with content management systems.
Lowest cost: $20
iThenticate: If you want the most comprehensive plagiarism-checking methods in the marketplace, this is your number one choice. That’s because the program has access to countless documents in private databases that aren’t easily found online, so it isn’t limited to search engines when hunting for plagiarism. It’s easy to use and provides phone and email support. However, the service is generally tailored toward institutions instead of individual bloggers.
Lowest cost: $50
PlagiarismDetection.org: This product appeals to the budget-minded blogger who doesn’t want to sacrifice high-quality plagiarism-detection capability. It garners high marks in accuracy, ease of use, and customer support; plus, it offers a 14-day money-back guarantee if you haven’t scanned more than 3,000 words. Though it doesn’t integrate with content management systems, it does allow the user to cut and paste the text into its detection tool.
Lowest cost: $14.95
Academic Plagiarism: Even though the name connotes favoritism toward academia, it’s still a highly functional service for bloggers as well. The biggest selling point is that its trial account is free if you simply scan one document during a three-day period; plus, its day-pass accounts start at just a dollar per document. The program is user-friendly and has several helpful features, but live chat support is available only during certain hours, and its accuracy isn’t as high as other choices on this list.
Lowest cost: $5
The Plagiarism Checker: If you want a service that’s fast and easy, this is probably the way to go. You can simply utilize the free service (with certain restrictions) if you choose, and receive scan results quickly just by cutting and pasting text into a window. But it can only access information that is available online, which makes it less accurate than some of its competitors; also, its customer support options are limited.
Lowest cost: $8
As a blogger, your most important quality is your reputation. If people start to view you as someone who redistributes or steals the work of others, then your readership and popularity could plunge to abysmal levels that could become permanent. So it’s wise to vet your blog posts for plagiarism before you put them up on your site for everyone to see.