Development of a Procedure to Avoid Plagiarism in Scholarly Work

Abstract Managing scholarly work such as papers, proposals and other similar documents can pose a challenge to graduate students, new academic professionals as well as experienced researchers. The complexity increases when the scholarly work involves a team of students and faculty members from diverse groups, backgrounds, departments, and institutions. The legal and institutional consequences of non-conformance can be disastrous for a researcher's career, profession, and reputation. A clear understanding of proper citation and fair use of sources became increasingly challenging as reported by finding agencies evidenced by increase in improper use of citations. The objective for this work is to develop a systematic process to manage scholarly literature and ensure fair use and proper citations in scholarly writing. The paper will consider three important elements for managing literature review of prior works: managing literature, fair use and team writing. A checklist for best practices in writing scholarly work will be presented that can be used to avoid improper and inappropriate use of materials. The checklist will ensure proper procedure is followed. In a collaborative paper or proposal, all authors will review and follow these guidelines. The appropriateness of use of one's previous work and the limitations will also be discussed.