Using someone else’s ideas, words, or other intellectual property and taking credit for them is called plagiarism. Whether this happens by direct copying and pasting or paraphrasing, it is considered duplicating content and is illegal. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of written works available in so many formats today makes it easy to engage in plagiarism, even unintentionally. According to The Atlantic, self-publishing has also caused a rise in plagiarism because media platforms allow people to post documents without first having them checked for duplicate content.
This type of theft in content writing for doctors can be detrimental to both the original writer as well as the writer engaging in plagiarism. It can cause not only a decrease in profits but also a loss of credibility for the plagiarizing writer. As you post blogs and work on other healthcare marketing projects, take care to avoid plagiarism.
Plagiarism safeguards
Even if you are not purposefully copying and pasting someone else’s work in your blog, you are still in danger of accidental plagiarism. Try these tips before posting a piece to reduce the odds of any type of plagiarism.
Use a plagiarism checker
Many plagiarism checkers are available for free online and are able to pull from vast resources to compare your writing to other pieces of published work. In some cases, the software can even highlight the text in your work that matches text from another source. Using a plagiarism checker can sometimes identify what percentage of your writing is plagiarized, even if you were unaware of the duplication.
Correctly cite sources
Quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s writing is completely acceptable in content marketing for doctors as long as you provide the proper citations. There are several benefits to including outside sources and mentioning the work of other authors:
It shows those reading the blog to locate the sources and do additional research on the topic or get more information when desired
It demonstrates your information is researched and legitimate
It allows other authors to connect to your blog in a positive way and perhaps share it on their own site or blog
It eliminates the risk of plagiarism
Make your work original
Part of the point of writing a blog is to communicate your voice and your brand. When you copy someone else’s writing, readers are not able to get a true sense of your personality and what your practice could be like. Finding a new angle on an established idea or writing about something common from a fresh perspective is also a good way to increase readership and attract patients to your practice.
Make your practice attractive
To grow your practice, you need to attract new patients. One of the focuses at Doctor Genius is using marketing tools to do just that. We can help you manage everything from your online reputation to your content marketing and make your digital advertising stand out. Contact our team today to find out more about our marketing solutions and how to take your medical blog to the next level with entirely original, unplagiarized content.
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.