How to use Copyscape

If you are in the writing business, you have probably heard or read about ‘Copyscape’ somewhere. Some online writing job descriptions sound very imperative when they say, “Do not copy. Work will be run through Copyscape. If it doesn’t pass, it will not be accepted.”

Copyscape is among the many plagiarism checkers that are found online like Quetext and Plagiarisma. Copyscape captures what is fed into its input boxes and runs it parallel to the Internet. It then reports back how original or plagiarised the content is. Knowing how it works is very important, especially to the writer since their profession requires utmost originality.

This article will guide you on how to use Copyscape – which is quite easy to press into service and someone can execute their check effortlessly.

See also: How to use TikTok for Business

Using Copyscape

Copyscape has two items under it – Copyscape (which is usually free) and Copyscape Premium. The latter requires that you purchase what Copyscape call credits so that you can use it. You pay for credits in USD and payment can be made through PayPal (minimum $10), Visa, MasterCard, or Amex.

Using Copyscape for free requires you to submit a link. If whatever you want to check for duplicity exists as a document (with the .docx extension), you need to upload and publish it on the Internet first.

Copyscape only provides for a fixed number of scans per month so if you are planning to use it in the long-term, you may need to go for Copyscape Premium.

First, open an account

  1. Visit Copyscape’s website on your browser.
  2. Open an account for free.
  3. Go to the mailbox of the email that you have just registered with and confirm your email.

Then, do your first scan

  1. Go back to the website.
  2. Since you have uploaded your content on the Internet, copy that link.
  3. Paste it on the white text box at the center of the page, under the ‘Search for copies of your page on the web’ label.
  4. It will take a second then return the results. It will show you how many other sites have similar content. This will help you to avoid being accused of plagiarism.

Unlike other online plagiarism checkers like Plagiarisma, Copyscape free does not allow you to post text right from a .docx or .pdf document to its text box. This is only available if you’re using Copyscape Premium.

Copyscape Premium and Copysentry

If you make the purchase of a credit (which is usually between $5 and $500), you are free to use Copyscape Premium and Copysentry. Copysentry capture the link that directs to your written content and keeps checking it on the Internet. If it picks that someone has copied your content, it automatically sends you a notification.

Having Copyscape Premium provides you with the option of labeling your website or blog with anti-plagiarism messages such that if someone copies your content, they see that you’re sounding a warning.

If you find out that some websites are being scrupulous and copying from yours, you should proceed and report them, and if you can, have them withdrawn from search engines such as Bing and Google.

It all boils down to this         

Plagiarism is a great offense and has seen people charged and prosecuted. It takes away the pride of originality. When you run a Copyscape scan, it means that you are out to publish original content. It can be a good selling point if you tell potential clients who need their writing jobs done that you can have Copyscape Premium credits that you will use to countercheck their work on the Internet.

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