How to Check Plagiarism in Google Docs 2023

Intro

Plagiarism has always been an issue in both academic and professional spaces, and in 2023, it's more prevalent than ever.

How can you be sure that the writing you’re looking at is entirely original? What is the best way to check? Why is it so important to be checking that writing isn’t plagiarized in the first place?

We’ll answer all of these questions today, and even give you some recommendations for the best ways to check for plagiarism in Google Docs for 2023.

Let’s get straight into it!

The Crucial Importance of Checking for Plagiarism in 2023

In this age of working from home, it is all too easy to plagiarize content.

Employees working from home can visit just about any webpage and steal the content without anybody noticing. In virtual classrooms, students don’t have teachers looking over their shoulders.

The rise of artificial intelligence has only aided this, with countless AI bots popping up all over the internet ready to write content for you.

But where does this content come from? AI bots scour the internet and stitch together pre-existing original content and repurpose it to fit your needs.

These AI bots, in combination with a society that is working from home, create an environment where plagiarism is all too common. It is now more important than ever to be checking content for unoriginal work.

Below, we’ll take a close look at the various methods and tools that you can use to check for plagiarism within Google Docs itself!

How to Check Plagiarism in Google Docs in 2023

Google Docs Plagiarism Checker Add-On

One of the most convenient ways to check for plagiarism in Google Docs is with a handy plagiarism checker add-on.

Whether it’s plagiarism detection by PlagiarismCheck.org, ProWritingAid, or Plagium (more on these below), adding a plagiarism checker to your Google Doc is easy and free! Just follow these simple steps:

• Open your Google Doc
• Click on the **‘Extensions’ **tab
• Click ‘Add-ons’, then ‘Get add-ons’
• Now just type ‘plagiarism checker’ into the search bar

From here, you can browse available plagiarism checkers and install your preferred choice.

Once it has been installed, select a passage of text that you want to be checked for plagiarism, click the ‘Add-ons’ tab, and use your newly installed checker.

Originality Report on Google Docs

For the school environment, one of the best picks for plagiarism checking is the Originality Reports on Google Docs.

This feature is available through Google Classroom, and once enabled, allows Google Docs users to check the ‘originality score’ for their work.

Once these Originality Reports have been enabled for an assignment by the teacher, you can run up to three plagiarism checks.

If you’re a teacher wanting to turn on Originality Reports in your Google Classroom, here is what to do:

• Access your Google Classroom account as normal
• Click the desired class, then access ‘Classwork’
• Find the assignment you want to turn Originally Reports on for, then click ‘More’
• In the pop-up tab, click **‘Edit’ **
• Find the ‘Check Plagiarism (Originality)’ box, and click it so that it is switched to ‘On’

If you’re a student wanting to run a plagiarism check on your work with an Originality Report, here’s how:

• Access your Google Classroom account as normal
• Click on your class, and then ‘Classwork’
• Find your assignment, then click ‘View assignment’
• Under ‘Your work’ upload or create your file
• If your teacher has enabled this feature, an ‘Originality Report’ section will be displayed
• Click the **‘run’ **button next to ‘Originality Report’
• Finally, click ‘View Originality Report’ to see the report

Then, you’re done!

Use Grammarly

If you’ve done any writing online before, you’ve probably heard of Grammarly. This is a free program that helps make your writing the best that it can be.

While most popular for its spelling, grammar, and punctuation correction software, this platform also has an option to detect plagiarism.

The plagiarism-checking software over at Grammarly or Pro Writing Aid scours billions of web pages and academic databases to ensure all of your content is original work.

The best part? Grammarly doesn’t just tell you that your content may be plagiarized and then leave you to your own devices.

If Grammarly detects plagiarized content, it will highlight the passages in question and provide the necessary sources so that you can insert citations and credit your sources. Raveche Property a buyers agent in Melbourne had their sites content copied and the marketing team had to have it removed through Google.

Plagiarism Checkers

There are tons of plagiarism checkers out there, but it can be hard to know if you’re picking the best one for your needs.

Let’s go over some of the best plagiarism checkers on the web, and what features they provide.

Plagiarismcheck.org

If you’re looking for a straightforward user experience and flexible pricing, then Plagiarismcheck.org is a great choice. This platform is a reputable plagiarism checker and is guaranteed to be 100% confidential.

Plagiarismcheck.org is able to find even the most minute similarities in content, and their plagiarism checker targets specific areas:

• Exact content matches
• Changing sentence structure and rearranging words
• Word substitution
• Altering voice (eg. changing a passive voice to an active one)

Their pre-made plans start at $5.99 a month, and custom plans from just $1 per user, can be built by adding features. Once you have added your desired features, you can request a quote to see how much your custom plan will cost.

Plagium

If you’re wanting something fast and efficient, then Plagium is a great go-to. This platform has the option for a free search, where you can paste your text and quickly search the content for plagiarism.

Keep in mind, this is only for minor searches – if you’re wanting a more extensive plagiarism check, there will be a service charge.

For more in-depth searches or checks on longer content, Plagium charges just $0.04 per page for a regular search and $0.08 for a deep search.

You can also check two files against each other with the File Search, for just $0.005 per page. The great thing about Plagium is that it can be installed as a Google Docs Add-on, so you always have it on hand!

Turnitin

Commonly used in the academic sphere, most students are likely familiar with Turnitin. This platform's plagiarism checker is extremely in-depth and trusted by countless academic institutions.

Turnitin uses a variety of tools to assist students in combating plagiarism, whether it be unintentional over-quoting or genuine misconduct.

The color-coding and highlighting of plagiarized passages allows for clear interpretation of the content, and Turnitin uses data insights to highlight instances of deliberate text manipulation.

A great feature of Turnitin is that they are consistently ahead of the curve, upgrading and adapting to keep up with developments in plagiarism such as text spinning and contract cheating.

Turnitin Originality focuses on these emerging trends and is able to detect even the most obscure forms of plagiarism.

Unicheck

Described as a platform that is ‘easy to use while hard to fool’, Unicheck is a platform that focuses on helping the user develop original content.

Although this platform can definitely be helpful in the business world, the academic environment is where it really shines.

Unicheck is used by over 1,100 academic institutions and utilizes feedback from these institutions to constantly improve their software.

Unicheck has a pay-per-page pricing system, meaning you won’t get trapped in any subscription services.

The pricing ranges from $5.00 for 20 pages, to $600 for 10,000 pages, along with custom pricing available at your request.

Unicheck has a wide range of features available and sports a clear and simple interface that keeps the content easy to understand.

Semrush SEO Writing Assistant

While this platform is most well known for boosting engagement and SEO, Semrush SEO Writing Assistant also has a great plagiarism checker.

With this plagiarism checker, you are able to see all of the original sources that content has been pulled from, so you know exactly what the issue in the content is. This is essential to avoid plagiarism harming your SEO rankings.

Unfortunately, this is a bit of a more expensive platform, with the Pro Membership costing you $119.95 per month.

The good news is there are free trials available! You can give the platform a try and see if you want to upgrade, or just stick with the limited features of the free account.

If you do decide to invest in Semrush SEO Writing Assistant, you can run their plagiarism checker in Google Docs and check the content in your document for up-to-date feedback as you write.

ProWritingAid

For a secure, reliable plagiarism check, ProWritingAid is the way to go. This platform checks your content against over a billion web pages, published works, and academic papers.

You can check up to 2,000 words per plagiarism check, and the software will highlight all instances of plagiarism. ProWritingAid also guarantees to never resell any of the content that you input, meaning you can rest assured that your writing is secure.

The ProWritingAid plagiarism checker is pay-by-check, with 10 checks costing $10, 1,000 checks costing $200, and other options in between.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to their Premium Plus plan and receive 60 plagiarism checks per year. This platform is also integrated into Google Docs, so you can easily add it to your document.

The Bottom Line

In the age of remote working and AI, plagiarism is more prevalent than ever.

Whether you’re a teacher checking students' work, an employer checking company output, or a writer yourself wanting to be sure that your content is 100% original, it’s always a good idea to run your content through a plagiarism checker.

With our list of recommendations, you’ll hopefully be able to find one that works for you!