Which out of the following will allow you to avoid plagiarism?

The correct option is: Giving credit to the original author in an in-text citation and in the list of works cited.

Explanation:
Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work, ideas, or expressions and presenting them as one's own without proper acknowledgment. To avoid plagiarism, you must clearly show which parts of your work are derived from other sources.

Let's examine why the correct option is the only effective way to prevent plagiarism among the choices provided:
1. Giving credit to the original author (Correct): Whenever you use someone else's ideas, data, or direct quotes, you must acknowledge them. An in-text citation points the reader to the source in the body of your text, and the works cited page provides the complete details of the source. This transparent documentation ensures that the original author gets credit, thereby avoiding plagiarism.
2. Using paraphrases or quotes by other sources in your name (Incorrect): Even if you rephrase (paraphrase) another person's ideas or quote them, presenting them under your own name without citing the source is a direct form of plagiarism.
3. Not keeping a proper documentation of references used (Incorrect): Failing to keep track of where you found your information makes it highly likely that you will forget to cite your sources, leading to accidental plagiarism.
4. Not using a plagiarism checker software before submitting (Incorrect): While a plagiarism checker can help you identify unintentional matching text before submission, simply not using it does not actively help you avoid plagiarism; rather, practicing honest citation habits is what prevents it.