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What is plagiarism

What is plagiarism?

People who write scientific texts often worry about being accused of plagiarism. Only a few findings are truly unique and every scientist works with what others have previously discovered. The transition from presenting the state of research to original innovation is often difficult to recognize. This makes it all the more important to make the sources from which one has drawn transparent.

Plagiarism is a big issue in the academic world. But what exactly is plagiarism and how do you recognize it? In this article, we want to address this question and clarify what types of plagiarism there are, what the consequences of plagiarism can be and how to avoid plagiarism.

Overview:

Definition: Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a form of fraud in which a person passes off someone else’s intellectual property as their own knowledge. Plagiarism can take various forms, for example the copying of texts, images, graphics or ideas without citing the source.

Plagiarism is often also formally an infringement of copyright. However, works that are not protected by copyright can also be plagiarized. This is particularly clear in the case of works that have been published open access. This is because open access not only means that everyone else has unrestricted access to a particular work, but often also includes the right to reuse and edit this work. However, the authors must always be named.

What exactly is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a text (or other work) that has been copied or the content of which has been taken over by a person without indicating the source or the author of the original. This can be a direct quote or a paraphrased version of the original.

What is considered plagiarism?

In the academic world, anything that is taken from a third party without citing the source is considered plagiarism.

How are plagiarisms recognized?

Plagiarism can be detected in various ways. One of the simplest methods is the use of plagiarism software, which automatically compares texts with a database of previously published texts. However, this only really works reliably if the database covers all possible sources of plagiarism – which is practically never the case. Manually searching for text excerpts and checking the sources can also help to identify plagiarism.

Indications of possible plagiarism are, for example, longer passages without any reference to the source, but also stylistic breaks in the text that make it look like a collage and not a work from a single source.

In the case of academic texts, plagiarism often comes to light in the course of peer-review procedures or reviews by academics with relevant credentials, if they get the impression during the plagiarism check that they have already read or otherwise taken note of certain formulations etc. elsewhere – in the worst case, they have published the source of the plagiarism themselves.

May I be guided by the structural design?

It is permitted to take inspiration from the structure of other texts. However, you should make sure that you reproduce the content of the text in your own words and cite the source correctly if you adopt a certain structure. In this case, you should usually also explain why you are using this particular structure.

Does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

Yes, paraphrasing can also be considered plagiarism if it is not marked as a quotation or the source is not cited. Paraphrasing means that you reproduce the ideas and content of a text in your own words. Here, too, it is important to cite the source of the original in order to avoid being considered a plagiarist.

A distinction must be made between paraphrasing and mere rephrasing, in which only individual words or even letters are changed to make comparison more difficult. Such manipulations, which deliberately serve to conceal the plagiarism, violate the rules of good scientific practice even more seriously than mere copying, in which the source reference is simply forgotten due to carelessness.

Common forms of plagiarism

There are various types of plagiarism, for example the copying of entire sections of text, the use of other people’s graphics and tables or the use of other people’s ideas. Often, third-party content is simply copied and pasted into one’s own work.

Can you plagiarize yourself?

Although it is not an infringement of copyright, so-called “self-plagiarism”, in which a person reuses their own work for later publication without making reference to the first publication, is nevertheless academically disreputable.

Of course, there are plenty of scientists who deal with the same or similar problems again and again over the course of time and always come to new conclusions. That is completely irreproachable. It becomes problematic when it is not recognizable from the outside that a work or even an idea is not really new and original, but just “old wine in new bottles”.

An aggravated form of “self-plagiarism” is the repetition of a text or certain ideas that were initially quite original, but were then (also) published under a different name, for example under the name of the head of a research project, who may have added further, equally original aspects. Even then, the “actual authors” cannot (only) cite themselves without further ado, but must name all “official” authors of the source – even if it is difficult and the distinction can be difficult in individual cases. This makes it all the more important to make it clear which person(s) were responsible for which parts of the publication in the case of publications with multiple authors.

Consequences of plagiarism

The consequences of plagiarism can be severe. In the academic world, plagiarism can lead to the revocation of degrees or even dismissal from the university. The actual authors can seek injunctive relief or even claim damages. Even criminal prosecution is possible. In the worst case, plagiarism can lead to long-term damage to your reputation, which can have an impact on your career.

If there is a suspicion of plagiarism, the person concerned in the academic field is usually first asked to comment. If the suspicion is confirmed, the work in which the plagiarism is found is withdrawn and instead a note is inserted stating that the work is no longer available for copyright reasons. In addition, the employer or the institution where the work was created is usually also informed of the misconduct – which can have further consequences. If the takeover is obvious, the work can also be temporarily blocked.

Avoid plagiarism

In order to avoid plagiarism, you should always make sure that you correctly identify other people’s ideas and texts as such. This means that you should always cite the source when using other people’s texts and use quotation marks when quoting. The use of graphics, tables and other content from other people should also always be correctly cited as the source. This presupposes that you yourself know that you have taken a certain text, image or idea from another person – and thus forces you to proceed carefully.

Citation management programs can be used to ensure that the source is (almost) automatically cited when content from a work is copied into a new project. These programs usually also have other useful functions and help, for example, with the creation of bibliographies or with the standardization of citation styles.

Another way to avoid plagiarism is to use plagiarism software. This software can help you to compare previously published texts with your own text and identify possible plagiarism if you are not sure where certain ideas etc. originate from that you have not noted down. However, plagiarism software should never be used to first identify possible plagiarism and then make it unrecognizable.

Conclusion

Plagiarism is a serious problem in the academic world and can have serious consequences. It is important that you always make sure that you correctly identify other people’s ideas and texts as such and that you adhere to the applicable copyright regulations. If you are unsure whether something is considered plagiarism or not, you should always contact your lecturer or professor and ask for advice. This way, you can ensure that you follow the rules and do not suffer any undesirable consequences.