Plagiarism – copying someone else’s work or words without crediting them – is bad. We know this. It’s dishonest. It’s unfair. And it can lose you marks on your college work. But what about self-plagiarism? Is this a problem? And how can you “copy” yourself anyway? Let’s take a look.
At its most basic, “self-plagiarism” means using the same work in two places. Often, it also means presenting old work as if it were new.
For instance, imagine a journalist submitted two versions of the same piece to separate publications. They could change the title and rearrange things slightly to make it less obvious, but the overall content is very similar. This is known as duplicate publication and breaks rules against self-plagiarism.
We can imagine something similar happening with a student’s work. Say, for example, you were writing your dissertation on a topic you’d already touched on in a previous essay. You might be tempted to copy that part of the essay and reuse it in your dissertation. But if you did this, you could be accused of submitting the same work twice, which is self-plagiarism.
The key in both cases is that a writer is presenting old work as if it were new. You may not mean to deceive anyone. But unless you acknowledge that you’re using the same material in two places, it could be interpreted as self-plagiarism. And this could lose you marks on your work.
Short answer: Yes! Most colleges have rules against self-plagiarism. And if you’re found to have submitted the same work twice, you may lose out on valuable marks. In addition, anti-plagiarism tools like Turnitin “remember” everything they scan. As a result, if you submit a paper that reuses part or parts of an old essay, it could get flagged as plagiarism by a computer.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.
For published writing, the issue also strays into copyright. For instance, if you have already published the results of an experiment in one journal but you try to submit a similar paper to another journal, you may be violating the copyright of the first journal (even though it is your own work).
And if a journal or publisher spots self-plagiarism, it will at best delay publication. As such, you should never deliberately reuse material without checking whether you are allowed to do so first.
It is easy enough to avoid self-plagiarism if you follow a few simple rules:
And if you are working on an essay, don’t forget to have it proofread. Our expert editors can even check that your referencing is clear and consistent, helping you to avoid any accusations of plagiarism.
Δ
5-minute read
Promoting a brand means sharing valuable insights to connect more deeply with your audience, and...
6-minute read
If you’re seeking funding to support your charitable endeavors as a nonprofit organization, you’ll need...
9-minute read
Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...
8-minute read
Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...
7-minute read
Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...
4-minute read
Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...