How do you know what to avoid if you don’t know what to keep an eye out for? This is the case with plagiarism, as it may not be as obvious. You’ll have to deal with the consequences, even if it happens unintentionally. By knowing the different types of plagiarism in academic writing, you can steer clear of them and maintain your integrity.
What types of plagiarism exist? Keep reading to learn about plagiarism examples, the problems they cause, and how to avoid them.
1. Complete Plagiarism
Plagiarism means copying another person’s work and using it as though you’re the original creator. This is similar to the definition of complete plagiarism. In this type of duplication, you copy the entire source material.
For example, you need to turn in an essay about black holes for your science class. You copy the entire article on black holes on Wikipedia and use it as is in your essay. If you don’t cite where you obtained your information, this is intentional plagiarism, which falls under complete plagiarism.
2. Direct Plagiarism
Direct plagiarism is a type of duplication where you use sections, sentences, or paragraphs of another person’s work. You copy everything to the letter and use it without making any changes or attributing the source. For instance, you come across a research paper and use its conclusion in your work.
3. Self-Plagiarism
Reproducing your older work in your current assignment is self-plagiarism. Even though you’re the original author, this doesn’t mean you can reuse it. Some institutions may allow you to do this with your teacher’s permission.
However, it’s best to avoid copying your previous work. If you need to do so, use the same sources.
For instance, you wrote an essay about why the sky is blue. In the next assignment, you need to write about the differences in the sky’s color during sunrise and sunset. If you use sections from your previous essay, the evaluator will consider this verbatim plagiarism.
4. Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Paraphrasing plagiarism is tricky because it may not seem as obvious at first glance. In this type of duplication, you reuse another person’s work but don’t do it directly. You paraphrase the content by changing a handful of words.
Even though it looks different, the sentence structure is still the same. For example, the local newspaper interviewed a popular entrepreneur in your area. If you take a quote from the interview, swap a few words, and don’t credit the original source, it’s plagiarism.
5. Patchwork Plagiarism (AKA Mosaic Plagiarism)
What is mosaic plagiarism or patchwork plagiarism? In this form of plagiarism, you reproduce the material from multiple sources in your work. Here’s an example of plagiarism — you must turn in a book report for your literature class.
You find several sources online and borrow their summaries in your review. You also include your thoughts about the book in the report. Any plagiarism checker will flag the copied sections for plagiarism, another word for patchwork copying.
6. Source-based Plagiarism
Source-based plagiarism occurs when you attribute the secondary sources, even though they come from a primary source.
When you look at any page on Wikipedia, you’ll notice there are superscripts after certain sentences. These superscripts are links to the sources Wikipedia used in its article.
If you cite Wikipedia only in your work, it becomes source-based plagiarism.
7. Accidental Plagiarism
Accidental plagiarism is common and happens when you don’t check your work before submission. It can also occur if you make mistakes while crediting the author. In most cases, it is unintentional, as you weren’t aware of the source. It can subconsciously happen as you read the original material recently.
For instance, you need to review a movie as part of your assignment. You go through multiple sites to learn about the film. While writing your review, you unknowingly included some of these materials and turned the paper in. The evaluator will consider this plagiarism, even though you were unaware of your actions.
Examples of Plagiarism
Here are some examples of plagiarism:
- Duplicating the source material word-for-word and not including the content within quotation marks. For example, you copy and paste Einstein’s quote but don’t include it within quotation marks, nor do you credit him.
- Paraphrasing someone’s content without making adequate changes, due to which it resembles the original work. You also don’t cite the source. For instance, you paraphrase a researcher’s findings from their paper. When you compare the original with your work, it’s clear you copied their work. You also don’t credit them for their work.
- Using another person’s work and taking credit for it. For example, your senior from college shared their final project with you. You submit the same project without making any changes, nor do you state that it’s someone else’s work.
- Copying from multiple sources without citing where you acquired the information. For instance, you use several Wikipedia articles for your assignment. However, you don’t cite all the sources you used in your work.
- Buying someone else’s work and submitting it in your name. For example, you buy a thesis, put your name on the paper, and give it to your evaluator.
Consequences of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a strict no-no in academic writing and professional work. Although duplicating the original content isn’t illegal, there are severe consequences, as highlighted below.
Academic Penalties
Academic institutions take strict action against students who plagiarize intentionally or otherwise. The professor will dock points for your paper, affecting the final grade you receive.
They may give it the lowest grade, which may result in you failing your course. There are also cases where institutions suspend or expel students for plagiarism. Imagine going through months of hard work only to fail the subject because of accidental plagiarism.
Damaged Reputation
It’s next to impossible for your reputation to recover if there are clear signs of plagiarism in your work. Even if you only produce authentic work hereafter, your professor will always have concerns about its originality.
Obstacle in Future Contribution and Research
A plagiarism accusation will follow you around like a blacklist. Journals won’t accept your contributions as they don’t want to put their reputation at risk. Copying someone else’s material can even disqualify you from receiving grants for your research.
Lack of Learning Opportunities
Everyone puts in significant amounts of effort to produce their work. This comes with a learning experience, especially when you use multiple resources to understand a subject. Plagiarism prevents this from happening, which stops you from learning the topic of discussion.
How To Avoid Plagiarism: Use These 7 Tips
Unintentional plagiarism is common, so you should take precautions before submitting your material. The sections below cover five tips to avoid plagiarism.
1. Ensure There’s Enough Time To Complete Your Work
Plagiarism often occurs because you’re hurrying to turn over your paper. For example, you must write a 20-page report and submit it the next day. In this situation, you may not have the time to check the originality of your work. Have a realistic expectation of how long it will take to research and complete the project.
2. Maintain a Record of All the Sources
Any time you take a note from any source, you should also include where you got the material. Make this a practice when you start preparing your final paper’s draft. Moreover, it becomes easier to cite your sources as you already have this information ready to go.
3. Always Cite, Even if You’re Unsure
It’s clear that you need to attribute the authors the moment you include their work in your material. What if you’re not sure, as you think what you’re including in your document is a well-known fact?
As highlighted earlier, you don’t want to deal with accidental plagiarism. Remember, just because you’re aware of the fact doesn’t mean it’s common knowledge.
Proper citation is the best solution, even if you’re 99% sure you don’t need to. For instance, if you’re using a direct quote, include it within quotation marks. Why waste all your hard work to save a few seconds or minutes?
4. Paraphrase and Cite the Original Work
Wait, hasn’t this article already covered this type of plagiarism? Yes, but you can avoid this type of copying if you paraphrase properly. What does this entail? For starters, think about how you can convey the same information using a different set of words.
Avoid replacing the original work’s phrases and using them in your work. Instead, use your voice and writing style to transform the source material. You also need to cite the source.
5. Scan Your Work With a Plagiarism Checker Before Submission
You should not submit your documents without reviewing your work for plagiarism. You never know what’s available online, so staying safe is always better. A third-party tool, like Smodin’s Plagiarism Checker, should ensure you’re not reproducing someone else’s work.
6. Avoid Copying Anything Directly to Your Work
This seems fairly obvious when avoiding plagiarism — don’t copy anything directly. You can also take an additional precautionary measure and summarize the original material. You should also avoid using generated content from AI-powered tools as they may plagiarize various sources.
This way, you won’t unintentionally copy another individual’s material when writing the draft. Again, this doesn’t mean you don’t need to include your resources, as you must cite them.
Use Smodin’s Plagiarism Checker To Get the Grades You Deserve
Plagiarism can have dire consequences, so it’s always better to go above and beyond to avoid duplication accusations. Taking the extra step to document work and include your sources is always safer in the long run.
The easiest way to ensure there isn’t a hint of plagiarism in your work is Smodin’s Plagiarism Checker. It will check millions of documents and sites in real-time to ensure your work is original. Think of it as a writing assistant that immediately lets you know if something you wrote exists elsewhere.
The Super Search feature can ensure that there isn’t a single source anywhere on the internet with the same work. It can also check what’s available in Google Scholar to be on the safer side. You can also include and exclude URLs to reduce false positives.
It comes with an auto-citation feature, saving you loads of effort. You don’t have to go through the browser’s history to find links to the original material. The plagiarism checker can analyze .pdf, .doc, and .docx files without issues. We’ll never save your file as we value user privacy.
But that’s not the only tool Smodin has to help you with your writing. You can also use our AI content detector to help you detect and remove AI plagiarism. Moreover, there’s the AI-powered paraphraser to keep your work authentic. These tools receive regular updates, so they continue to get better every day.
Dealing with the types of plagiarism is a headache at the end of the day, so why not let us do the heavy lifting? Scan your work in real time with Smodin’s Plagiarism Checker, so your hard work is never at risk! Or, sign up for Smodin to gain full access to all of our tools.
FAQs
This section focuses on queries people have while learning about plagiarism.
Which type of plagiarism is most commonly used?
Paraphrasing plagiarism is most commonly used because people believe they aren’t copying the source material. After all, you’re changing the words and phrases, so it should be original, right?
This isn’t the case, and you can run into trouble even if you paraphrase. The best thing to do is attribute the author so you never have to worry about duplication accusations.
What is the #1 cause of plagiarism?
The number one cause of plagiarism in academics is the fear of failing a subject or getting a bad grade. You may also reproduce someone else’s material if you don’t have enough time to complete your material.
For instance, your professor gave you a month to complete the essay. However, you waited until the last day to start working on your piece.
What cannot be considered as plagiarism?
Well-known facts, i.e., common knowledge, cannot be plagiarism. For example, if you write, “Florida is a state in the U.S.,” this is not plagiarism. Similarly, including idioms, common phrases, and using direct phrases in quotes while citing your sources isn’t plagiarism.