plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s ideas, words, or data as one’s own, without proper attribution. It covers written text, images, code, data sets, and other intellectual property, and can occur in education, publishing, media, and research. Plagiarism can be intentional or the result of carelessness or misunderstanding of citation rules. Proper attribution, quotation of exact text, and accurate paraphrase with citations are the primary defenses against it.

Types of plagiarism include direct copying (verbatim without citation), mosaic or patchwork plagiarism (combining multiple sources without attribution), paraphrase plagiarism (rewording another’s ideas too closely without credit), self-plagiarism (reusing one’s own previous work without disclosure), and accidental plagiarism (misunderstanding or sloppy note-taking). Misattribution, such as citing the wrong source, is another form.

Consequences vary by setting but can be severe. In schools and universities, penalties range from warning to failure on an assignment, course failure, suspension, or expulsion. In publishing, plagiarism can lead to retractions and reputational harm; in professional contexts it can damage careers and legal exposure under copyright law.

Prevention emphasizes ethical practices: diligent citation and a credible bibliography, clear quotation marks for exact words, careful paraphrasing, keeping track of sources, and using plagiarism-detection tools as a check. Understanding disciplinary norms and ownership rules is essential. Ethical scholarship respects authorship, supports trust, and upholds intellectual property rights. Self-plagiarism, reusing one’s own published work without disclosure, is often treated as deceptive if it misleads about novelty or originality.