selfplagiarism

Self-plagiarism, also known as text recycling or duplicate publication, occurs when an author reuses significant portions of their own previously published text, data, or figures without proper acknowledgment or permission, presenting them as new. It can involve verbatim repetition, close paraphrasing, or reusing elements across multiple works.

Unlike plagiarism involving others’ work, self-plagiarism concerns the integrity of the scholarly record and the copyright status of published material. Some reuse may be acceptable under certain conditions, such as clearly citing the prior work, obtaining permission, or reusing non-substantive material. However, excessive overlap can mislead readers about novelty and inflate scholarly metrics.

Examples include submitting a manuscript that is largely identical to a prior conference paper, reusing the same figures or tables without citation, or publishing the same results in multiple journals (redundant publication). Translating and publishing the same article in another language without disclosure is another form. Posting a manuscript or accepted paper to a repository or personal website can be permitted or restricted depending on publisher policy.

Policies and consequences vary by venue, but many journals require originality and may sanction self-plagiarism with rejection, corrections, or retraction. Repeated or undisclosed reuse can undermine credibility and distort author metrics, making it important to handle prior work transparently.

Prevention and guidance include citing prior publications, paraphrasing with attribution, using quotation marks for verbatim text, and obtaining permission for reuse of figures or data when required. Always check journal or institutional policies on text recycling and disclose any overlap with previous work during submission. When in doubt, seek editor guidance.