17 Common Types of Plagiarism
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Plagiarism comes at the top of the list as one of the most unethical things you can do in as a student.
It is also punishable by law if the plagiarized text is copyrighted or trademarked.
Plagiarism is a violation the ethics codes of most universities and colleges, and it usually results in disciplinary action or instant termination in some cases.
But what is plagiarism? Here’s your answer, along with 17 common types of plagiarism to avoid at all costs.
What is Plagiarism
In its simplest form, plagiarism is copying another individual’s work and presenting it as if it were your own work.
Plagiarism has many forms, most of which are unknown to students and writers, but it all revolves around the same concept: intellectual theft, whether it’s text, videos, or even photos.
You’d think plagiarism is illegal—as it should be—but it’s not in most cases. It’s often only punishable by the university or college you are enrolled with.
Of course, that’s unless the plagiarised text is copyrighted. In this case, the original author could sue you.
Plagiarism ruins the credibility of the individual’s work, and it’s generally looked down on because it’s a form of taking the easy way out in an unethical manner.
What is Direct Plagiarism
Direct plagiarism is copying a part of an individual’s work without changing anything about it and integrating it into your own work or handing it in as if you did it.
It’s not copying the whole piece, but instead taking fragments of it word-for-word without paraphrasing anything. In cases of direct plagiarism, the writer doesn’t add quotation marks or anything that may make the text seem like someone else’s writing. Additionally, there are no citations or listed sources.
That’s why you must always cite your sources or list them later in your paper, anything to give credit to the original author.
What is Hired Plagiarism
Hired plagiarism is one of the worst forms of offense. Because you don’t only copy someone else’s work and try to pass it off as yours, but you hire someone to write something, only for you to hand it in like it’s yours.
Other forms of hired plagiarism include buying someone’s else works and passing it off as if it’s yours.
So, you actually pay money to plagiarize, making it all the more serious offense.
Not all people are convinced that hired plagiarism should be considered an offense. The way they see it, both parties approve, and there’s no stealing involved.
However, it’s still plagiarism because it’s taking someone else’s work and handing it in like you were the one to write it.
What is Borrowed Plagiarism
Borrowed plagiarism is more common among students. They often borrow each others’ assignments to hand them in to different teachers.
Likewise, some students will borrow another student’s answers and copy them. All those instances are considered plagiarism because, in the end, it’s someone handing in another person’s work.
Borrowed plagiarism is an uncommon term because most people don’t know they’re plagiarizing by doing it. It’s when you borrow someone else’s work and hand it in, or copy it and then hand it in.
What is Self-Plagiarism
Self-plagiarism is when you use a piece you submitted earlier for a new project. For example, if you’re taking a literature course, you may be tempted to hand in a paper that you’ve written in an earlier year for a different class.
That’s called self-plagiarism because you didn’t actually create a new, original assignment.
In the end, you’ll be using your own work, so you may not view is as taboo as stealing someone else’s. However, that doesn’t make it any better, and it’s still plagiarism.
What is Mosaic Plagiarism
Mosaic plagiarism is the same concept as direct plagiarism in the sense that you copy a piece of someone else’s work. However, rather than copying the entire part and putting it as it is, you copy a couple of sentences of someone else’s work and put them amid your text without citing them or quoting them.
They flow naturally as if you wrote them, but they’re not yours.
It’s called mosaic plagiarism because it’s similar to patching something up using several scattered pieces. It’s often done to escape the plagiarism detectors, but good detectors will still catch the plagiarized bits, even if they’re only a couple of sentences.
What is Collaboration Plagiarism
Is a group of students collaborating on a school project considered plagiarism? When you put it like that, no, it’s not.
However, when a group of students works on something, and only one student hands it as if he did it alone, it’s considered collaboration plagiarism, even if the other students agree to it.
The idea of collaborating is encouraged in academic settings, but when it’s an individual project and a group works on it, it’s unethical, especially when it’s handed in with only one name on it.
What is Paraphrasing Plagiarism
Paraphrasing plagiarism is the most common type all around, especially among writers and researchers. Rather than copying someone else’s work literally, you move things around to make it seem like it’s your own.
So, for example, you change words for their synonyms, and you may change the order of a couple of sentences. However, when you put the two pieces next to each other, it’s evident to anyone that one is a spun version of the other.
Some would argue that paraphrasing plagiarism isn’t an offense because you’re writing in your own words. However, it’s still taking someone else’s work without doing enough research or citing them.
What is Aggregator Plagiarism
Aggregator plagiarism is one of the most controversial forms because while some people don’t count it as an offense, others believe it’s doing more harm than good.
Aggregation is copying someone else’s work without changing anything, but unlike direct plagiarism, you actually cite the author.
It seems a good idea to give credit when it’s due, but the thing is, aggregation’s boundaries are unclear.
Some people exploit other people’s work for their own gains, so even if they’re citing the sources, it’s still considered plagiarism. That’s especially if the original author gets no benefit and doesn’t approve of copying his work.
On the other hand, some people pull from others’ work to benefit them.
It all depends on the outcome and the way it’s done.
What is Outline Plagiarism
Outline plagiarism is copying another person’s outline instead of the text itself. For example, it’s when you decide to copy an article’s entire skeleton, including its headings, but without copying the actual text.
Some may think it’s not an offense because you’re not using the other person’s words. However, you’re still stealing their ideas and their arrangement of thoughts, so it’s no better than copying the actual words.
What is Bibliographic Plagiarism
A bibliography is a list included by researchers at the end of their papers, listing the sources that they used to write. When you steal someone else’s bibliography and hand it in with your work, it’s considered one form of plagiarism.
Even if you did the research yourself, you still took someone else’s list of sources without listing your own, so it’s an unethical offense.
What is Secondary Plagiarism
Secondary plagiarism occurs when you use secondary sources for your paper without citing them. So, you mention your main source, but you also use other sources without citing them.
These secondary sources can be anything, ranging from books and articles to reviews and even commentaries.
A lot of writers think they’d get away with secondary plagiarism because they already cited the main source, but it’s still plagiarism when you use someone else’s work without crediting them.
What is Accidental Plagiarism
Accidental plagiarism is among the controversial types of plagiarism. Technically, the person who did it did it accidentally or without a full intention to steal someone else’s work. So, this makes it less of an offense.
However, it doesn’t remove the ‘plagiarism’ label on it.
In a nutshell, accidental plagiarism is when someone unintentionally spins someone else’s words. Or, it’s when someone forgets to cite a source or credit an author. It’s not too different from mosaic plagiarism, but the main major difference is that it’s unintended.
What is Incidental Plagiarism
Incidental plagiarism is a different term for accidental plagiarism, but both are the same thing. It’s basically copying or spinning someone else’s words without citing them. It also includes incorrectly adding sources or forgetting to cite something.
What is Verbatim Plagiarism
Verbatim plagiarism is another word for direct plagiarism. It means copying someone else’s work and using it in your own work without quoting it or citing the source.
What is Bluffing Plagiarism
Bluffing plagiarism is when someone reads source texts like academic journals and magazines, copies the main ideas, then writes them in his own way without crediting the original author. The text will look different than the original, but the essence remains the same.
The reason it’s considered plagiarism is that the copier used the work of the original author as his own, even if he used different words.
Bluffing only became famous because of the wide availability of academic journals on the internet. Now, anybody can open any research paper, copy the words without reading too much into the topic, and paste them into an online document.
It’s called bluffing because doing so gives the reader the impression that the copier has a broad knowledge of the topic when in fact, they don’t. The good news is, academic tutors are paying more attention now to this type of plagiarism, so it’s getting easier to catch.
What is Inaccurate Authorship Plagiarism
Inaccurate authorship plagiarism is sometimes referred to as misleading attribution, and it involves the wrong citation of authors in an academic research paper.
For instance, when students read a paper that has more than three authors and want to cite it, they use the first name only to avoid taking too much time writing references.
It’s considered plagiarism because authors aren’t appropriately credited for their work. Luckily, this is an easy catch for academic tutors because they can check that the citations are proper in seconds.
While writing references can be a hassle, doing it properly is fair for all authors around the world who work hard in the research field.
What is Global Plagiarism
Global plagiarism is one of the most common types of plagiarism, and it involves crediting another author’s entire piece of work as your own. It happens commonly in schools and colleges when students are too lazy to do their own homework, so they get someone else to do it. Then, they hand in the work with their name on top without actually working on it.
It’s also considered global plagiarism if you copy a text you find randomly on the internet and hand it in with your name.
Unfortunately, this type of plagiarism comes with the most serious consequences. It can lead to academic expulsion or probation if caught. That being said, it’s also the easiest to avoid. All you have to do is write your own essays!
Summary
While not all types of plagiarism are punishable by law, they’re all highly unethical and can result in severe consequences like probation or expulsion from an institute. They all revolve around the same idea with slight differences in definition, copying someone else’s work and passing it off as your own.
It’s common in all fields, especially academic research, because of the wide availability of articles and research papers on the internet. However, people are getting more experienced with it every day, and now, the chances of plagiarism getting caught are higher than ever!
Additional Resources
For further guidance on citing sources and avoiding plagiarism in your assignments and studies, consider exploring the following resources:
Books and Guides:
"Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide" by Richard Pears and Graham Shields
This comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for mastering various citation styles. "Cite Them Right" covers all major citation styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard, providing clear examples and detailed instructions for citing a wide range of sources. It is particularly useful for students who need to ensure accuracy and consistency in their referencing.
Amazon Kindle & Kindle App:
Access "Cite Them Right" on Kindle and the Kindle App
For quick access to "Cite Them Right" buy the digital version and access it through the Amazon Kindle and the Kindle App. This allows you to easily carry the guide with you and bookmark the citations you use most regularly anytime, anywhere, ensuring that you can reference correctly even on the go.
Amazon Kindle:
Purchase an Amazon Kindle
If you don't already have one, consider purchasing an Amazon Kindle. This e-reader provides a convenient and portable way to access numerous books, including "Cite Them Right." With features like adjustable text size and built-in dictionary, a Kindle can enhance your reading and learning experience.
Digital Downloadable Templates:
University Librarian Store: Annotated Bibliography Templates
Enhance your research process with annotated bibliography templates from the University Librarian Store. These templates are available in US Letter and A4 formats and can help you organize your sources and notes efficiently. Visit the University Librarian Store to explore our collection and find the perfect template for your needs.
Annotated Bibliography Notebooks:
Available on Amazon: Paper Notebooks
Keep all your referencing and notes in one centralized place with annotated bibliography notebooks available for purchase on Amazon. These notebooks are designed specifically for students, ensuring that you can easily access and review your work as your project evolves.
By utilizing these resources, you can deepen your understanding of citing sources accurately, enhance your research skills, and ensure that your assignments and studies are supported by robust and credible references.
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