What you MUST know about plagiarism
Imagine that you need to define a concept in a research manuscript and have found that perfect definition, among the many that you have read and dissected. You copy that definition and paste it into your manuscript. You know all about fair use, and the definition you are copying is only about a hundred words, so you give no further thought to the matter, more so because you have mentioned the name of the author whose definition you have used, although you have not inserted a formal citation. Do you think you can be accused of having plagiarized the definition?
In simplest terms, plagiarism is using somebody else’s words and passing them off as your own. By that definition, your copying of the definition will be considered plagiarism because (1) you did not enclose it within quotation marks (to show that you are using the exact words of the original author) and (2) you did not formally attribute the definition to the author by inserting a proper citation. Note that in such cases, the absolute length of the borrowed text (the number of words) is irrelevant. That length does become relevant under some other circumstances, as we discuss later in this article.
How to avoid plagiarism
As the previous paragraph indicates, all you need to do to avoid plagiarism is to (1) enclose within quotation marks any text you have borrowed verbatim and (2) to acknowledge the source of that quotation by citing it appropriately. Together, these two devices make it amply clear that you are not claiming the text as your own and that you are formally declaring the true source of that text with full bibliographic details.
Of course, you do not need to use quotation marks if you are not reproducing the original text word for word. However, acknowledging and citing the source are nevertheless essential because, as defined by the University of Oxford1, plagiarism is “Presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement.” Thus, even when you paraphrase the original, that is you present the text in your words instead of those of the author while retaining the meaning, you can be charged with plagiarism if you fail to acknowledge the source.
Why you should avoid plagiarism
The quote “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness” is usually attributed to Oscar Wilde, and many writers believe that by reproducing the exact words of somebody they admire is a form of respect to that person. However, that is not how most academic journals see it. In practical terms, when your manuscript is screened for possible plagiarism, any verbatim borrowing is likely to be flagged, and the manuscript will score high on similarity index—and rejected without further review.
Apart from ethical considerations, that is the most practical reason for avoiding plagiarism, namely, to ensure that your manuscript fares well when analyzed for similarity with other published texts. It is important to note that the tools used for such analysis may be labelled plagiarism checkers or plagiarism detectors but actually they are focused on finding similarities. That brings us to the next question, namely how to define similarity, and a related question, namely, how much similarity between the submitted manuscript and one or more published papers is acceptable.
How to lower the similarity percentage
Avoid excessive copy-pasting: The most dependable safeguard against a high similarity percentage is to avoid copying and pasting chunks of text. Even better, have no other file or document open while you are writing. This simple precaution forces you to write from memory the ideas or opinions you have read earlier and wish to cite in support of your writing. Of course, it is important to cite formally the sources of those ideas or opinions, and it is good practice not to depend on your memory while doing so.
While citing, it is best to have each source open in front of you so that you get all the details right, especially the names of authors (correctly spelled) and the year of publication. But fill in these details in a separate pass or while revising what you have written—not as you are working on your first or second draft.
Use tools for paraphrasing: Effective paraphrasing requires a certain level of proficiency in English. So, you will need to put in some effort to learn how to paraphrase text well, especially if your first language is not English and you are not very confident about your writing skills. In the meanwhile, some tools are available, so long as you use them judiciously and ethically. One such tool is the academic phrase bank developed at Manchester University2. For each section of a typical research paper (introduction, methods, discussion, etc.), the bank lists typical phrases that are used in that section and suitable alternatives. For example, in making general comments on literature, the bank offers a number of set phrases, including the following:
“The literature on X has highlighted several…”
“Different theories exist in the literature regarding…”
“More recent attention has focused on the provision of…”
You can find even more tools online that can help you with paraphrasing specific texts. However, you will need to read the offered versions carefully to make sure that they are acceptable and not mere mechanical substitutions of words with no regard to their connotations, giving you alternatives that have been termed tortured phrases3 such as colossal information for big data and irregular esteem for random value. Most importantly, never forget that even when you reduce the similarity percentage through paraphrasing, crediting the original source appropriately is a must.
What to do if your text has a high similarity percentage
Lastly, do not be disheartened if your manuscript shows a high similarity percentage, especially if you have been careful to write in your own words and to use quotation marks and citations when reproducing any copied text word for word. The tools used for detecting similarities need to be used wisely, although that task is often relegated to those who may lack the required judgement and experience. For example, some categories of text need to be excluded while running a similarity check. Such text includes text used in the methods section, text put within quotation marks, and also the references, because similarities are inevitable in these categories.
Another parameter is the number of consecutive words that is acceptable and therefore excluded from similarity percentages. If that limit is set too low (no more than five words, for example) most manuscripts will score high on similarity simply because some standard phrases are bound to be identical and found in hundreds of papers, such as “It is often observed that,” “The discrepancy was due to,” and “A review of literature suggests.” Therefore, you may consider requesting more information on how the similarity check was conducted.
Conclusion
The best safeguards against plagiarism are
- Not indulging in copying and pasting whole chunks of text
- Enclosing within quotation marks any text reproduced word for word and providing a citation
- Working on being more proficient in English so that paraphrasing comes naturally to you, or using tools/resources with discretion to help you in this task
Does your manuscript meet standard academic writing norms? If unsure, try Editage’s English editing services, where a professional academic editor performs a thorough check of the language and style used in your article.
References
- University of Oxford. Plagiarism: information about what plagiarism is, and how you can avoid it. https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiarism
- https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
- Cabanac G, Labbé C, and Magazinov A. 2021. Tortured phrases: A dubious writing style emerging in science. Available at https://arxiv.org/pdf/2107.06751.pdf
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