When the content of any given material, be it an article, a review or a paper, is checked, similarities to other such materials may appear. This does not, however, automatically mean that the respective content has been plagiarized. At this point this simply means that similar content to other such materials has been found but it does not imply dishonest or illegal practices.
Especially in academic papers, a high percentage of instances of similarity can easily be explained through comparison and an analysis of the content and its context. Quoting the title of another paper will be detected as a similarity. So will names, book titles or bibliographies, references and quotes, common phrases and constructs, etc. Though similar, they do not qualify as plagiarism because plagiarism implies using someone else’s work or ideas as if they were one’s own.
Maintain original style of writing have well conversant with any internationally repute citation style for referencing the documents, APA may be the one name of citation style for the example here. Moreover, researchers don’t forget to acknowledge for borrow ideas of other authors both in text citation and in the reference list. Paraphrasing and use of double quotation marks confine to borrow ideas (few lines of other authors) are the most important criterion to decrease the similarity index.
Maintain original style of writing have well conversant with any internationally repute citation style for referencing the documents, APA may be the one name of citation style for the example here. Moreover, researchers don’t forget to acknowledge for borrow ideas of other authors both in text citation and in the reference list. Paraphrasing and use of double quotation marks confine to borrow ideas (few lines of other authors) are the most important criterion to decrease the similarity index.
Hi Mohamed - a good response from Surendra. I like the fact that you mention both the terms 'similarity' and 'plagiarism'. Similarity, to me, represents poor para-phrasing i.e. cutting-and pasting - yet still acknowledging the original author. This requires directing the author to support sources and services that advise how to paraphrase correctly i.e. changing the original published narrative into your own words without changing the context and meaning of the original words. Plagiarism (in it's 'purest' form) is more 'dishonest' i.e. cutting-and pasting' without citation and acknowledgment of the original author and, especially, where that is intentional. This still requires support and awareness-raising - but repeated instances often require more punitive policy-based action.
Anti-plagiarism software i.e. Turnitin off the function of 'turning off' reference list (bibliography) and direct quotation matches - so that it is just the main text that is shown.
Dean, Mohamed-how does this apply to one's own work. If I cut and paste a section of text from a previous publication of my own do I stlll need to cite and para-phrase?
Mr. Glenn, even your work need to paraphrase it and make citation (acknowledge yourself)
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Books