Questions tagged [plagiarism]
Plagiarism is the use of the ideas and words of another passed off as one's own. Issues here include similarity of work, theme, and characters. Plagiarism is not always a crime, but in academia and industry it is seen as a serious ethical offence. Cases of plagiarism can also constitute copyright infringement.
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I noticed that several already-existing poems used the same highly specific puns and phrases that I used. Is this unintentional plagiarism on my part?
A bit of context:
Exhibit A) I wrote a poem that had the line "crystalline crystal lines."
I googled this phrase, just to see if it was out there, and I saw that it was. I had never read the poem ...
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Is it plagiarism to use an item from another story in my own story?
What if I use an item from another story in my story? For example, in my story there is a metal called adamantium which obviously came from the story of Wolverine.
Can it be considered plagiarism?
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I feel like my book is too similar to famous existing novels? [duplicate]
I won't get into all the details, but my book is about four characters that realise that the universe isn't what it seems. They fight for power against someone who has held a long-standing ...
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1answer
111 views
Can the outline of a short story be reason for plagiarism?
3 years ago a friend of mine shared the outline of a short story ( 1 page) inspired by Wild Swans the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen.
Last year I began to write a screenplay inspired by the same ...
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In literary fiction, when does allusion, pastiche or intertextuality cross over into plagiarism?
I want to write a novella that to some degree translates Conrad's Heart of Darkness to a modern urban setting, and I want the astute reader to be able to make multiple connections between the two ...
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How can I make ithenticate identify θ-continuous as a single word?
I have a problem with the similarity index of one of my works since the plagiarism detector "Ithenticate" identify θ-continuous as continuous. In my university, all that matter is the similarity index ...
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132 views
I have a retracted article for ethical misconduct, this means my career is over? [closed]
When I was in my first year of M.SC. A professor told me to work on a project that the main data were belong to him. He had sent me a early draft and told me to translate it to english so I did along ...
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What is legal and illegal in writing? [closed]
I am planning to write a book in my mother tongue (so excuse my bad grammar). It's in "Business and Management"
So, while I was reading books for my references, I found a well organized book. I took ...
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How do I know which elements I can use from the work which orginally inspired me?
I recently read the Blood on the Stars series by Jay Allan and really enjoyed the idea of a post-Golden Age human civilization that has splintered into factions and is now at war with itself.
I ...
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On copyright infringement and plagiarism
So, I'm writing a novella about this guy named Peter, who is an actor living in LA. In the fall, he comes back to his hometown, a small town in New Jersey, after a gap of three years. He has a large ...
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What are the copyright laws and permission requirements for a teacher using a student's work as an example?
If a teacher makes a writing assignment for students (some would be minors), can the teacher use those writings as examples in the future?
The teacher would examine the writings and provide analysis ...
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Can a story be considered plagarism even though its in a different world
If there are two works with the same character name and family type can it be considered a plagiarized work even though the plot is different? One work is about two brothers raised by their father to ...
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82 views
Can I copy images from published books and use in my paper?
When it comes to citing text from someone else's work, the rule is to provide a proper citation and source. Once you do that, you're off the hook. But when it comes to copying images it seems to be ...
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If I unnofficially create a theory and use it in my story, will it have any validity that I'm the author of such theory?
I have some theories that I've contrived, some are philosophical, others are logical or physical, and some are just jokes about life told in a theory format. But I'd like to use some of these theories ...
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If I write a scene almost exactly like in someone's photograph, would it be plagiarism?
I have a story which has a scene inspired by a photograph. When I saw that picture, I liked the fact that the person in it matches perfectly a character from my story, and I liked the idea of putting ...
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173 views
What is the correct way to cite a paraphrase of another source?
I am trying to cite a paper that paraphrases a quote from another paper by the same authors. However, 1) it is unclear where the paraphrase starts, and 2) they have not yet published the second paper. ...
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1answer
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Are About pages copyright?
I am creating a website that serves as a directory of companies within a niche industry. In my site I would like to provide info on each of the companies and was wondering if it was ok for me to use ...
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1answer
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Which citation format do I use when multiple style options apply to the same source?
I want to cite the following pdf in Turabian style, but I have no idea how to cite it because it is technically multiple things at once. It looks like a paper, but its extension is a pdf, and its ...
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1answer
115 views
Can I reference an excerpt someone else created of a particular book?
I'm trying to reference data from this particular book. However, it's an old book, so there isn't an e-book version available for me to purchase, and the price is quite high. I only need to cite one ...
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1answer
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How to use a quote with frequent changes
I am editing a manuscript in which the author frequently wants to change words within a fairly long quote (two sentences or more), and believes that if he does so he no longer needs to put the rest of ...
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1answer
76 views
copyright infringement
I have an idea that follows the story line of another story. The plot device is similar, but the setting, context, majority of characters (with the exception of maybe two or three), and outcomes are ...
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Rewriting a blog post, passing a plagiarism checker as 100% unique, do I still need to cite my source if I want to post it on my own blog?
After rewriting someone else's blog post and passing a plagiarism checker as 100% unique, do I still need to cite my source if I want to post it on my own blog?
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Copying Certain Information From A Official Website
Hey Guys I was researching on a assignment I have to submit to my university. When i was about to copy certain information i went under the "Terms of Use" seeing if i could copy the said information ...
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How similar can I make fictional and real cultures?
If I use certain elements of a culture or language, how different should they be compared to the original? How different should the language used to reference those elements be?
Examples:
Can I use ...
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Publishing old school assignments - self-plagarism?
I wrote a short story as an English major work whilst at high school, one that was part of my final testing for graduating so it was submitted to the Government of Education.
If I wanted to rework ...
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1answer
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What's the best way to cite non-fiction in fiction?
I'm reading a (proposed) novel for a friend, and they've used large chunks (as in, full paragraphs verbatim) from online sources within their text, usually sourcing from encyclopedias. The way they've ...
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1answer
53 views
How to navigate potential self-plagiarism when using different online and professional personas?
I have a decently big online following (~40,000). This includes a blog, YouTube channel, Etsy, and other social media. My biggest thing is writing articles and blog posts, among some other content ...
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8answers
345 views
Would employing the use of philosophical ideas in fiction without citing the sources be considered plagiarism?
I am working on a fictional book which would be similar to that of Winnie-the-Pooh in terms of its format and ability to be read, but I want there to be philosophical meaning to what goes on in the ...
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4answers
516 views
How do we draw the line between plagiarism and allusion?
It’s no secret that in literature we see characters that remind us of other characters. Furthermore, it’s no secret we see plots that remind us of other plots.
For example, an author reads Book A and ...
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Is it plagiarism to adapt a known figure into a fictional charcter?
What if I decide to write a story with a character based off a historical figure but under a different name?
For example:
(1) I write a story with a hero named Tom, who is a political figure.
(2) ...
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2answers
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Can I use names of characters and groups that other authors/creators have used already?
After I began writing my series, I decided to type some of the names into Google. I found that the name of one my characters (Trent Steele) was used in an episode of The Simpsons. I also found that a ...
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1answer
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MLA: How to cite academic summaries
When writing long academic summaries, like 2 or more pages long, how should we acknowledge the sources in MLA format?
Should it be as in the example below?
Original
Buffy, a small, delicate-looking ...
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1answer
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MLA: Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism in Essay Writing
I have a couple of questions about how to correctly cite sources in order to avoid unintentional plagiarism.
First, let me give you an example of a paragraph I was reading the other day as part of a ...
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3answers
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How to secure my writing work from getting stolen or copying before publishing?
I'm a newbie in the field of writing. After writing a book, I need to visit number of publishers for publishing it. So, how to secure my writing work from getting stolen or copying before publishing? ...
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4answers
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How do I keep from plagiarizing others?
I would like to start writing blog articles online as a guest writer. Most blogs have guidelines that have to be loosely followed; like what the niche should be, if it needs to be a list, and a bunch ...
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How to deal with cryptomnesia (falsely recalling generating a thought or idea)? [duplicate]
Paul McCartney, upon composing the melody for "Yesterday", felt certain that it was too good to be original, and that he must have heard it before and just couldn't remember it:
McCartney composed ...
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4answers
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Should I worry that my storyline is very similar to another?
I've written a story about anthropomorphic animals in a noirish setting solving murders. I came up with the concept and wrote the first draft about a year ago and am planning on releasing it soon. ...
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Is it plagiarism to use something from a nonfiction work and put it into fiction?
I was reading about this Japanese dance style written by a man who taught it. He said that the style was uniquely Japanese and few outsiders could really dance in the style properly. He said that he ...
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Is translating into another language plagiarism?
I'm currently writing my Masters thesis in English.
If I take some (small) German text snippets from some papers (I'm German-speaking) and just translate them into English, would this be plagiarism?
...
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When does satire (parody) become plagiarism?
Stephen Fry wrote a novel called The Stars’ Tennis Balls, and claimed that only afterwards did he realize he’d rewritten The Count of Monte Cristo.
Fry’s novel is set in modern-day England; Dumas’s ...
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What is the best way to avoid plagiarism when importing information from a source?
I have been a habitual writer since my childhood but recently planned to move on to the next level and use my skills professionally. From last 7-8 months I am trying for small internships (paid /non ...
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How to assemble recipes without plagiarism?
How does one collect and compile recipes for publication in an ethical way?
Some cohorts want me to help build a website of culinary recipes, and their plan for content is to rely entirely (initially ...
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2answers
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I want to name a character something but j feel like people would say I'm copying Veronica Roth, my favorite author. What should I do?
I have a problem.
I want to name a character (the main character's romantic interest) Tobias, but I feel like people would associate him with Tobias Eaton from Divergent, knowing how much I love that ...
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1answer
738 views
How much can I copy before it is considered plagiarism? [duplicate]
How many words may I copy from someone's work before I have to begin paraphrasing it?
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Do I have to pay royalties when I use research information?
I'm in the process of writing my very first book and I'd like to use the internet for research information. However, I don't want to do anything wrong. I realize I need to list the source of my info ...
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Unofficial Fan Fictions - How can I Secure Them?
For a long time now, I have been writing fan fictions based off of the storyline of a board game. I have posted these fan fictions on a website dedicated to the same board game. I am not the only ...
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Using species from another novel, in my novel, copyright infringment?
I would like to start a novel, but it would include Fantasy species such as Dwarves and Elves, etc. I got this idea after reading several of Tolkien's novels. If I write this novel it would have ...
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3answers
241 views
How can I trust that the proofreader and designer of a book will not plagiarize our work?
My friend and I are writing a book in English in the Electrical Engineering field. At this stage, we need someone to proofread our texts and also to design the layout of the book, so we will need to ...
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How much is considered plagiarism?
I'm aware that some fictional work is loosely based on others, consciously or not. For instance, Lord of the Rings has some common elements with the Saga of Nibelung from the old Norse traditions.
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1answer
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Is it plagiarism if you use the same, or similar expression with different meanings or contexts?
Some years ago, I wrote "alternative lyrics to the song, "Laura." It basically diverged from the original except for the third and fourth lines:
(Original lyrics)
A laugh, that floats on a summer ...
