Plagiarism is a complicated and common problem that can have serious consequences. It is important to know what plagiarism is so you can avoid plagiarizing, whether the plagiarism is intentional or accidental. This guide is intended to help you recognize what plagiarism is, understand the consequences of being caught plagiarizing and understand how to avoid plagiarizing. Technology has made it easier than ever for people to plagiarize, but it has also made it easier than ever to catch people who have plagiarized.
In its Academic Honesty Policy, The University of Central Missouri defines plagiarism as:
"Plagiarism - Plagiarism is defined as the borrowing of ideas, opinions, examples, key words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or even structure from another person's work, including work written or produced by others without proper acknowledgment. "Work" is defined as theses, drafts, completed essays, examinations, quizzes, projects, assignments, presentations, or any other form of communication, be it on the Internet or in any other medium or media. "Proper acknowledgment" is defined as the use of quotation marks or indenting plus documentation for directly quoted work and specific, clearly articulated citation for paraphrased or otherwise borrowed material."
Most students know that plagiarism (passing off another person’s work as your own) is a form of academic dishonesty and is strictly prohibited. It is possible, however, for an individual to be unintentionally guilty of plagiarizing-- by using another individual’s work without attributing the work to the original author or by changing another’s work only minimally. It is important to understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.
("Plagiarism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 July 2017.)
Surprisingly, the answer is YES.
When a paper you submit to satisfy a class assignment was originally written for a different assignment in a different class, that is considered self-plagiarism and is a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy.
"The Ethics of Self Plagiarism" is an article from iThenticate which explains self-plagiarism and the issues that surround it.
Consider the 3 tiers of academic misconduct as outlined by Turnitin (2025):
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
AI misuse |
Using generative Al, Al-powered paraphrasing, or Al-rewriting tools to modify text or complete work without proper attribution. |
Paraphrase plagiarism |
Rephrasing a source's ideas without proper attribution. |
Inadvertent plagiarism |
Forgetting to properly cite or quote a source or unintentional paraphrasing. |
Word-for-word plagiarism |
Copying and pasting content without proper attribution. |
Student collusion |
Working with other students on an assignment meant for individual assessment. |
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
Self plagiarism |
Reusing one's previously published or submitted work without proper attribution. |
Mosaic plagiarism |
Weaving phrases and text from several sources into one's own work. Adjusting sentences without quotation marks or attribution. |
Source-based plagiarism |
Providing inaccurate or incomplete information about sources such that they cannot be found. |
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
Manual text modification |
Manipulating text with the intention of misleading plagiarism detection software. |
Contract cheating |
Engaging a third party (for free, for pay, or in-kind) to complete an assignment and representing that as one's own work. |
Data plagiarism |
Falsifying or fabricating data or improperly appropriating someone else's work, putting a researcher, institution, or publisher's reputation in jeopardy. |
Automated text modification |
Taking content written by another person or a Large Language Model (LLM) and running it through a software tool (text spinner, translation engine) to purposefully evade plagiarism detection. |
Turnitin (2025). Achieving academic integrity: Types of academic misconduct. Turnitin.com. https://www.turnitin.com/solutions/academic-integrity/achieving-academic-integrity?_ga=2.217453779.419672141.1500399978-152846587.1500399978#types-of-academic-misconduct
