Self-plagiarism is defined as recycling or reusing one’s own specific words from previously published work in new work. In much simpler terms, ‘Stealing from yourself’. For academics and students, it is something to keep in mind when referencing your past work. For more information on plagiarism, check out our previous blog post.
“The American Psychological Association (2010) explains how plagiarism differs from self-plagiarism: “Whereas plagiarism refers to the practice of claiming credit for the words, ideas, and concepts of others, self-plagiarism refers to the practice of presenting one’s own previously published work as though it were new” (pg. 170).”- Turnitin: Is Recycling Your Own Work Plagiarism?
“The broadest reason to avoid self-plagiarism deals with the integrity of the research record, and of scientific discovery as a whole. It is widely understood that each published manuscript will include new knowledge and results that advance our understanding of the world. When your manuscript contains uncited recycled information, you are countering the unspoken assumption that you are presenting entirely new discoveries.“- AJE Scholar- Self-Plagiarism: How to Define It and Why You Should Avoid It
For students, instructors will hold you up to this standard of writing and you will likely be penalized for self-plagiarism. Plagiarizing a previously written assignment hurts you as you aren’t learning anything new, showing no progress to your teacher. If it is necessary, discuss whether it’s acceptable to reuse or rework parts of your past assignment with your instructor.
Self Plagiarism especially applies to published works, many times due to publishing laws, using your own past words may fall into copyright infringement. “You can cite yourself just like you would cite any other source. Be sure that you have permission from your instructor or Publisher to reuse previous content before doing so, and indicate in your citation if the source is unpublished.”-Scribbr: A guide to self-plagiarism for students and academics.
Do you have any more questions about plagiarism?
Sources
https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/self-plagiarism/
https://www.turnitin.com/…/is-recycling-your-own-work…
https://www.aje.com/…/self-plagiarism-how-to-define-it…/
