Plagiarism: A Major Publication Misconduct

Shivaram BS, PhD

Joint Head, ICAST
CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories,
Bangalore shivaram@nal.res.in
 Objectives of the Module 2.3a
• To know types of Publication Misconducts

• Deeper Understandings about Plagiarism and its consequences

• To know Types & Methods of Plagiarism

• To know strategies to avoid Plagiarism

 Presentation Outline
• Types of Publication Misconducts
• Plagiarism Definition, and terminologies
• Acts Considered as plagiarism
• Types & Methods of Plagiarism
• Retractions due to Plagiarism
• Consequences of Plagiarism
• Publishers Plagiarism polices
• Organization Plagiarism polices
 Types of Publication Misconducts
• Authorship (disputes; ghost; gift; ’for sale’)
• Breaches of copyright
• Citation manipulation/stacking
• Data or image fabrication/falsification or
“massaging”

•Plagiarism (ideas as well as

text)
• Duplicate submission/publication
• Inappropriate references/poor attribution
Many More !!!!!!
 What is Plagiarism
• According to the Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means
• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of
another) as one's own
• to use (another's production) without crediting
the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product derived
from an existing source
“In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It
involves both stealing someone else's work
and lying about it
afterward”
 Terminologies in Plagiarism
• Plagiarism: Stealing Ideas / act of fraud
• Similarity Score: Percentage from matching text
• Quotation: Barrowed text which needs to be in
quotes
• Citations / Bibliography / References: List of
sources referred to create the work
• Copyright / Right to Attribution: Intellectual
rights of the original creator
• Common Knowledge: content in Public Domain
• Paraphrase: Rewriting or reprodution of text
Source: https://
www.duplichecker.com/blog/importantterms.php
Possibilities of Plagiarism
 Motives for Plagiarism
Intentional Unintentional
is not giving proper credi
where one knowingly appropriates
t f o r someone else's ideas,
the work of others and passes it off
research, or words, even if it was
as their own.
not intentional to present them as
your own
• Failure to cite a source that is
not common knowledge

Deliberate Actions • Failure to "quote" or block quote author's

exact words
 Acts considered as plagiarism
• Turning in someone else's work as your own

• Copying words or ideas from someone else without

giving credit

• Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

• Giving incorrect information about the source of a

quotation

• Changing words but copying the sentence structure

of a source without giving credit

• Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it

makes up the majority of your work, whether you give
credit or not
 Chances of Plagiarism
Unique / Novel Research Common / Routine Research

• Less Literature – Less • More Literature – More

consumption consumption
• Generate Literature / • Tends to recycle Literature
Knowledge • Chances of Plagiarism is More
• Chances of Plagiarism is Less
 Common Types of Plagiarism
Most severe form of plagiarism where a researcher takes a manuscript or
Complete Plagiarism
study that someone else created, and submits it under his or her name

Plagiarism may occur because of the different types of sources, Primary,

Source-
secondary, tertiary sources but fails to cite all.
based
Data Fabrication & Falsification also falls under this
Plagiarism
Direct or verbatim plagiarism occurs when an author copies the text of another
Direct Plagiarism
author, word for word, without the use of quotation marks or attribution

Auto-plagiarism, also known as self-plagiarism or duplication, happens when

Self or Auto
an author
Plagiarism
reuses significant portions of his or her previously published work without
attribution
involves the use of someone else’s writing with some minor changes in the
Paraphrasin
sentences and using it as one’s own. Even if the words differ, the original
g
idea remains the same and plagiarism occurs
plagiarism
Inaccurate Authorship Rendering improper reference / citations, misleading attribution

Mosaic Plagiarism it interlays someone else’s phrases, very difficult to detect.

Accidental Plagiarism occurs because of negligence, mistake, or unintentional paraphrasing

Source: https://www.enago.com/academy/fraud-research-many-
 Methods used in
Plagiarism

Source: https://
 Methods used in Plagiarism - Clone
Submitting another's work, word-for-word, as one's own
Original Work Student / Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - CTRL+C
Contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations

Original Work Student / Researchers Work

 Methods used in Plagiarism - Find & Replace
Changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential content of the source

Original Work Student /

Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - Remix
Paraphrases from multiple sources, made to fit together
Original Work Student /
Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - Recycle
Borrows generously from the writer's previous work without
citation Original Work Student / Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - Hybrid
Combines perfectly cited sources with copied passages
without citation
Original Work Student / Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - Mashup
Mixes copied material from multiple
sources Original Work Student / Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - 404
Error to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources
Includes citations
Original Work Student / Researchers Work
 Methods used in Plagiarism - Aggregator
Includes proper citation to sources but the paper contains almost no original work

Original Work Student / Researchers Work

 Methods used in Plagiarism - Re-Tweet
Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text's original wording and/or
structure
Original Work Student / Researchers Work
Plagiarism: Unethical Practices
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Plagiarism: Innovative Unethical Practices

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 Plagiarism: Innovative Unethical Practices
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 Common Question on Plagiarism
• Plagiarism really is a crime ?
• Am I Plagiarizing if I Cite a Plagiarized
Source?
– Follow CRAAP Model before selecting source to
refer
• Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose

• Is it really plagiarism if I don't cite

correctly?
• Plagiarism's Impact on Career ?
• Can other see my work which I
uploaded to similarity detecting
 Common Excuses for Plagiarism
• The Misunderstanding: “I didn’t think that I was doing
anything wrong.”

• The Lapse of Judgment: “I know I made a mistake, but it’s not

going to happen again.”

• The Big Escape: “vast amount of resources and publications on

the web, copying a little here and there will most likely go undetected”

• The Force of Nature: “blame external factors on their

wrongdoing”

• The Honest Mistake

Tips to Reduce Plagiarism
 Tips to avoid Plagiarism
• Be original- about your ideas and conclusions drawn from
research

• Read a passage completely through once or twice before

trying to
paraphrase or summarize it

• Summarize a source paragraph in a few sentences instead of

trying to translate word to word

• To quote or not to quote?

• Don't cut and paste a direct quote into your document

unless you immediately put quotes around it and note the
source

• Cite everything you refer

• Introduce information from others by using a signal phrase

identifying the source, Ex: "Dr. Abbott believes that..." or "According to a FEMA report.
 Reducing Plagiarism:

Avoiding Plagiarism Reducing Plagiarism

• Understand Plagiarism • ICQP Technique
(guidelines) • I- Identification
– As per journal /
• C-Cite
Conference
– Institute / University • Q-Quotation
• P –Paraphrase
– Ethical Paraphrase
• Be original in writing – Unethical
Paraphrase
 Paraphrasing Tools

AI based Tools to rewrite text: Synonyms, Figure of Speech, Semantics, etc.

Popular Paraphrasing Tools
• https://paraphrasing-tool.c
om/

• https://quillbot.com/

• https://spinbot.com/

• https://textcortex.com/

• https://www.editpad.org/

• https://www.prepostseo.co
m/
Plagiarism or Paraphrase: Example
 Identifying Plagiarism or Paraphrase
Plagiarism occurs when you copy information straight from a source without using quotation
marks.

Look at the passage on the left and the note on the right.
Is the note a paraphrase or
plagiarism? plagiarism?

6
The story goes that when Rosa
Parks refused to give up her
seat to a white man, she was
tired and weary from a long day
of work.
 Identifying Plagiarism or Paraphrase
Avoid plagiarism by using your own words to paraphrase when you take notes. If
you need to copy straight from a source, use quotation marks.

Is the note a paraphrase or

plagiarism? paraphrase
3
We are all familiar with the
story of Rosa Parks, and her
refusal to give her bus seat to
a white man in 1955. As the
story goes, she was too
exhausted to relinquish her seat,
but that version of the story
downplays Parks’s courage.
 Identifying Plagiarism or Paraphrase
Plagiarism also occurs when you don’t change the author’s words
enough to sound like your own ideas. When you paraphrase, put ideas
into your own words.
Is the note a paraphrase or 6
plagiarism? We are all familiar with the
story of Rosa Parks, and her
plagiarism? refusal to give her bus seat
to a white man in 1955. As the
story goes, she was too Majority
exhausted to relinquish her words are
seat. But that story doesn’t same in the
do justice to the courageous sentence
woman who got the wheels of
the civil rights movement
rolling.
 Identifying Plagiarism or Paraphrase
Using an author’s ideas without giving credit is another form of
plagiarism. This makes it seem like you came up with those ideas on
your own.
Is the note a
plagiaris
paraphrase
m? or
plagiarism?
6
On the day that Rosa Parks
refused to give up her bus seat, No
she was tired from a hard day’s
work, but that’s not why she Credit,
wouldn’t give up her seat. She (Referenc
was even more tired of the
unjust treatment of African
e)
Americans during that time
period.
 Identifying Plagiarism or Paraphrase
When you use an author’s original ideas, even if you put them into your own words, you
must give credit to the author.
Is the note a paraphrase or
plagiarism?
paraphrase
6
According to Kira Albin, on the
day that Rosa Parks refused to
give up her bus seat, she was
tired from a hard day’s work, but
that’s not why she wouldn’t give
up her seat. She was even more
tired of the unjust treatment of
African Americans during that time
period.
 Do I need to Cite Common Knowledge?
What is Common Knowledge?
A piece of information found in three
No Need to Cite CK separate sources is considered to be
common knowledge.
In general, well-known facts are common knowledge.
Lesser-known facts, opinions, and original ideas are not common knowledge.

Common knowledge Lesser-known facts or ideas

• Rosa Parks began the Montgomery • Before the boycott, Parks worked to
bus boycott. change practices she felt were unjust.
• The boycott lasted 381 days. • The bus driver asked four passengers to
• After the boycott, Parks moved to move; three of them moved, but Rosa
Detroit, Michigan. Parks did not.
• Parks died on October 24, 2005. • Even forty years later, Parks didn’t
believe she deserved credit for starting
the boycott
Plagiarism: Consequences
 Global Article Retractions
16000000 16000
14508 Citable documents Retractions
14000000 14000
Number of citable documents

Number of Retractions
12000000 12000

10000000 10000

8000000 8000

6000000 6000
4837
4000000 4000
1518
2000000 515 2000
1251 945 1248
700 563
0 0
USA China UK Germany Japan France India Italy Canada

104 Categories identified for

article Retractions under
Publication Misconduct

Data source Scimago Country ranking & Retraction Watch

Plagiarism worldwide
Retraction Database- International articles (Plagiarism)

5001
Retraction Database- Indian articles (Plagiarism)

673
Recent Incidents from India
Publisher Site Retraction
Retraction @
SCOPUS
Plagiarism & Copyright Act

Plagiarism is seen in the context

of Section 57 (Authors special
right to be attributed for their
work) and Section 63 (Copyright
Infringement which attracts 6
months to 3 years of
imprisonment) under Indian
Copyright Act.
Plagiarism Cases: BU Administrator
Plagiarism Cases: Delhi University VC
Plagiarism Cases: Raised in Parliament
Plagiarism: Publisher / Institutions Policies
Publisher
Example
(Elsevier)

Source: Elsevier
Publisher Example (Elsevier)

Content Tracking
 Publisher Example (IEEE)
Level of Plagiarism Corrective Measures
•
Publication of a notice of violation of Publication Principles
Level 1: Uncredited Verbatim Copying of a Full Article (The most extreme •
Possible prohibition of publication in all IEEE copyrighted publications
•
Rejection and return of all articles by the author(s) that are currently in review or
case )
in any IEEE publication queue
Many more stringent actions
• Publication of a notice of violation of Publication Principles
Level 2: Uncredited Verbatim Copying of a Large Portion (greater than 20% • Offending individual(s) prepare and submit an apology to the plagiarized author(s)
• The prohibition of publication in all IEEE-copyrighted publications specified
and up to 50%) within an Article
duration
• Offending individual(s) prepare and submit an apology to the plagiarized author(s)
L e v e l 3 : Uncr edi ted Verbatim C o p y i n g of I n d i v i d u a l Elements • Repeated offenses for uncredited verbatim copying of individual
elements of articles shall result in suspension of publication privileges
(Paragraph(s), Sentence(s), Illustration(s), etc.) Resulting in a Significant
in any IEEE Publications for one year
Portion (up to 20%) within an Article.
• Repeated offenses for uncredited improper paraphrasing shall
Level 4: Uncredited Improper Paraphrasing of Pages or Paragraphs result in suspension of publication privileges in all IEEE Publications for one
year and rejection and return of all articles by the author(s) that are currently in
review or in any IEEE publication’s queue (articles may be resubmitted after
prohibition term has expired).
• Warning by serving Notice
Level 5: Credited Verbatim Copying of a Major Portion of an Article without • Repeated offences – Prohibition for one year
Clear Delineation. (Minor Plagiarism)
 Publisher Example (Springer)
Plagiarism Offense Action Taken
Minor A warning is given to the authors and a request to change the
Short sections of another article are plagiarized without any text and properly cite the original article is made.
significant data or idea taken from the other paper
Intermediate The submitted article is rejected and a resubmission is not
A significant portion of a paper (more than two sentences but permitted.
less than 20% of the content) is plagiarized (including plagiarism
of one’s own previously published work) without proper citation
to the original paper.

Severe The paper is rejected and the authors are forbidden to submit
A significant portion of a paper (>20%) is plagiarized that involves further articles to the journal of a period of three years.
reproducing original results or ideas presented in another
publication. Multiple (repeated) instances of plagiarism at the
intermediate level may also constitute a severe infraction.
Plagiarism Retraction
Mechanism: Pre
Publication Stage
 Plagiarism
Retraction
Mechanism: Post
Publication Stage
UGC Guidelines
CSIR Guidelines -
2020
CSIR Guidelines - 2020
 VTU Anti-Plagiarism
Guidelines - UGC

Source:
 Topics Covered
• Plagiarism – definition, terminologies of plagiarism
• Methods and types of plagiarism
• Plagiarism acts by researchers
• Tips to avoid plagiarism
• Plagiarism some cases
• Retractions due to plagiarism
• Publisher and organization polices regarding
plagiarism
Thank You