There is another form of plagiarism that does not happen accidentally. This occurs when a student knowingly uses somebody else’s work and does not cite it. This could be copying sections from internet articles or copying whole articles and handing them in as one’s own. It could be turning in a paper a friend wrote last year or paying somebody else to write a paper. It can even be a student turning in a paper they themselves wrote for a different class. This is called self-plagiarism.

Question

Plagiarism a very serious offense. Your school has its own policy on how to deal with plagiarism, so it is best to check with your teacher and your school about the specifics. Consequences often include failing the assignment, failing the class, getting put on academic probation or even being expelled from school.

Which of the following is an example of self-plagiarism?

A
Derrick buys a paper off the internet and puts his own name on it before turning it in.

B
Jackson copies whole paragraphs out of an online article and pastes them into his paper.

C
Sophie wrote a paper on Thomas Jefferson for Civics last year, and she turns it in again for US History this year.

D
Louisa forgot to write her English paper, so she asks her friend who took the class before if she can turn in a paper that he wrote.

Answer 1

The example of self-plagiarism is:

C Sophie wrote a paper on Thomas Jefferson for Civics last year, and she turns it in again for US History this year.

Self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits their own previously submitted work for a different assignment or class without permission.