Can plagiarism be accidental?

Accidental plagiarism is a common mistake that occurs when you forget to include a citation or do not alter the original material enough when paraphrasing. Sometimes you may not recall where an idea came from and so don’t include a citation even though it is needed.

To avoid committing accidental plagiarism, always include citations. You can also use a plagiarism checker to ensure that your text isn’t too close to other materials. Our AI Content Detector can also help you avoid accidentally using AI-generated content without acknowledging your source.