What is self-plagiarism? | Definition & Examples
Self-plagiarism is when you reuse the same piece of writing for multiple assignments or publications.
Doing so can have serious consequences, so it’s important to understand what self-plagiarism is and to familiarize yourself with examples.
Avoid self-plagiarism with the help of QuillBot’s free Plagiarism Checker.
What is self-plagiarism?
Self-plagiarism, or auto-plagiarism, is when you copy your own work without receiving permission to do so or citing yourself with transparency.
Like other types of plagiarism, this is generally considered unethical in academia and publishing.
Why is self-plagiarism wrong?
- It’s deceptive. It gives the impression that old work is brand-new even though it isn’t, which is a misrepresentation of the research and writing process.
- It slows down the publishing process. When self-plagiarism is suspected, the publisher must investigate.
- It may violate copyright laws. In many cases, a previously published paper or document no longer belongs to the author but to the publisher.
Self-plagiarism examples
In practice, self-plagiarism looks like:
- Submitting the same paper for multiple classes
- Publishing the same article in different journals
- Copying a blog post you wrote in a manuscript
Submitting the same paper for multiple classes
Writing the same paper with the intention of submitting it to two different classes can seem like a smart strategy on the surface.
However, this is a form of self-plagiarism and should always be discussed with your course instructor beforehand.
Later in the semester, it comes to light that you self-plagiarized, and you get suspended from university.
Publishing the same article in different journals
Once you publish a journal article, you may lose copyright over it. Therefore, republishing the same work in a different journal can lead to legal problems.
It’s always best to be transparent with the editor to understand their republication policies.
You resubmit your original report and the new journal publishes it without realizing the self-plagiarism you committed. The original journal ends up suing you for copyright infringement.
Copying a blog post you wrote in a manuscript
If your work has already been published online, submitting it to your publisher as part of a manuscript may be self-plagiarism. Always discuss this with your editor beforehand and follow their plagiarism policies.
You copy-paste the post to pad out the manuscript and submit it without notifying the editor. When the collection is published, someone draws attention to the original blog post online and the publisher drops you for future book deals due to self-plagiarism.
How to avoid self-plagiarism
Whereas other forms of unintentional plagiarism can be trickier to avoid, steering clear of self-plagiarism is relatively straightforward.
How to avoid plagiarizing your own work:
- Receive explicit permission to reuse
- Cite yourself clearly
- Use plagiarism checker tools
- Adapt or paraphrase work instead
Receive explicit permission to reuse
If you’re feeling tempted to reuse previous work, speak with your editor or professor first.
They will be able to clarify the extent to which you are allowed to do so within your university or publication’s policy. They may also be able to offer you support if you are feeling stuck on creating brand-new content.
Cite yourself clearly
One way that a person can wind up self-plagiarizing is by failing to cite their own work because it seems unnecessary to do so.
When you treat previous work as you would any other source by properly citing it, you may be able to use it in your writing.
Adapt or paraphrase work instead
It’s natural for your previous work on a topic to inform your current draft. Try to approach this tendency by seeing your existing work as inspiration for refreshed ideas, rather than copying it verbatim.
Paraphrasing and adapting existing work generally gives you more leeway to recycle old material. When in doubt, double-check with your professor or publisher.
Use plagiarism checker tools
When you’ve been writing about a similar topic for a long time, the lines between rehashing previous ideas and self-plagiarism can get blurry.
Thankfully, there are tools available online that make it easy to check for certain that you aren’t plagiarizing your own work accidentally.
Frequently asked questions about self-plagiarism
- Why is self-plagiarism wrong?
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Self-plagiarism is considered wrong because:
- It’s deceptive.
- It slows down the publishing process.
- It may violate copyright laws.
Avoid self-plagiarism with the help of QuillBot’s free Plagiarism Checker.
- How can I avoid self-plagiarism?
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You can avoid self-plagiarism by:
- Citing yourself clearly
- Paraphrasing your previous work
- Speaking with your publisher or professor about their policies
Using tools like QuillBot’s Plagiarism Checker
- What is an example of self-plagiarism?
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An example of self-plagiarism would be writing and submitting the same term paper for your art history class and for your elective on Impressionism.
Avoid self-plagiarism with the help of QuillBot’s Paraphraser.
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Skaggs, H. (2026, January 09). What is self-plagiarism? | Definition & Examples. Quillbot. Retrieved January 23, 2026, from https://quillbot.com/blog/plagiarism/self-plagiarism/
