The 5 Types of Plagiarism | Examples & Definitions
There are numerous types of plagiarism to watch out for, ranging from incorrectly paraphrasing someone else’s words to copying an entire essay.
The five most common types of plagiarism are:
- Global plagiarism: claiming an entire text by someone else as your own.
- Verbatim plagiarism: copying someone else’s words without using quotation marks and a citation.
- Paraphrasing plagiarism: using someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.
- Patchwork plagiarism: using various bits and pieces of other texts to create a text as if the ideas were yours.
- Self-plagiarism: using your own past work without a citation.
With the exception of global plagiarism, these different types of plagiarism often happen accidentally due to mistakes with quoting, paraphrasing, and citing sources. Quillbot’s Plagiarism Checker tool can help mitigate the possibility of accidental plagiarism.
Universities often use AI detectors to scan work for originality.
Table of contents
Global plagiarism: Plagiarizing a complete text
Global plagiarism occurs when you claim an entire text by someone else as your own work. Common scenarios might be buying an essay or copying a sample essay online.
Given that this type of plagiarism involves intentionally using someone else’s work as if it were your own, it is the most serious type of plagiarism. As such, global plagiarism carries heavy consequences.
Fortunately, avoiding this kind of plagiarism is easy—always write your own essays.
Verbatim plagiarism: Directly copying words
Verbatim plagiarism, or direct plagiarism, happens when you copy someone else’s exact or almost exact words without including quotation marks or a citation. Even if you change some of the wording, If you fail to change the structure and most of the words from the source, this is verbatim plagiarism.
Academic writing involves discussing other people’s works, but when you are discussing other texts, always place copied material in quotation marks and include an in-text citation. Quillbot’s Citation Generator is a quick and easy way to create citations for a variety of sources.
Example of verbatim plagiarism
Paraphrasing plagiarism: Rephrasing ideas without citations
Paraphrasing involves rephrasing another person’s ideas, information, or words. Failing to include a citation when paraphrasing is the most common type of plagiarism.
Like quoting, paraphrasing is a tried and true way of engaging with other people’s ideas in your text and is a key aspect of academic writing. However, if you present these other ideas as your own, this becomes plagiarism. For this reason, it is essential to include a citation with any paraphrased material.
Translating text from another language without including a citation also constitutes plagiarism. Any ideas borrowed from someone else must always be cited.
| Original (Jameson, 1982) | Incorrect (no citation) | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| “The second feature of this list of postmodernisms is the effacement in it of some key boundaries
or separations, most notably the erosion of the older distinction between high culture and so- called mass or popular culture. This is perhaps the most distressing development of all from an academic standpoint, which has traditionally had a vested interest in preserving a realm of high or elite culture against the surrounding environment of philistinism, of schlock and kitsch, of TV series and Readers Digest culture, and in transmitting difficult and complex skills of reading, listening and seeing to its initiates.” |
Postmodernism is distinguished by its erasure of the key boundaries separating high culture and pop culture. In academia in particular, tradition maintains that high culture remain distinct from the quick changes in tastes that occur in pop culture. | Postmodernism is distinguished by its erasure of the key boundaries separating high culture and pop culture; in academia in particular, tradition maintains that high culture remain distinct from the quick changes in tastes that occur in pop culture (Jameson, 1982). |
Patchwork plagiarism: Copying multiple sources
Patchwork plagiarism, also known as mosaic plagiarism, occurs when pieces of different texts, from phrases to entire passages, are copied and pasted together. Some of the wordings might be changed, but the borrowed material remains largely unchanged and is passed off as original.
This type of plagiarism is more time-consuming than global plagiarism or just copying parts of a single text, but it is still detectable by plagiarism checkers.
The best ways to avoid patchwork plagiarism are:
- paraphrasing appropriately by changing both the wording and structure of the original text
- taking careful notes while researching so you know which materials are copied from the source and which you’ve reworked into your own words
- always including citations for ideas that are not your own
QuillBot offers a free notepad online that can help you effectively keep track of the sources you consult.
Self-plagiarism: Reusing your own work
Recycling work that you’ve previously submitted or published elsewhere is self-plagiarism. Failing to cite your previous work constitutes academic dishonesty because you are reusing work that has already been assessed and counted toward your grade or degree.
The gravest form of self-plagiarism is submitting an entire paper that has already been used for another course. However, self-plagiarism can also involve more limited borrowing of ideas, phrases, or information from previous works.
If you want to adapt your previous ideas and writing for a new assignment, check with your professor first and include a citation for the original work.
Frequently asked questions about the types of plagiarism
- What is global plagiarism?
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Global plagiarism is when you copy an entire text by someone else and claim it as your own work. This includes having someone else write a paper for you or copying a text found online.
Because this type of plagiarism requires intentionally lying about the authorship of a work, it is the most serious type, and it carries severe consequences.
QuillBot’s Plagiarism Checker can help you to avoid accidentally plagiarizing someone else’s work. Plagiarism checkers cross-check your work for similarities with a database of texts.
- What is patchwork plagiarism?
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Patchwork plagiarism (also called mosaic plagiarism) involves copying ideas, phrases, or passages from several sources and stitching them together to create a “new” text. While this is a more complex form of plagiarism than, for example, global plagiarism, it can still be identified by plagiarism checker tools.
To avoid all types of plagiarism, always include citations for any borrowed materials, whether they are quoted or paraphrased. Additionally, use a plagiarism checker. Plagiarism checkers cross-check your work for similarities with a database of texts.
Our AI Detector can also detect the use of AI-generated content to ensure you don’t accidentally use AI content without acknowledging the source.
- What is verbatim plagiarism?
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Verbatim plagiarism involves copying the exact or almost exact words from another text without quotation marks or a citation. Making slight alterations or deletions is not sufficient to correctly paraphrase another text and is still verbatim plagiarism.
When using another author’s words, always include quotation marks around the quoted material as well as an in-text citation.
QuillBot’s Plagiarism Checker can help you to avoid accidentally plagiarizing someone else’s work. Plagiarism checkers cross-check your work for similarities with a database of texts.
Similarly, our AI Detector can help ensure you don’t accidentally use AI content without acknowledging the source.
- Is paraphrasing considered plagiarism?
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When done correctly, paraphrasing is not plagiarism.
However, if you fail to include a citation or do not adequately alter the original text, this can constitute plagiarism.
For citations, you must include both an in-text citation as well as a complete reference entry according to the requirements of your style guide. Additionally, the words you use should be your own, meaning that the language and sentence structure of the original material must be different.
QuillBot’s Plagiarism Checker can help ensure your writing is free of accidental plagiarism.
- Can you plagiarize yourself?
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Reusing your own work without including a citation is called self-plagiarism. Self-plagiarism might involve reusing a whole essay or simply lifting ideas, passages, or information from a previously submitted assignment.
Self-plagiarism is generally punished in the same ways as other types of plagiarism. Be sure to obtain explicit permission from your professor if you want to reuse any material from a past assignment.
