8 Most Common Types of Plagiarism with Examples

Plagiarism is a very serious academic offense, and it comes in many forms.

The Most common types of plagiarism are self-plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, accidental plagiarism, verbatim plagiarism, paraphrasing plagiarism, aggregate plagiarism, complete plagiarism, and source-based plagiarism.

Here are the 8 Most Common Types of Plagiarism with Examples

1. Self plagiarism
2. Mosaic plagiarism
3. Accidental plagiarism
4. Verbatim plagiarism
5. Paraphrasing plagiarism
6. Aggregate plagiarism
7. Complete plagiarism
8. Source-based plagiarism

1. Self plagiarism

Self plagiarism, also known as auto plagiarism is a form of plagiarism that occurs when one reuses their own work that was published elsewhere.

For example, a student may copy a portion of an essay they wrote for one class, and use it in an essay for another class. Although it is their own work, it was repurposed without credit to the original essay or class.

Citations are always required, even if it's one's own work.

2. Mosaic plagiarism

Mosaic plagiarism, or patchwork plagiarism is another type of plagiarism, occurs when the writer:

• Copies a quote from another source but doesn't use quotation marks
• Copies the original source's structure but replaces all words/phrases with synonyms
• Entwines their own words with another writer's words without proper citations

The finished product will often look like a new piece of writing; however, portions will have been stolen from other sources without acknowledgment/proper citations (hence the nickname "patchwork plagiarism").

3. Accidental plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism is just that: an accident. This type of plagiarism occurs when the writer unintentionally misses a citation, forgets to use quotation marks, or paraphrases text in a way that's much too similar to the source material.

The consequences of plagiarism are the same whether it's accidental or otherwise. This is why it's important to double-check all of your work or run it through a plagiarism checker.

Accidental plagiarism will still cost you.

4. Verbatim plagiarism

Verbatim plagiarism or direct plagiarism is another form of plagiarism, that occurs when the writer copies and pastes text from the original source into their essay.

This is what most people think of when they think of plagiarism: an exact transcription of someone else's work without a citation, or even quotation marks (hence the nickname "direct plagiarism").

5. Paraphrasing plagiarism

Paraphrasing plagiarism occurs when a writer paraphrases someone else's work and passes the idea(s) off as their own, meaning they do not properly cite where the paraphrased material originated from.

This is similar to mosaic plagiarism; however, paraphrasing plagiarism often deals with one small section of a larger work, whereas mosaic plagiarism deals with the entire work.

Plagiarism deals with the copying of ideas as well as words━paraphrased material must include a citation for the original source.

6. Aggregate plagiarism

Aggregate plagiarism is another example of plagiarism that occurs when one copies and pastes an entire body of work and includes a citation.

Wait, I thought plagiarism occurs when you don't use a citation!

What makes aggregate plagiarism is the fact that the entire text has been lifted from elsewhere. There is no original work included, so although one credit the original source, they are still turning in someone else's work for their project.

7. Complete plagiarism

Similar to both direct and aggregate plagiarism, complete plagiarism occurs when one copies an entire body of work, word-for-word, and does not give credit to the original source.

A few examples are as follows:

• A student submits a paper written by someone else. This includes paper-cloning plagiarism, which occurs when a student buys a paper from an essay writing agency or similar business, or from another student.
• An author publishes a book written by another person under their own name without informing the person who wrote it.

8. Source-based plagiarism

Source-based plagiarism is a type of plagiarism, that occurs when a writer cites a source incorrectly, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This can happen when the writer:

• States a fact that is supported by two or more sources, but only cites one
• Uses a secondary source but doesn't cite the primary source from which it was referenced
• Cites a source that is incorrectly listed
• Doesn't complete a citation
• Cites a source that doesn't exist

Oftentimes, if intentional, these methods are used in order to pad the bibliography/Works Cited page.

Although source-based plagiarism isn't dealing with stolen text like the other types of plagiarism, it is still considered to be highly unethical and can lead to serious consequences.

Conclusion

Self-plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, accidental plagiarism, and verbatim plagiarism are the 4 most common types of plagiarism. Paraphrasing plagiarism, aggregate plagiarism, complete plagiarism, and source-based plagiarism are 4 lesser-known types of plagiarism to look out for in your writing.

The number one way to avoid plagiarism is to cite all of your sources completely and accurately.

Plagiarism takes many different forms, and each one is just as bad as the next. Understanding the different types of plagiarism will help you to avoid them moving forward.

If you find yourself overwhelmed or want to know more about plagiarism and how to avoid it, here is some related reading:

Happy writing!

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