Coincidental Plagiarism: What it is and How to Prevent it
Plagiarism is when you pass off someone else’s writing, song, conversation, or even concept as your own. It includes data from websites, essays, books, interviews, songs, emails, artworks, television shows, and any other medium.
There are many methods to plagiarize than simply duplicating someone else’s work. When students submit papers that they purchased, hired, or obtained in any other way other than by writing the work themselves, it is also considered plagiarism.
Similarly, there are several ways you can avoid plagiarism in your work
The main point is that when you use someone else’s words or ideas in your work, all you have to do is credit them and tell your audience where they can find the source.
When you paraphrase, summarize, or use words, phrases, or sentences from someone else’s work, you must credit the source in your paper, presentation, speech, or other written work.
It is insufficient to simply include the reference in your bibliography at the end of your article. Plagiarism occurs when someone fails to quote, cite, or acknowledge the words or ideas of someone else.
What is Coincidental Plagiarism?
Plagiarism can occur in various ways, and if you’re not careful, you might even do it accidentally, unintentionally, or coincidentally.
It is frightening to think about unwittingly committing fraud.
Coincidental plagiarism, also known as source misuse, is the unintentional appropriation of others’ ideas and resources.
It usually occurs due to a poor understanding of citation and documentation rules.
It would be beneficial to receive a complete primer on the various methods you might commit plagiarism to avoid it altogether.
Can Plagiarism be Coincidental?
The writer may not have realized that paraphrases have to be rewritten in the writer’s own words, that everything from an outside source has to be cited, or that what was quoted was sufficient when more information about the original author was required.
Students can unknowingly or naively use text with incorrect or missing attribution to the source or author. It is usually considered that it is done without malice and occurs because the student doesn’t know how to cite or paraphrase properly.
Coincidences or similarities between a student’s solutions to a set of quantitative questions and the solutions manual for the course textbook could indicate that the student plagiarized the work. Plagiarism of this type is difficult to prove, especially in natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.
Tips on How to Avoid/Prevent Coincidental Plagiarism
There are a variety of reasons why people may inadvertently plagiarize.
Most of the time, it is not because they want to appropriate someone else’s concept and claim credit for it.
Coincidental or accidental plagiarism is often the result of a lack of attention and carelessness to detail. You can avoid or resolve plagiarism right away if it happens by following these steps
1. Make Sure you Allow Adequate time for Research and Writing
When you are scrambling to finish a paper at the last minute, you are more likely to plagiarize. If you haven’t had time to develop an actual argument or to do any research, you could be tempted to save time by depending mainly on one or two resources.
If you’re in a hurry, you might poorly paraphrase significant text parts or utilize direct quotations without attribution. Start thinking about the article well before it is due to give yourself time for research and analysis.
2. Master the Art of Paraphrasing
Some students believe that paraphrasing is as easy as rearranging a few words in a sentence. However, utilizing synonyms and modifying the words in a statement is still considered plagiarism.
To correctly paraphrase an idea, you must entirely change the structure of the sentence and paragraph while citing the source.
3. Take Detailed Notes and Maintain Track of your Sources
Taking copious notes is an integral part of research when done correctly. Although each researcher’s note-taking method differs, it is essential to adhere to some patterns at all times.
Identify any duplication or paraphrasing of the original language in your note and the location information provided. It will assist you in avoiding plagiarism and locating the source text quickly.
Additionally, while researching, keep a working bibliography. It ensures that you do not forget or lose work that you need to cite.
4. Use Quotes and Paraphrases only when Necessary
You are more likely to plagiarize if you rely directly on other people’s work. Remember that research articles draw on the work of others, but they do not just repeat it.
Depending on quotes or paraphrases when you don’t need to could indicate that you don’t grasp the material well enough to synthesize it for yourself. When another’s work is being used as a primary resource, you want to appeal to authority, or you’re summarizing, quotes or paraphrases come in handy.
5. Use Correct Citations and Provide Proper Credit to the Author
If you couldn’t adequately cite your source or neglected to credit the author, you should correctly cite sources. There are templates available online that demonstrate how to reference writers in various ways, depending on the type of text you are sourcing from them.
Revise your references or bibliography section, and incorporate proper citations in your work to demonstrate that you borrowed the concept from someone else.
6. Clearly Distinguish your Contribution from Others’ Ideas in your Work
When reading your work, it should be clear where your thoughts finish and where the ideas of others begin. Simply said, they must distinguish whether the words they are reading are your ideas or those of someone from whom you obtained knowledge or inspiration.
7. When in Doubt, Use Citations
You won’t always be sure what to reference. When in doubt, always err on the side of caution.
Cite a paraphrase that appears to be comparable to the source. Cite it if it contains sophisticated ideas that you would not have come up with on your own.
Include a general citation indicating how someone else’s argument inspired your work. Do this if you develop significant sections of your article by studying someone else’s view.
Reasons Why Coincidental Plagiarism is Unintentional Plagiarism
Unintentional occurs when a writer fails to follow correct scholarly citation processes without the explicit desire to cheat. Unintentional plagiarism is two types- coincidental and accidental plagiarism.
Coincidental plagiarism is most common in narrow subject areas/niche fields, or writing prompts.
Usually, you detect this type of plagiarism when terms and word groups exclusive to specialization are used in writing.
Accidental plagiarism is generally associated with missing citations, quotes, or incorrectly constructed sources.
Consequences/Punishment of Unintentional Plagiarism
Plagiarism has repercussions and proving that you plagiarized accidentally can be difficult. The following are some of the adverse effects you may face if you plagiarize:
- Damaged academic reputation, hurting even some of your work
- Failing grades in the subject or being unenrolled from the course
- Fines, penalties, and even lawsuits from original authors
- Expulsion from the educational institution
Differences between Intentional and Unintentional Plagiarism
Intentional plagiarism is deliberate cheating and has severe repercussions. It is when you purposely offer someone else’s thoughts, research, or statements as your own. It includes:
- Copying, downloading, or purchasing a full paper or part of a paper written by someone else
- Self-plagiarism, i.e., using the same paper or study for multiple classes or assignments
- Not providing correct acknowledgment to a source on purpose
Unintentional plagiarism occurs when you do not correctly attribute someone else’s ideas, research, or words, even if you did not intend to present them as your own. It is still plagiarism and unacceptable.
It includes:
- Accidentally failing to cite sources correctly
- Not citing paraphrased information
- Incorrectly paraphrasing
