Plagiarism in Academia: Where do the journals draw the line?

The recent plagiarism allegations against Harvard President Claudine Gay have once again highlighted how plagiarism can compromise the principle of academic integrity. While this may appear to be a clear-cut case of plagiarism, the reality is more layered.

The term ‘plagiarism’ signifies a fundamental breach of scholarly ethics. It is defined as presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without proper credit, whether it's text, data, code, or other media. It encompasses various aspects, including the intention, scope, and different forms of the copied material. Although many types of plagiarism exist, the most prevalent plagiarism in academia is self-plagiarism.

Hence, plagiarism is a complex problem in academia that challenges not only early career researchers but also seasoned authors, editors, and institutions.

How Journals Conduct Plagiarism Check

In the academic article submission process, plagiarism is typically checked by the journal before the paper undergoes peer review. Journals and publishers commonly use plagiarism detection software tools for plagiarism checks. However, they don't consider the score generated as the sole determining factor. Instead, the plagiarism score is considered one of the many factors in the decision to accept or reject a paper.

1. Automated Plagiarism Detection Tools: Journals utilise sophisticated plagiarism checker tools to automatically scan submitted manuscripts against extensive databases of published works. These tools identify similarities in text and generate detailed similarity reports.

2. Manual Review by Editors and Reviewers: Sections flagged by the plagiarism detection software are manually reviewed by editors and reviewers. They carefully assess the nature and extent of similarity to determine if plagiarism has occurred.

3. Editorial Scrutiny: Journal editors are trained to recognise different forms of plagiarism, including verbatim text reuse, self-plagiarism, and improper paraphrasing. They conduct thorough editorial checks to ensure adherence to the ethical publishing standards of the journal.

Journals have been continuously refining their plagiarism detection processes based on technological advancements and feedback from the scholarly community to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of plagiarism checks over time.

Generally, in many high-impact journals, a text similarity of below 15% is considered within acceptable limits. This percentage allows for the inclusion of background information, standard methodological descriptions, and appropriate use of common terminology or phrasing. Some journals, however, may consider a similarity as high as 25% to still be acceptable, recognizing that certain fields or research approaches are more prone to higher levels of textual overlap.

Understanding Content Overlap in Research Manuscripts

Specific sections of your research manuscript are more prone to having an overlap with existing information. For instance, the methodology or methods sections often describe standard procedures that are well-established, which can lead to a higher similarity score. Another area where journals recognise inevitable text overlap is the literature review, where authors synthesise and paraphrase previous research.

However, you don't need to worry about such unavoidable cases, as journals accommodate them through the allowed range of similarity. Editors carefully examine the context and nature of the overlapping text, rather than relying solely on a numerical threshold. They do not automatically reject a manuscript based solely on the results of plagiarism detection software unless the plagiarized content is excessively high, say above 30%.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

As an author, you can take several steps to avoid plagiarism:

1.       Rewrite content using your own words and voice instead of directly copying. It indicates a deeper understanding and stands as a testament to your original contribution.

2.       Provide proper citations for any ideas, quotes, or text borrowed from other works. This not only enhances the credibility of your research but also acknowledges the intellectual contributions of others.

3.       Run your manuscript through a plagiarism checker. Focus on rewording the introduction, discussion, and other key sections where original expression is important.

4.       If the similarity percentage remains high despite your best efforts, acknowledge it in your cover letter. Explain the specific sections, such as the methodology, where rewording is difficult due to the need to adhere to disciplinary conventions or standard practices.

The reality is that the similarity threshold varies depending on the journal and the type of plagiarism detection tool they use. However, as an author, your primary goal should be to uphold the highest standards of integrity and to avoid plagiarism at all costs. Honesty and transparency are key to achieving academic excellence. You can strike a balance between maintaining academic integrity and ensuring that your work is genuine by following best practices for citation, paraphrasing, and plagiarism prevention. By adhering to these principles, you not only safeguard the integrity of your research but also contribute to the advancement of knowledge in your field.