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Avoiding self-plagiarism
Academic publication takes many different forms. Researchers will often write
up their findings for more than one publication, for example in a thesis and a
journal article, or a blog post and book chapter. This is not necessarily a
problem, but researchers need to consider their choices carefully. Reusing text
word-for-word in multiple pieces of writing is known as self-plagiarism. This
may seem like a contradiction because a researcher cannot ‘steal’ their own
ideas. Citations, however, are not just about giving credit for ideas, they also
enable readers to trace the development of an idea over time and honestly
represent the originality in a piece of writing.
Many journals have a specific policy about reusing text, such as from a PhD
thesis, in the ‘Instructions to Authors’ section (or similar) of their webpage. You
should contact editorial staff of any publication to clarify any questions before
submitting.
From the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publication. Modern
Language Association of America: New York, 2008. Third edition. pp. 166-
167.(Humanities):
Publications may form the majority of your thesis. In this case framing
material should also be included to show how the different publications are
thematically linked.
You must have written permission from the copyright holder to include
previously published material. In many cases the publisher, not the author, is
the copyright holder and permission must be sought.