20 Different Types of Plagiarism, With Examples

Have you ever thought about stealing something? Stealing is a crime, right? Plagiarism is not different, it's just another form of theft.

Introduction to plagiarism

Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or hard work as your own original work.

Merriam-Webster: America's Most Trusted Dictionary defines plagiarism as “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source.”

It’s not acceptable in any profession like business, marketing or academic etc. 

Would you like it if you worked on a project and someone else took the credit, claiming it as their own? This can hurt both your creativity and your reputation in the market.

To avoid it, primarily it’s important to know what plagiarism is and its different types. So, let’s explore all of them.

Why plagiarism should be avoided?

Avoiding plagiarism is important for several reasons. One of the reasons to avoid plagiarism is that it stops your learning and improvement process. You choose cheating over hard work. 

In academic or professional life, people want to know what you can do, not what someone else can do, in order to judge your capabilities.

It's also against the rules in most schools and workplaces, and you could get in big trouble if you get caught. So, it's always best to do your own work that also enhances your creative ability. 

20 most common types of plagiarism

Let’s have a look at 20 most common types of plagiarism.

1. Complete plagiarism

Complete plagiarism is the worst kind because it's about the overall copy pasting. You can just search for something and copy it from start to end and then paste it at your page.

Imagine if you took someone's entire paper and said you wrote it - that wouldn't be fair for that person. 

Complete plagiarism occurs when someone submits an entire work that is entirely copied from another source without any original content or attribution. It's like claiming someone else's work as your own.

Example of complete plagiarism

Let’s say Alex is a school student, he has to write an essay. Instead of doing his own research and writing, he opens the internet and finds an essay online written by someone else. 

Then copy paste the entire essay and submit it as his own work without changing any word or giving credit to the original author. This is complete plagiarism 

2. Direct plagiarism 

Direct plagiarism, also known as verbatim plagiarism. In this form, you copy the different small portions word to word of some one’s work. Like you can say taking different sentences or paragraphs from a book or the internet and putting them into your own work without acknowledgement. 

It's wrong and can lead to serious consequences. You have to face serious issues if you do this just for the sake of time saving. 

Example of direct plagiarism

A student copied several sentences word by word from a website for her book report without mentioning the author. She directly copied the sentences into her report and acted like she wrote them herself. That’s direct or verbatim plagiarism.

3. Patchwork plagiarism 

From various types of plagiarism, patchwork plagiarism is another one. You can say that when someone copies from different places and puts the pieces together and justifies that it is written by them. They might rephrase some words or mix up ideas to make it look like their own work.

It is a little difficult to identify because it seems original, but it is still dishonesty and cheating. It mostly happens when someone is trying to meet a word count or deadline and doesn't want to do their own research or generate original ideas.

Example of patchwork plagiarism

Alice, a university student, had to write a research paper, but she couldn't do it herself because she hadn't studied the whole year. Instead, she took bits and pieces from different sources. 

She copied a paragraph from one book, some sentences from a website, and a few more sentences from another book. Then, she put all these parts together into one new paper and acted as if she had written it all herself.

4. Paraphrasing plagiarism

Another challenging form of plagiarism is paraphrasing plagiarism. It’s like when a writer takes someone else's article and changes a few words or phrases and publishes it under his own name. This is a poor example of rephrasing.

If you need to paraphrase, learn how to do it properly. Use someone’s ideas but express it in your own words with a different style and writing structure. 

This form of plagiarism is very common among students, and they often do it incorrectly without realizing it. However, if you're using someone else's idea in your writing without citing the source, even if you're using your own words, it's still plagiarism.

Paraphrasing plagiarism examples

Let’s assume a content writer needs to write an article. He searches the internet and finds an article online, then decides to rewrite that article in their own words with a few changes, and add it in his report without mentioning the author. 

This is an example of paraphrasing plagiarism and is considered very poor practice.

5. Source-based plagiarism

Source-based plagiarism is another growing issue in academia. It occurs due to a lack of understanding about correct citation and citing procedures. In our school systems, it has become very important to teach students about proper citation practices.

This type of plagiarism only happens when you:

• Only cite one source for a fact that many sources support.
• Use a source that quotes another source but don’t give credit to the original.
• Make mistakes in your citations or even cite sources that don’t exist.

These mistakes mislead readers and hurt credibility. Sometimes, the writer might cite sources correctly but still present them in a misleading way.

Example of Source based plagiarism

A person read a science article in a magazine and then included the main points from that article in his homework. Although he mentioned the source, he did it incorrectly due to a lack of understanding. This plagiarizing is source-based.

6. Aggregator plagiarism

Aggregator plagiarism is a little different from other forms. It isn't about copying someone's work exactly and giving them credit. It's actually when you take bits and pieces from multiple sources and combine them without adding your own analysis or insight.

The amount you can safely copy varies. Some authors are cool with you using their stuff as long as you credit them. Others don't want any copying at all. It really depends on the specific situation and the author's preferences.

The important thing is to always give credit where it's due and, when you are not sure, ask for permission or use less. It's also important to add your own thoughts and not just string together other people's work.

Examples of Aggregator plagiarism

Let’s say you take a few sentences from a NASA report on any of their projects or copy some statistics from a scientific paper. If you put all these together, maybe change a few words, and add a sentence or two to connect them, it’s still considered aggregator plagiarism. This is because you’re not adding any original analysis or insight, and you’re not transforming the information in a meaningful way.

7. Self-plagiarism

Don’t you think it is a little bit strange to hear the term Self-plagiarism? How can someone plagiarize their own work?

It is also called auto-plagiarism. It happens when someone uses their own old work without mentioning they already published it before. 

This could be copying different parts of text or ideas from their past papers or articles without acknowledgement.

Examples of Self-plagiarism

A student wrote a story last year. This year, he turned in the same story for a creative writing assignment in a different class without informing the teacher. Even though he wrote it himself, reusing it without acknowledgement is considered self-plagiarism.

8. Accidental plagiarism

Is it an interesting term for you? What comes first in your mind after hearing Accidental plagiarism? A crash or a content written with red ink?

It happens when someone unintentionally uses someone else's work without giving them credit. It can occur because of carelessness or misunderstanding about how to properly cite sources. 

44% of researchers from major scientific institutions believe that unintentional plagiarism is not a “crime.”

Example of unintentional plagiarism

Emma is writing a research paper and finds some great information on a website. She forgets to note down where she got it from. Later, when she includes that information in her paper, she doesn't realize she didn't properly cite the source. This is accidental plagiarism.

9. Hired plagiarism

You’re busy and need to make an urgent presentation. What will you do? You might ask someone for help or hire someone to create it for you with your assistance? Yes you will. It’s simple, someone else does the work while you pay them. 

You might think there's nothing wrong with paying someone else to do your writing, but it’s still wrong. You’re passing off their work as your own. 

Example of hired plagiarism

A student, struggling with their term paper, hires a freelance writer online to complete the assignment. The student then submits the paper to their teacher, pretending it is their own work, thus receiving credit for work they did not do.

10. Deliberate plagiarism

We are talking about intentional plagiarism here. It's a pretty serious issue, especially in academic and professional settings. 

Deliberate plagiarism is when you steal someone's work on purpose. It's like taking someone else's homework and putting your name on it. You know it's not yours, but you pretend it is anyway. This is different from accidentally forgetting to mention where you got an idea.

When you do this on purpose, you're trying to trick people. It's not just a mistake - it's cheating. This can get you in big trouble at school or work because it's dishonest.

Example of deliberate plagiarism

Let’s have an example of a girl in which she did her homework, Sophia copied several paragraphs directly from a website and turned it in as her own work. She purposely presented someone else's writing as if she wrote it herself. 

Sophia knew she was cheating by copying the words of others without giving them credit. 

11. Incremental plagiarism

Do you think it's the most tricky one from all types of plagiarism?

Incremental plagiarism is the addition of quotes, passages, or excerpts from other works into your assignment without giving proper credit to the original source. 

You have to know that even if most of the text is your own, including any content from others without citation is still plagiarism. Sometimes, people do this unintentionally, but still it’s plagiarism.

Example of incremental plagiarism

Let’s suppose an example of a boy named Tom. He had to write a report. Instead of doing his own work, he took little pieces from many different books and websites. He copied a sentence from one source, a paragraph from another, and a few lines from somewhere else. 

Tom combined all these small, copied bits together into his report without giving credit to the real authors. 

12. Borrowed plagiarism

Are you a student or professional? If you are a student then it's definitely for you. 

Borrowed plagiarism happens among students who share assignments or copy each other's answers. Even though the work is borrowed, submitting it as your own is considered plagiarism because it misrepresents the true authorship. 

Many people engage in borrowed plagiarism without realizing it, but it's still unethical because it involves passing off someone else's work as your own.

Example of borrowed plagiarism

Sarah had to write a story for class. Her friend Emily had already written a great story. Sarah copied large parts of Emily's story and passed it off as her own work. 

She "borrowed" Emily's writing without permission or giving her credit. This is borrowed plagiarism - taking someone else's work and presenting it as your own.

13. Collaboration plagiarism

How would you feel if you work hard and someone else takes the credit?

Collaboration plagiarism happens when people work together on a project but don't give credit to everyone involved. This can happen when one person does most of the work but others take credit, or when everyone submits similar work without saying they worked together.

The idea of collaborating is encouraged in academic settings, but when a group works on it, it’s unethical, especially when it’s handed in with only one name on it.

Example of collaboration plagiarism

Sarah and Tom worked together on essays but submitted them as their own individual work without acknowledging their collaboration or crediting each other's writing. This is collaboration plagiarism.

14. Outline plagiarism

What do you think about outline plagiarism? Is it just about copying the structures?

Outline plagiarism is when someone copies the structure or main points instead of the whole article of another person without giving credit. 

It’s like when you decide to copy an article’s entire outline, including its headings and title, but without copying the inner text. This misrepresentation of the work's structure constitutes plagiarism.

Example of outline plagiarism

Emily is assigned a report on climate change. Instead of making her own plan, she copies the headings and main points from a website without citing the source. 

She presents this as her own outline. This is outline plagiarism—copying someone else's structure without giving credit.

15. Bibliographic plagiarism

Does it sound interesting? 

Bibliographic plagiarism happens when someone lists sources in their work, but either makes them up or doesn't list them correctly. 

A bibliography is a list included by researchers at the end of their papers, listing the sources that they used to write. 

This is misleading because it makes it seem like they did more research than they actually did. It's not fair to other researchers and can get them in trouble.

Example of bibliographic plagiarism

A student named Alex is writing an essay on renewable energy. He wants to seem well-researched, so he lists books and articles in his bibliography that he never actually read. 

When the teacher checks, they find out Alex made up these sources. This is bibliographic plagiarism—pretending to use sources you didn't actually read or use.

16. Global plagiarism

Global plagiarism is a very famous and common type of plagiarism between students. It happens when someone takes an entire work or a significant portion of it from someone else and presents it as their own, without any changes or proper credit. 

It happens commonly in schools and colleges when students are too lazy to do their own homework, so they get someone else to do it.

Example of global plagiarism

A student named John is struggling with his assignment, so he asks his friend Lisa for help. Lisa gives him her old project, and he submits it as his own without any changes. 

This is global plagiarism because John is presenting someone else's work as if it's his own, without giving credit to Lisa.

17. Secondary plagiarism

Secondary plagiarism happens when you use information from a source that's talking about another source. It's like retelling a story you heard from a friend about something that happened to their cousin. Using third-person narrative, you need to mention both your friend and their cousin.

The problems with secondary sources:

• They're not the original source of information.
• They're usually someone else's interpretation or summary of the original.
• Students often use them because they're easier to find or understand.

Students should understand that secondary sources are not preferred and should only be used when a primary source is not available.

To avoid secondary plagiarism, always cite both the secondary source you actually read and the primary source it refers to. This way, you're being honest about where you got your information and giving credit to everyone involved.

Example of secondary plagiarism

Sarah is writing a paper about global warming. She reads a summary article in National Geographic. This article references a study published by Dr. Jane Smith. 

Sarah uses information from the National Geographic article in her paper, citing only National Geographic as her source.

This is a wrong approach because:

• Sarah is using information that originally came from Dr. Smith's study in Nature.
• She's only citing the National Geographic article (the secondary source).
• She fails to mention or cite the original Nature study (the primary source).

18. Bluffing plagiarism

Bluffing means pretending or faking. When you pretend to have something that actually does not belong to you, you are bluffing. This plagiarizing is similar when someone pretends to use statistics which are totally fabricated and quotes to make up their arguments. 

They list fake references or include citations to works they never read, to make their work look more credible or well-researched. This is dishonest because it gives a false impression of thorough research and misleads readers.

Bluffing plagiarism example

Imagine a student, Tom, is asked to write a report on the effects of social media on teenagers. Tom isn't familiar with the topic, so he copies a paragraph from a blog post without citing it. 

In his report, he presents this paragraph as his own analysis, even though he didn't come up with it. This is bluffing plagiarism because Tom is pretending he knows about the topic when he's really just copying someone else's work.

19. Inaccurate authorship plagiarism

When you create a new recipe and someone else claims it as their own, it feels disheartening, right? This is similar to inaccurate authorship plagiarism. 

It occurs when someone falsely claims authorship or credit for work they did not contribute to, or when they fail to properly credit the actual creators.

This misrepresentation can occur in group projects, research papers, or any collaborative work, leading to unfair acknowledgment and distribution of credit. 

Example of inaccurate authorship plagiarism

A classmate, Sarah, did significant research on the development of the World Wide Web but isn't included as an author in the final report. You and your other group members take all the credit.

20. Mosaic plagiarism

Mosaic plagiarism is similar to patchwork plagiarism. It involves collecting pieces of information and combining them to create a new article. This occurs when someone mixes phrases, ideas, or text from different sources into their own work without proper citation. 

They blend content from various sources with their own writing, making it challenging to detect. However, it remains dishonest because they fail to credit the original sources.

Example of mosaic plagiarism

John is writing a paper on climate change. Instead of using his own words, he takes short bits from different websites and mixes them in. And doesn't properly cite the sources he borrowed from.

Consequences of plagiarism

The consequences of plagiarism can be diverse, it could be personal, professional, ethical, and legal. 

With the advancement of AI technology so many detection tools have been created to identify plagiarism in the content. And the plagiarism checker makes it easier than ever for everyone to spot copied content. This tool analyzes all types of plagiarism and identifies similarities with other sources, making it difficult to escape detection.

1. Academic problems

Plagiarism in schools, colleges, and universities is a big deal. If you copy someone else's work, it's like cheating. You could fail your assignment or even get kicked out of school. 

Schools take it seriously because it's like stealing and goes against the rules. See Indiana University's Code.

2. Legal problems

In US law, plagiarism is often covered by fraud, intellectual property, and copyright laws. If the original creator decides to take legal action, they can sue for copyright infringement. 

This means they can take you to court and ask for compensation for the damage caused by using their work without permission. 

A man who lied about his test scores to get into Harvard and copied essays to win scholarships and awards was sent to jail for two years. 

3. Professional problems

Plagiarism can have very serious consequences at work, no matter in which field you're employed. It can cost you your job, a promotion, a big project, or the respect of your co-workers. Plagiarism can cause professional problems because it damages your reputation and credibility. 

However, NBC News fired a reporter after finding that she had plagiarized content from other news sites in 11 of her articles.

Frequently asked questions

What are the consequences of plagiarism?

The consequences of plagiarism can be severe and varied, including academic penalties, legal repercussions, and damage to one's professional reputation.

Is patchwork and mosaic plagiarism the same?

Patchwork plagiarism is like sewing different pieces of fabric together to make a quilt without saying where you got them. Mosaic plagiarism is like making a mosaic art piece by using tiny tiles from different places without giving credit.

Why should plagiarism be avoided?

Plagiarism should be avoided because it is dishonest, unfair to original creators, and can lead to serious consequences such as academic penalties and legal action.

What are the legal implications of plagiarism?

Plagiarism can violate copyright laws and intellectual property rights, potentially leading to legal action and financial penalties for the plagiarizer.

How can plagiarism be detected?

Plagiarism can be detected using various tools and methods, including plagiarism detection software, manual review by educators or employers, and comparison with original sources.