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recycling your thesis text – is it self plagiarism?

The term self-plagiarism is usually associated with re-using your own work, recycling slabs of material already published, cutting and pasting from one text to another, producing something which duplicates something that has already appeared elsewhere.

Self-plagiarism is not the same as stealing someone else’s work and passing it off as your own, that’s plagiarism. Nor is it the same as violating copyright – using other people’s text without permission, or even re-using your own work when the copyright has been signed over to someone else. We all know these practices are wrong, so if self plagiarism is like these, it must be too.

The idea of self-plagiarism is scary. We all know that plagiarists get punished if they are found out. They can be sacked, their work pulped or retracted. And universities and publishers are increasingly on the lookout for plagiarism, using automatic software to detect it. So the notion of plagiarising your own work carries with it the spectre of the surveillance and punishment.

But recycling your own work is more often discussed as an ethical question not a legal one. A question of deliberate deceit perhaps. Reuse of your own writing can be regarded as a form of ‘cheating’ – you’ve written something which is published and then you don’t do the hard work of writing something new, you take the easy way out by dragging and dropping the text you made earlier. You aren’t producing something new or original, this version of recycling goes, and to make things worse, you’re tricking the reader into thinking that the work is new. You’re double-dipping – writing without integrity. Some people even see such recycling of text as a form of academic fraud.

But the reuse situation isn’t that straightforward. There may well be circumstances where recycling doesn’t seem unethical, but sensible. Where it’s not simply a question of saving the effort of producing a new version of material.

Think of descriptions of research projects which appear in methods sections of journal articles and in books. It’s not just that there are only so many ways that you can present the same information about the one research project – it’s more that you actually want the way in which you report your project, and its design and processes, to be consistent across publications. Similarly, if you have developed a novel interpretation or heuristic or model which you then use as the basis of future work, you also want there to be a through line from the initial work to the latter. While some of this origin tracing can and should be done via citation, there may also be some common wording that you want to use, something longer than a quotation, perhaps something more like a big chunk of a chapter. Re-use is often key to iterative knowledge-building.

Duplicating thesis text, repurposing it for publication often bothers PhDers. Sometimes a lot. That’s understandable. The PhD is most often now a digital text and is a publication in its own right, but the PhD is also the basis for papers and perhaps a book. Let me explain the most common examples of re-use.

Publishing before the thesis and then reusing it in the thesis text. Publishing prior to the PhD being finalised is quite common and is often done as disciplinary convention, as reputational move and/or as a means of developing a line of argument for the thesis itself. This isn’t a huge issue.

In the PhD by publication, the papers are by definition part of the thesis text. They often appear in their final published form, which may be copyrighted to a journal, not the final author version. I am not aware than any publisher has taken issue with the practice of using the final copyrighted version. But they could I guess. In which case you’d use the final author version as is often now done in university repositories.

By contrast, in the monograph PhD, the text of a previously published paper is usually incorporated into the text and an acknowledgement made, either at the beginning of the text or when the text appears, that some of the material has been published elsewhere. There are however some disciplinary differences here about how acceptable this practice is, and it is always worth checking out rules and conventions with your supervisor and/or your university librarian.

Publishing after the thesis is completed and publicly available. The situation is a little different when the thesis becomes the basis for post-graduation publications. Here the question is how much you can cut and paste from the digital thesis into another, usually shorter, form. There is an a priori question of course about how much you should recycle given that the thesis is written for a different audience and a particular purpose. Most books of the PhD are actually very substantially rewritten. Put that issue aside for a moment. The question is how much should, and can you, re-use of the thesis? What are the risks and wrongs?

Theres a lot of rumour about cutting and pasting from your big book. Everyone seems to have heard of the publisher who refuses a book proposal on the grounds that it will be substantially the same as an e-thesis. However, there seems little actual evidence of this happening. A study by UCL librarians Brown and Sadler found no cases of this happening in the UK, although fears and worries about the possibility were rife particularly among PhDers and their supervisors. But…

Because no one is quite sure about recycling from the thesis you may get various forms of advice. If you want to re-use substantial thesis extracts for a book you may be advised to restrict access to your thesis for a period of time so that the new publication become the major source. Embargo to avoid problems. Or you may be advised to discuss the re-use of thesis material with the publisher if you are writing the-book-of-the-thesis. Or you may be encouraged to learn about open access so that you can have a conversation with an editor about the benefits of having both the thesis and a new book version of the work available at the same time.

Maybe you’re not writing a book but journal articles and book chapters. Reuse here is different. You aren’t very likely to be carrying over thesis literature work – too long. Your methods chapter will be too big. So we are probably talking about bits of what appears in your thesis as results and discussion. For example, there may be tables, graphs or diagrammes. There may be descriptions of participants or places. Most likely there are chunks of worked analyses that you want to cut and paste. Usually it seems to be enough to say in the text of the paper or chapter that the material is based on doctoral work, providing a citation to the thesis online. But there’s always the possibility of something more sinister happening. Again loads of urban myths here.

So is recycling a real problem? Are we just getting worked up over not very much? The first problem seems to be that we don’t even agree on what self plagiarism is, let alone whether it’s a serious issue or not.

My own view, which won’t be everyone’s, is that provided you recycle thesis material in ways that are acknowledged, then some re-use in journal papers and book chapters is not only acceptable but also sensible. After all, you slogged over these chunks for quite some time and worked hard on making them as good as you could. You may find of course when you revisit them that you do still want to tinker with the wording, or add a bit more/cut some things out. For me, the key thing is to own up to this re-use and not to try to hide it. As long as you make sure to check with the relevant editors and journal rules then transposing some text from a thesis or research report to book or journal seems to me to be quite in keeping with the spirit of scholarly publication ethics.

But, as always, do check this out. If in doubt who to ask, start with your university library.

And help may be at hand. Do look at this research project on text recycling which offers some very helpful guidelines for how to steer through murky re-use territory. One of the things the project suggests is doing away with the ambiguous term self plagiarism – Yes!!!- and adopting a more specific set of terms – see the note at the end of this post.

Recognising the reality of text re-use, the project’s guidelines for researchers say:

Authors should recycle text where consistency of language is needed for accurate communication. This consistency can be especially important when describing methods and instrumentation that are common across studies. If the amount of recycled material is substantial, authors should determine whether permissions are needed (see Recycling Text Legally) and whether it is acceptable for the outlet (see Recycling Text Transparently).
Authors may recycle text so long as the recycled material is accurate and appropriate for the new work and does not infringe copyright or violate publisher policies.
Authors should be careful not to recycle text in ways that might mislead readers or editors about the novelty of the new work.

Sounds good to me. Can we all decide this is the way to go?

The Text Recycling Project is based at Duke University and is directed by Cary Moskowitz. It is primarily concerned with practices in STEM but is of much wider interest and application. The project has produced a number of scholarly papers on reuse .

A recent and open access paper written by Moskowitz proposes a new taxonomy for re-use – developmental recycling, generative recycling, adaptive publication and duplicate publication. The paper is open access and well worth reading. I for one will be adopting his terms.

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4 responses to recycling your thesis text – is it self plagiarism.

Anonymous My supervisor hired me to write a paper with him and his wife and another academic and advised me to copy paragraphs from my thesis. When I questioned if I needed to cite my work he advised that it was standard practice and “as co-author it was my writing therefore it should not make a difference”. They’ve since dropped my name but the published paper still contains the paragraphs (and then some). Is this plagiarism?

I reckon it is, but I’m no authority on the finer legal points. I would contact the journal editor in chief of the journal, if that’s where it’s published,and tell them what has happened. You might also try your university library and or current employer or union for advice and support. If they agree it’s misuse of your work, they should help you to take action.

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Self-Plagiarism

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Plagiarism is one of the issues of academic integrity covered in the UNC Honor Code.

The UNC Instrument of Student Judicial Governance defines plagiarism as the:

Deliberate or reckless representation of another’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own without attribution in connection with submission of academic work, whether graded or otherwise. (5)

In layman's terms, plagiarism is representing the work or words of another person as your own without appropriate attribution. This includes using your own previous work and not citing it appropriately, which is called self-plagiarism.

The Instrument defines self-plagiarism as:

Submitting an assignment that is the same as or substantially similar to one’s own previously submitted work(s) without explicit authorization of the instructor.

Implication : You cannot reuse assignments from one class in another without the prior approval of your instructor .

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Last Updated: May 6, 2022 10:50 AM
URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/plagiarism

Plagiarism and self-plagiarism

By ucylcjh, on 29 January 2019

Copyright infringement arises from re-using someone’s work without the permission of the copyright owner (or the benefit of a licence or suitable copyright exception) and is a legal issue. On the other hand, plagiarism arises from re-using someone else’s work in a way which implies it is your own. It is essentially a matter of ethics and academic discipline rather than a legal issue, although the consequences can be very serious.

Naturally the two problems can often overlap (re-using work without a legal basis and without acknowledgement). The key to avoiding plagiarism is always to acknowledge other people’s work when you are quoting form it or when relying upon ideas developed by someone else. That way you can’t be suspected of passing it off as your own work.

The UCL Copyright team are often asked about the dangers of self-plagiarism:

“Will I be in danger of self-plagiarism if I re-use material from my thesis in a published article?” or conversely perhaps: “Can I use material from my previously journal articles in my thesis?”

Self-plagiarism is a real issue, in the sense of recycling you previous work as though it were wholly original, in a context where a certain level of originality is essential. The key to avoiding this danger is very similar to avoiding any kind of plagiarism: You need to be scrupulous about citing your own previous work where you are quoting from it or relying upon it.

In the context of your thesis there may be separate academic issues about relying too heavily on your previously published work even though you are crediting it scrupulously, so in those circumstances it would be good to discuss that with your PhD supervisor at an early stage.

Filed under Copyright Queries

Tags: PhD theses , plagiarism , self-plagiarism

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Self-Plagiarism in Research: What it is and How to Avoid It

Self-plagiarism in research should be strictly avoided. Yet, it’s quite common to find early career researchers, and sometimes even experienced scholars, who do not know what this constitutes. Simply put, self-plagiarism, also known as text recycling or duplicate publication, is when a researcher reuses parts of their previously published work without providing proper citations.

Some researchers see no wrong in reusing their own work, given that they are the original authors. On the other hand, early career researchers struggling with the pressure to publish may be tempted to take short-cuts by recycling their own work rather than developing original new ideas. Whatever the reason, self-plagiarism in research is viewed as a form of academic misconduct that can delay publication, invite legal action, impact academic credibility, and sometimes even lead to loss of funding. It’s critical to remember that when reusing anything in your academic writing that has already been published, you need to seek permission from the original publishers.

This article seeks to explain what self-plagiarism in research means, examines some self-plagiarism examples, and offers some practical advice on how to avoid self-plagiarism.

What is self-plagiarism in research, types of self-plagiarism, how to avoid self-plagiarism.

Self-plagiarism refers to reusing parts of your own previously published articles and papers without properly citing it in your new work. Like plagiarism in research, self-plagiarism misleads the audience by presenting previously published work as new and original. This academic dishonesty undermines your credibility as a researcher as it indicates that you are not interested in your work and are not actively contributing to your chosen field of research.

It is critical to cite your own work, just as you would anyone else’s. Some self-plagiarism examples include publishing multiple papers about the same research in different journals, passing off scientific data from older studies without indicating it has been used before, or even reusing pieces of text or information from previously published work without the proper citations. Any lapses, even if unintentional, can have serious negative consequences on your academic career.

Check your paper for similarity now. Try Paperpal’s Plagiarism Checker for free!

Self-plagiarism can occur in different ways, some of the most common types of self-plagiarism in research are explained below.

Salami slicing: This happens when researchers break up their original research into smaller themes and articles to boost their publication record, instead of submitting their work as a single study. While this can increase the number of articles published by an author, it proves detrimental in the long run. Breaking up your original research can lead to misinterpretation of results and consequently, can reflect poorly on your work.

Copyright infringement: On publishing an article in a scholarly journal, the copyright for the work passes on to the publisher not the author who conducted the research or wrote the paper. Hence, reusing any section, data, text or figure in any form without appropriate citation or permission from the publisher is seen as copyright infringement and treated as an unethical research practice.

Duplicate submission: Some authors submit the same or similar articles based on the same research study to multiple journals at the same time to improve their chances of publication. This constitutes duplicate submission and is seen a form of self-plagiarism. This ethical misstep weighs on journal resources and wastes editors’ time, which can invite severe repercussions.

Lack of proper citation: The most common type of self-plagiarism in research is when an author uses his or her own published work, or a part of it, without properly citing the original article. This misleads readers into believing that the work being presented is new and original, which impacts academic integrity.

Trust and integrity are pre-requisites of scientific research and, therefore, it is important that researchers understand what plagiarism and especially self-plagiarism mean. Being aware of and avoiding plagiarism is crucial for those looking at building a credible career in academia.

The following are some basic strategies that will help you avoid unintentional self-plagiarism.

It is important to closely follow each journal’s specific guidelines regarding publishing of work and be aware of the rules on listing citations and presenting work correctly.
Make sure to cite the original published work while quoting, paraphrasing, or reusing any part of your earlier works. Check and follow the proper citation style for your target journal.
Refrain from sending the same or similar articles on a particular topic or study to different journals at a time. The publication process may take longer than you’d like, but it’s worth it in the long run.
Avoid breaking up your study into smaller fragments for publication. Where it is justifiable to present your study in separate articles, be sure to inform the journal editors in advance.
Always ensure that your paper presents original content, information, and data. Keep in mind that the use of any of your prior work must be done only to complement your arguments – and always with the correct citations.
Use a trusted plagiarism checker, like the one provided by Paperpal, to identify any accidental plagiarism. The Paperpal plagiarism checker scans your work against billions of webpages and delivers a detailed report, with a similarity score, side-by-side comparisons, and color-coded results to help you identify and address any instances of accidental or self-plagiarism. Scan up to 7000 words or 25 pages per month for free.

Researchers must take care to check and ensure they are not self-plagiarizing their content. Even when you are writing on a novel original topic, there may be instances of similarity with earlier published text, which is why a plagiarism check is recommended before you submit. We hope the advice and information provided above helps you understand and avoid any instances of self-plagiarism in research work.

Let us help you deliver your best, original work – try Paperpal’s Plagiarism Checker today.

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Try it for free or upgrade to  Paperpal Prime , which unlocks unlimited access to premium features like plagiarism checks, academic translation, paraphrasing, contextual synonyms, consistency checks and more. It’s like always having a professional academic editor by your side! Go beyond limitations and experience the future of academic writing.  Get Paperpal Prime now at just US$19 a month!

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What is Self-Plagiarism, What is the Impact and How do you Avoid It?

By Zebastian D.
September 23, 2020

What are the consequences of Self-Plagiarism?

What Does Self-Plagiarism Mean?

Self-plagiarism is when you try to pass off all or a significant portion of work that you’ve previously done as something that is completely new.

What are Some Examples of Self-Plagiarism?

Examples of where you may be guilty of self-plagiarism are:

Reusing the same set of data from a previous study or publication and not making this clear to the reader of your work.
Submitting a piece of coursework, paper or other project work that you have already submitted elsewhere (e.g. for a different module).
Writing up and submitting a manuscript for peer-review that has used the same data or drawn the same conclusions as work that you’ve already presented either in a previous publication or as a podium or poster presentation at a conference.
Reusing the content of a literature review performed for one dissertation or thesis directly within another dissertation or thesis without referencing back to this.

You can see here that the theme is clear: if you give the impression that the work you’re submitting is completely new or original work, when in fact this is work you’ve previously presented, then this is self-plagiarism.

What can you do to avoid the risk of self-plagiarism?

If you’re an undergraduate or masters student, you may find yourself in a situation where the piece of coursework given to you is very similar or identical to work you’ve already done in the past. Avoid the temptation of resubmitting this previous work as something new.

Instead, seek out the advice of the lecturer or professor that has assigned the paper to you. Are they happy for you to build on the previous work you’ve done? If they are, make sure you appropriately reference your earlier work and be clear on what is genuinely new content in your current submission.

If you’re a PhD student, post-doc or any academic researcher, then be clear on what the journal you’re submitting to counts as self-plagiarism. Then be clear on whether or not they’ll allow this (with appropriate reference or citation to the previous work) or if they’re adamant that no level of self-plagiarism should occur. Note that this is normally different to self-citation of work.

Journals are likely to consider your submission if it has been presented at a conference only as a poster or podium talk. However, virtually all journals will not accept work that has previously been published in a different (or the same) peer-review journal.

Accidental plagiarism is not unusual, particularly if you’re using similar methods in your current research writing as you did previously. Some elements of text recycling can happen but it’s your responsibility as the author of the research paper to ensure that your publication is genuinely new work. If you do end up repeating text in your writing, make sure you give proper citation to this.

What Impact Could Self-Plagiarism Have on You?

Universities take all forms of plagiarism very seriously and the consequences of being caught doing this can be very severe, including being expelled from the university.

Some universities may view self-plagiarism (i.e. copying your own work) as less problematic than the form of plagiarism in which you copy the work of someone else and indeed, in some cases, they may even allow some level of self-plagiarism.

If they do allow it, then ensure you have the ok from the person that will be assessing your work (i.e. your professor). Please do not submit any work that you’ve already submitted before if you know your university does not allow self-plagiarism of any form.

If you’re an academic researcher, the consequences of being caught self-plagiarising your manuscript or paper may be at the very least a delay in your publication being accepted to, at worst, the manuscript being rejected altogether. If attempting to resubmit a duplicate publication already in one journal to another journal, you may also end up infringing on the journal’s copyright.

Beyond that, you may be accused of academic misconduct and even have your academic integrity called into question. Make sure that you as the author are clear on the plagiarism policy of the journal you’re submitting to and also be clear specifically on their rules on self-plagiarism.

Self-plagiarism can sometimes feel like a grey area, but you should be clear that resubmitting previously published work with the intention of passing it off as a completing new publication is not only poor academic practice but also scientific misconduct.

It’s ultimately your responsibility as the author of the research publication that you do not end up copying previously published material in your text. If you’re in any doubt about the rules surrounding self-plagiarism, then avoid the use of any duplicate publication in your material.

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What Is Self-Plagiarism? | Definition & How to Avoid It

What Is Self-Plagiarism? | Definition & How to Avoid It

Published on 9 December 2021 by Tegan George . Revised on 26 July 2022.

Plagiarism often involves using someone else’s words or ideas without proper citation , but you can also plagiarise yourself. Self-plagiarism means reusing work that you have already published or submitted for a class. It can involve:

Resubmitting an entire paper
Copying or paraphrasing passages from your previous work
Recycling previously collected data
Separately publishing multiple articles about the same research

Self-plagiarism misleads your readers by presenting previous work as completely new and original. If you want to include any text, ideas, or data that you already submitted in a previous assignment, be sure to inform your readers by citing yourself .

Examples of self-plagiarism, why is self-plagiarism wrong, how to cite yourself, how do educational institutions detect self-plagiarism, frequently asked questions about plagiarism.

You may be committing self-plagiarism if you:

Submit an assignment from a previous academic year to a current class
Recycle parts of an old assignment without citing it (e.g., copy-pasting sections or paragraphs from previously submitted work)
Use a dataset from a previous study (published or not) without letting your reader know
Submit a manuscript for publication containing data, conclusions, or passages that have already been published without citing your previous publication
Publish multiple similar papers about the same study in different journals

Examples: Self-plagiarism

Reusing text from previous papers
Simultaneous submission
Recycling data

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

While self-plagiarism may not be considered as serious as plagiarising someone else’s work, it’s still a form of academic dishonesty and can have the same consequences as other forms of plagiarism. Self-plagiarism:

Shows a lack of interest in producing new work
Can involve copyright infringement if you reuse published work
Means you’re not making a new and original contribution to knowledge
Undermines academic integrity, as you’re misrepresenting your research

It can still be legitimate to reuse your previous work in some contexts, but you need to acknowledge you’re doing so by citing yourself.

It can be legitimate to reuse pieces of your previous work, but you need to ensure you have explicit permission from your instructor before doing so, and you must cite yourself .

You can cite yourself just like you would cite any other source. The examples below show how you could cite your own unpublished thesis or dissertation in various styles.

Example: Citing an unpublished thesis or dissertation

Chicago style

APA format	Author last name, Initials. (Year). : Subtitle [Unpublished type of thesis or dissertation]. University Name. URL or DOI
	Merkus, J. (2018). [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Radboud University.
	(Merkus, 2018)

APA format	Author last name, First name. : Subtitle. Year. University Name, type of thesis or dissertation.
	Merkus, Julia. . Radboud University, master’s thesis.
	(Merkus, 15)

	Last name, First name. “Title: Subtitle.” Type of thesis or diss., University Name, Year. Merkus, Julia. “The Power of Reading: The Effect of Different Reading Methods on the Vocabulary of Multilingual Children.” Master’s thesis, Radboud University, 2018.
	Author first name Last name, “Title: Subtitle” (type of thesis or diss., University Name, Year), Page number(s). 1. Julia Merkus, “The Power of Reading: The Effect of Different Reading Methods on the Vocabulary of Multilingual Children” (master’s thesis, Radboud University, 2018), 15.
	Author last name, “Shortened Title,” Page number(s). 2. Merkus, “Power of Reading,” 21.

Last name, First name. “Title: Subtitle.” Type of thesis or diss., University Name, Year.

Merkus, Julia. “The Power of Reading: The Effect of Different Reading Methods on the Vocabulary of Multilingual Children.” Master’s thesis, Radboud University, 2018.

Author first name Last name, “Title: Subtitle” (type of thesis or diss., University Name, Year), Page number(s).

1. Julia Merkus, “The Power of Reading: The Effect of Different Reading Methods on the Vocabulary of Multilingual Children” (master’s thesis, Radboud University, 2018), 15.

Author last name, “Shortened Title,” Page number(s).

2. Merkus, “Power of Reading,” 21.

In addition to plagiarism software databases, many educational institutions keep databases of submitted assignments. Sometimes, they even have access to databases at other institutions. If you hand in even a portion of an old assignment a second time, the plagiarism software will flag it as self-plagiarism.

Online plagiarism checkers not affiliated with a university don’t have access to the internal databases of educational institutions, and therefore their software cannot check your document for self-plagiarism.

In addition to our Plagiarism Checker, Scribbr also offers a Self-Plagiarism Checker . This unique tool allows you to upload your own original sources and compare them with your new assignment. It will flag any unintentional self-plagiarism, in addition to other forms of plagiarism, and helps ensure that you add the correct citations before submitting your assignment.

Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker

Online plagiarism scanners do not have access to internal university databases, and therefore cannot check your document for self-plagiarism.

Using Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker , you can upload your previous work and compare it to your current document:

Your thesis or dissertation
Your papers or essays
Any other published or unpublished documents

The checker will scan the texts for similarities and flag any passages where you might have self-plagiarised.

Yes, reusing your own work without citation is considered self-plagiarism . This can range from resubmitting an entire assignment to reusing passages or data from something you’ve handed in previously.

Self-plagiarism often has the same consequences as other types of plagiarism . If you want to reuse content you wrote in the past, make sure to check your university’s policy or consult your professor.

If you are reusing content or data you used in a previous assignment, make sure to cite yourself. You can cite yourself the same way you would cite any other source: simply follow the directions for the citation style you are using.

Keep in mind that reusing prior content can be considered self-plagiarism , so make sure you ask your instructor or consult your university’s handbook prior to doing so.

Most institutions have an internal database of previously submitted student assignments. Turnitin can check for self-plagiarism by comparing your paper against this database. If you’ve reused parts of an assignment you already submitted, it will flag any similarities as potential plagiarism.

Online plagiarism checkers don’t have access to your institution’s database, so they can’t detect self-plagiarism of unpublished work. If you’re worried about accidentally self-plagiarising, you can use Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker to upload your unpublished documents and check them for similarities.

The consequences of plagiarism vary depending on the type of plagiarism and the context in which it occurs. For example, submitting a whole paper by someone else will have the most severe consequences, while accidental citation errors are considered less serious.

If you’re a student, then you might fail the course, be suspended or expelled, or be obligated to attend a workshop on plagiarism. It depends on whether it’s your first offence or you’ve done it before.

As an academic or professional, plagiarising seriously damages your reputation. You might also lose your research funding or your job, and you could even face legal consequences for copyright infringement.

Most online plagiarism checkers only have access to public databases, whose software doesn’t allow you to compare two documents for plagiarism.

However, in addition to our Plagiarism Checker , Scribbr also offers an Self-Plagiarism Checker . This is an add-on tool that lets you compare your paper with unpublished or private documents. This way you can rest assured that you haven’t unintentionally plagiarised or self-plagiarised .

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Frequently asked questions

What is self-plagiarism.

Self-plagiarism means recycling work that you’ve previously published or submitted as an assignment. It’s considered academic dishonesty to present something as brand new when you’ve already gotten credit and perhaps feedback for it in the past.

If you want to refer to ideas or data from previous work, be sure to cite yourself.

If you’re concerned that you may have self-plagiarized, Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker can help you turn in your paper with confidence. It compares your work to unpublished or private documents that you upload, so you can rest assured that you haven’t unintentionally plagiarized.

Frequently asked questions: Plagiarism

Academic integrity means being honest, ethical, and thorough in your academic work. To maintain academic integrity, you should avoid misleading your readers about any part of your research and refrain from offenses like plagiarism and contract cheating, which are examples of academic misconduct.

Plagiarism is a form of theft, since it involves taking the words and ideas of others and passing them off as your own. As such, it’s academically dishonest and can have serious consequences .

Plagiarism also hinders the learning process, obscuring the sources of your ideas and usually resulting in bad writing. Even if you could get away with it, plagiarism harms your own learning.

Most online plagiarism checkers only have access to public databases, whose software doesn’t allow you to compare two documents for plagiarism.

Compare two sources for plagiarism

Most institutions have an internal database of previously submitted student papers. Turnitin can check for self-plagiarism by comparing your paper against this database. If you’ve reused parts of an assignment you already submitted, it will flag any similarities as potential plagiarism.

Online plagiarism checkers don’t have access to your institution’s database, so they can’t detect self-plagiarism of unpublished work. If you’re worried about accidentally self-plagiarizing, you can use Scribbr’s Self-Plagiarism Checker to upload your unpublished documents and check them for similarities.

Yes, reusing your own work without acknowledgment is considered self-plagiarism . This can range from re-submitting an entire assignment to reusing passages or data from something you’ve turned in previously without citing them.

If you are reusing content or data you used in a previous assignment, make sure to cite yourself. You can cite yourself just as you would cite any other source: simply follow the directions for that source type in the citation style you are using.

Keep in mind that reusing your previous work can be considered self-plagiarism , so make sure you ask your professor or consult your university’s handbook before doing so.

Common knowledge does not need to be cited. However, you should be extra careful when deciding what counts as common knowledge.

Common knowledge encompasses information that the average educated reader would accept as true without needing the extra validation of a source or citation.

Common knowledge should be widely known, undisputed and easily verified. When in doubt, always cite your sources.

Plagiarism has serious consequences , and can indeed be illegal in certain scenarios.

While most of the time plagiarism in an undergraduate setting is not illegal, plagiarism or self-plagiarism in a professional academic setting can lead to legal action, including copyright infringement and fraud. Many scholarly journals do not allow you to submit the same work to more than one journal, and if you do not credit a co-author, you could be legally defrauding them.

Even if you aren’t breaking the law, plagiarism can seriously impact your academic career. While the exact consequences of plagiarism vary by institution and severity, common consequences include: a lower grade, automatically failing a course, academic suspension or probation, or even expulsion.

Accidental plagiarism is one of the most common examples of plagiarism . Perhaps you forgot to cite a source, or paraphrased something a bit too closely. Maybe you can’t remember where you got an idea from, and aren’t totally sure if it’s original or not.

These all count as plagiarism, even though you didn’t do it on purpose. When in doubt, make sure you’re citing your sources . Also consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

Incremental plagiarism means inserting quotes, passages, or excerpts from other works into your assignment without properly citing the original source.

Even if the vast majority of the text is yours, including any content that isn’t without citing it is plagiarism.

Consider using a plagiarism checker yourself before submitting your work. Plagiarism checkers work by scanning your document, comparing it to a database of webpages and publications, and highlighting passages that appear similar to other texts.

Patchwork plagiarism (aka mosaic plagiarism) means copying phrases, passages, or ideas from various existing sources and combining them to create a new text. While this type of plagiarism is more insidious than simply copy-pasting directly from a source, plagiarism checkers like Turnitin’s can still easily detect it.

To avoid plagiarism in any form, remember to cite your sources . Also consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Verbatim plagiarism means copying text from a source and pasting it directly into your own document without giving proper credit.

Even if you delete a few words or replace them with synonyms, it still counts as verbatim plagiarism.

To use an author’s exact words, quote the original source by putting the copied text in quotation marks and including an in-text citation .

If you’re worried about plagiarism, consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission, which work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Global plagiarism means taking an entire work written by someone else and passing it off as your own. This can mean getting someone else to write an essay or assignment for you, or submitting a text you found online as your own work.

Global plagiarism is the most serious type of plagiarism because it involves deliberately and directly lying about the authorship of a work. It can have severe consequences .

To ensure you aren’t accidentally plagiarizing, consider running your work through plagiarism checker tool prior to submission. These tools work by using advanced database software to scan for matches between your text and existing texts.

Plagiarism can be detected by your professor or readers if the tone, formatting, or style of your text is different in different parts of your paper, or if they’re familiar with the plagiarized source.

Many universities also use plagiarism detection software like Turnitin’s, which compares your text to a large database of other sources, flagging any similarities that come up.

It can be easier than you think to commit plagiarism by accident. Consider using a plagiarism checker prior to submitting your paper to ensure you haven’t missed any citations.

Some examples of plagiarism include:

Copying and pasting a Wikipedia article into the body of an assignment
Quoting a source without including a citation
Not paraphrasing a source properly, such as maintaining wording too close to the original
Forgetting to cite the source of an idea

The most surefire way to avoid plagiarism is to always cite your sources . When in doubt, cite!

If you’re concerned about plagiarism, consider running your work through a plagiarism checker tool prior to submission. Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker takes less than 10 minutes and can help you turn in your paper with confidence.

Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s work as your own without giving proper credit to the original author. In academic writing, plagiarism involves using words, ideas, or information from a source without including a citation .

Plagiarism can have serious consequences , even when it’s done accidentally. To avoid plagiarism, it’s important to keep track of your sources and cite them correctly.

Academic dishonesty can be intentional or unintentional, ranging from something as simple as claiming to have read something you didn’t to copying your neighbor’s answers on an exam.

You can commit academic dishonesty with the best of intentions, such as helping a friend cheat on a paper. Severe academic dishonesty can include buying a pre-written essay or the answers to a multiple-choice test, or falsifying a medical emergency to avoid taking a final exam.

Consequences of academic dishonesty depend on the severity of the offense and your institution’s policy. They can range from a warning for a first offense to a failing grade in a course to expulsion from your university.

For those in certain fields, such as nursing, engineering, or lab sciences, not learning fundamentals properly can directly impact the health and safety of others. For those working in academia or research, academic dishonesty impacts your professional reputation, leading others to doubt your future work.

Academic dishonesty refers to deceitful or misleading behavior in an academic setting. Academic dishonesty can occur intentionally or unintentionally, and varies in severity.

It can encompass paying for a pre-written essay, cheating on an exam, or committing plagiarism . It can also include helping others cheat, copying a friend’s homework answers, or even pretending to be sick to miss an exam.

Academic dishonesty doesn’t just occur in a classroom setting, but also in research and other academic-adjacent fields.

Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly cite the source . This means including an in-text citation and a full reference, formatted according to your required citation style .

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

Paraphrasing is plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
Paraphrasing is plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should quote it instead.
Paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words and properly cite the source .

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If you’ve properly paraphrased or quoted and correctly cited the source, you are not committing plagiarism.

However, the word correctly is vital. In order to avoid plagiarism , you must adhere to the guidelines of your citation style (e.g. APA or MLA ).

You can use the Scribbr Plagiarism Checker to make sure you haven’t missed any citations, while our Citation Checker ensures you’ve properly formatted your citations in APA style.

If you’re a student, then you might fail the course, be suspended or expelled, or be obligated to attend a workshop on plagiarism. It depends on whether it’s your first offense or you’ve done it before.

As an academic or professional, plagiarizing seriously damages your reputation. You might also lose your research funding or your job, and you could even face legal consequences for copyright infringement.

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Self-citation and self-plagiarism

Referencing your own previously published work is known as self-citation. It is important to give citations when ideas, data, etc have been discussed in your previous publications. Correct self-citation conveys the level of originality in a publication accurately and enables readers to understand the development of ideas over time.

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.

Norms about what is an acceptable way of acknowledging that you have previously published research have changed significantly, even in the past decade. It is important that researchers are aware of what is considered good practice in their disciplines. A supervisor, mentor, or peers may be able to offer advice.

There is no definitive rule about when it is acceptable for a researcher to re-use text word-for-word. You should consider this carefully on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration:

the norms of your discipline
the conventions of the genre you are writing in (e.g. journal article, blog, thesis etc)
the expectations of editors, publishers, examiners, and readers
copyright regulations and authorship.

There are three key questions you should ask yourself:

does the piece of writing represent its own level of originality accurately?
is that level of originality appropriate to the type of publication?
who has the right – ethically (authorship) and legally (copyright) – to reproduce?

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.

The La Trobe guide, Interpreting iThenticate Reports: a Guide for Researchers [DOC 711KB] , includes a discussion of the expectations of different genres of writing, and suggestions on how iThenticate can help manage self-citation and avoid self-plagiarism.

Discipline approaches to self-plagiarism

Some style guides have a statement and/or guidelines relating to self-citation or self-plagiarism which may be helpful:

From the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publication. Modern Language Association of America: New York, 2008. Third edition. pp. 166-167.(Humanities) :

'Whereas reprinting one’s published work, such as having a journal article appear in a subsequent book of essays, is professionally acceptable […] professionals generally disapprove if previously published work is reissued, whether verbatim or slightly revised, under another title or in some other manner that gives the impression it is a new work. Although not the same as plagiarizing someone else’s writing, self-plagiarism is another type of unethical activity. If your current work draws on your own previously published work, you must give full bibliographic information about the earlier publication.'

From the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association: Washington, D.C., 2010. Sixth edition. p. 16.(Social Sciences):

'Just as researchers do not present the work of others as their own (plagiarism), they do not present their own previously published work as new scholarship (self-plagiarism). There are, however, limited circumstances […] under which authors may wish to duplicate without attribution (citation) their previously used words, feeling that extensive self-referencing is undesirable or awkward. […] The general view is that the core of the new document must constitute an original contribution to knowledge, and only the amount of previously published material necessary to understand that contribution should be included, primarily in the discussion of theory and methodology.'

Reusing published material in Masters and PhD theses

Including previously published material (text, ideas, data, even a whole publication) in a Master's or PhD thesis is very common. You should consider the key questions about self-citation above when doing so, and ensure compliance with La Trobe requirements . Every thesis should clearly state what material has been previously published and where.

If you paraphrase or quote short sections of your own text, you should reference it as you would the work of another scholar.

You may insert a whole publication or publications into your thesis if appropriate to the argument and structure. You should discuss this with a supervisor as early as possible. If a thesis chapter is substantially based on research reported in a previous publication, full citation details should be included in the preface or each relevant chapter. The full reference should also appear in the bibliography of the thesis.

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.

If a co-authored publication is included in a thesis you must:

have made a leading and significant contribution to the publication
provide details of your contribution to each publication in the thesis
provide verification of your contribution from co-authors.

The Schedule for Presentation of Theses for Higher Degree by Research offers a guide to what you must do if previous publications are included in your thesis.

For examples of La Trobe theses written to the highest standard see the Nancy Millis Award page.

Self-Plagiarism Research Literature in the Social Sciences: A Scoping Review

Published: 16 June 2018
Volume 49 , pages 285–311, ( 2018 )

Cite this article

Sarah Elaine Eaton ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0607-6287 1 &
Katherine Crossman 1

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Self-plagiarism is a contentious issue in higher education, research and scholarly publishing contexts. The practice is problematic because it disrupts scientific publishing by over-emphasizing results, increasing journal publication costs, and artificially inflating journal impact, among other consequences. We hypothesized that there was a dearth of empirical studies on the topic of self-plagiarism, with an over-abundance of editorial and commentary articles based on anecdotal evidence. The research question was: What typologies of evidence characterize the literature on self-plagiarism in scholarly and research journals? We conducted a scoping review, using the search terms “self-plagiarism” and “self-plagiarism” (hyphenated), consulting five social sciences research databases, supplemented by a manual search for articles, resulting in over 5900 results. After removing duplicates and excluding non-scholarly sources, we arrived at a data set of 133 sources, with publication dates ranging from 1968 to 2017. With an interrater reliability of over 93% between two researchers, our typological analysis revealed 47 sources (34.3%) were editorials; 41 (29.9%) were conceptual research (including teaching cases); 16 (11.7%) were editorial responses; 12 (8.6%) were secondary research; and only 8 sources (5.8%) were primary research. There is little guidance in the available literature to graduate students or their professors about how to disentangle the complexities of self-plagiarism. With primary and secondary research combined accounting for 14.4% of overall contributions to the data set, and primary research constituting only 6% of overall contributions, we conclude with a call for more empirical evidence on the topic to support contributions to the scholarly dialogue.

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Plagiarism in Philosophy Research

Ideas About Plagiarism and Self-plagiarism with University Professors and Researchers: A Case Study with WebQDA

Data Availability

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Open Science Framework repository, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UDVMK .

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This study was funded by a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant from the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Grant # 10015164.

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SE designed the concept and drafted the manuscript. SB and KC developed exclusion/inclusion criteria, identified and categorized sources. KC developed Figs. 1 and 2 . Percentage contributions are SE: 70%, KC: 30%. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Eaton, S.E., Crossman, K. Self-Plagiarism Research Literature in the Social Sciences: A Scoping Review. Interchange 49 , 285–311 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-018-9333-6

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UCL Doctoral School

Self-Plagiarism

Guidance on incorporating published work in your thesis

How you can include published work in your thesis and avoid self-plagiarism

Doctoral candidates who are worried about what they can include in their thesis can follow this guidance. It covers the inclusion of previously published papers and how to integrate them properly.

Publishing first, then submitting thesis for examination

If you've published before submitting your thesis:

an appropriate citation of the original source in the relevant Chapter; and
completing the UCL Research Paper Declaration form – this should be embedded after the Acknowledgments page in the thesis.
Before using figures, table sheets, or parts of the text, find out from the editor of the journal if you transferred the copyrights when you submitted the paper.
When in doubt, when you do not own copyright, get formal approval from copyright owners to re-use the material (this is frequently done for previously published data and figures to be included in a doctoral thesis; please see more information on the UCL Copyright advice website ).
ensure the style matches that of the rest of the thesis, both in formatting and content,
add additional information/context where beneficial, such as additional background/relevant literature, more detailed methods,
offer additional data not included in the publication, such as preliminary data, null findings, anything included in supplementary materials.
If you worked together with co-authors, your (and their) contributions to the publication should be specified in the UCL Research Paper Declaration form.

Examples of including previously published work in your thesis

After gaining approval from the copyright holder, you would be allowed to copy and paste sections from the published paper into your thesis.

You might make minor edits to the text to ensure that it fits the overall style of your thesis (e.g. changing “We” to “I”, where appropriate) and that it is written in your voice (see bullet point on ‘Initial drafts of papers’ below).

You might also incorporate additional text/figures/Tables that did not appear in the original publication.

Unacceptable

You cannot embed the unedited pdf of the published paper into your thesis.

You also cannot copy and paste the entire paper without making any attempt to match the style to the rest of the thesis.

Submitting thesis first (and the degree is successfully awarded) and published after

If your thesis is published first, then this must be declared to a journal publisher so that you can check with the editor about the acceptability of including part of your thesis.

You must make sure that you have cited the original source correctly (your thesis for example) and acknowledged yourself as author. Where possible, you could also provide a link.

This applies not just to reproducing your own material but also to ideas which you have previously published elsewhere.

Tips for reusing material in final thesis

We strongly recommend you write your upgrade document (and/or any progression documents) in the same style and format as you would your final thesis. This will help you plan the format of your final thesis early and you can then reuse as much of your upgrade material in your final thesis as makes sense.

Initial drafts of papers

We strongly recommend you keep your initial drafts of papers for use in your final thesis; this way it is written in your voice (not that of your supervisors, co-authors, or journal editor) and will be less likely to affect any copyright issues with the publisher. This does not mean you cannot incorporate supervisor corrections; however, all text should be written by you and not subject to vast rewriting/editing by others as is often the case with journal publications. You should still cite your published work where relevant.

Plan your thesis structure and project timings carefully from the start

This means considering thesis structure, time of upgrade/progression reviews, and, if appropriate, which chapters might be turned into publications and when.

Prioritise the thesis over any other priorities

Furthermore, as you approach the final months before your submission deadline (which you should check carefully with your supervisory team and funder as expectations may vary), we strongly encourage you to prioritise the thesis over any other conflicting priorities, e.g. internships, publications, etc…

Remember to follow these guidelines to ensure the appropriate use of published work in your doctoral thesis while avoiding self-plagiarism.

What is Self-Plagiarism

The UCL Academic Manual describes self-plagiarism as:

“The reproduction or resubmission of a student’s own work which has been submitted for assessment at UCL or any other institution. This does not include earlier formative drafts of the particular assessment, or instances where the department has explicitly permitted the re-use of formative assessments but does include all other formative work except where permitted.”

Read about this in more detail in Chapter 6, Section 9.2d of the UCL Academic Manual page .

How self-plagiarism applies to Doctoral Students

Re-use of material already used for a previous degree.

A research student commits self-plagiarism if they incorporate material (text, data, ideas) from a previous academic degree (e.g., Master's of Undergraduate) submission, whether at UCL or another institution, into their final these without explicit declaration.

Note on Upgrades

The upgrade report is not published nor is it used to confer a degree, and is therefore excluded from the above definition of “material”.

In effect, the upgrade report (and any other progression reviews) is a form of “thesis draft” owned by the student and we encourage the reuse of material in the upgrade report in the final thesis where relevant.

As a result, material written by yourself can be used both in publications and your final thesis, and the self-plagiarism rule does not apply here. However, since your final thesis will be ‘published’ online, there are several rules you must follow.

For additonal detail, visit the UCL Discovery web page .

Links to forms

UCL Research Paper Declaration Form for including published material in your thesis (to be embedded after the Acknowledgements page).

Form in MS Word format (DOCX)
Form in LaTeX format (TEX) , thanks to David Sheard, Dept of Mathematics
Form in PDF preview (PDF)

Helpful resources

Step-by-step guide and FAQs on publishing doctoral work
Information about your own copyright
Information on online copy of your thesis

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Copyright issues and Self-Plagiarism in the PhD Thesis

Part of my doctoral thesis is based on three articles I wrote during my PhD. My supervisor suggested that I directly use part of the articles I had written (the part related to the data analysis and results) as chapters in the doctoral thesis. The theoretical background was rewritten in an extended form and forms the first chapters of the doctoral thesis. The articles have also other authors in addition to me and my supervisors, who played a marginal role in the work.

Unfortunately, I did not know that you need to cite your work to avoid copyright problems (I should have written "this chapter is based on this article..." at the beginning of each chapter). Even my supervisor, who read the thesis, didn't notice, and the PhD Thesis was fine for him. I earned my PhD some years ago.

I am worried that this can represent a problem and it can lead to losing the phd title. Do you have any suggestion how I can fix it? It was completely unintentionally. The chapters have exactly the same title of the papers, I have really not tried to hide it. I have currently a quite successfull career in the academia, and I would like to continue it, but this problem is causing me worries.

Edit: Maybe I should also mention that I have a double doctoral degree in two different European countries, which have different standards. While one country is stricter, the other has not yet developed clear legislation to help prevent self-plagiarism and copyright problems. I developed my doctoral thesis in the second country (the one I came from), but now I am working in the first. This explains part of my pain

self-plagiarism

Has the degree been awarded? Has the thesis been published anywhere? – Buffy Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 21:57
4 To be clear, the "offense" of self-plagiarism is getting credit multiple times for the same work by being deceptive and presenting it as new work . Directly mentioning prior publication in the thesis is one way to make reuse clear, but any other way of communicating that to your committee is also valid. – Ben Voigt Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 21:58
yes, the degree has been awarded and the thesis has been published – Pachita Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 22:00
@BenVoigt, with self plagiarism there is also the (IMO more important) issue of providing the full context of ideas, some of which will be in the original articles. – Buffy Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 22:32
As @BryanKrause's answer says, there's not much to worry about here from a purely academic perspective. If you ever get into the sort of career where you have political opponents, they might try and have a pop at you about it, so be ready with your rebuttal. – Daniel Hatton Commented Jan 13 at 12:26

3 Answers 3

I wouldn't worry about it at this point coming from a US perspective for academic (dis)honesty concerns; possibly there is some local difference but I highly doubt it.

The "stapler thesis" is a common format in my field at least, and while it's expected to be clear about where content is coming from, it's also expected that the thesis itself is almost useless for outside purposes: no one will read it except your committee and possibly any grandparents who are still living at the time. It would be a waste of time to have much of the thesis not be also published somewhere else, and no one will be giving you separate credit for the thesis and also for the publications: they are separate entities that are expected to overlap, and nothing to be gained by omitting a statement that they are the same.

Copyright is an entirely separate beast; you can copy things that you own copyright to however you want and never violate your own copyright. Self-plagiarism has nothing to do with copyright, you can't violate copyright by self-plagiarism. The only copyright concern is that you've assigned your copyright to some journal or promised them an exclusive license to use your work in exchange for them publishing it. If that's the case, even a statement "this chapter is based on this article..." does not save you from infringing the copyright. You can't freely copy a movie and print a bunch of DVDs (do people still use DVDs?) and say you're in the clear just because you add a statement saying "I copied this movie from Steven Spielberg". The copyright concern is not about giving proper credit, the copyright concern is that someone who has the rights to reproduce and publish and sell your work doesn't want to lose the value of what they can sell because you've released the same content in some other form. That said, every reasonable journal has a clause that allows for the original author to reuse it for a thesis. If they don't, your only risk would be that they come to sue you for some financial cost claiming that your thesis is costing them sales. They will not bother to do this, and there is absolutely no risk to your degree.

Thank you. I feel better now. – Pachita Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 23:08

I doubt that the university would withdraw the degree. After all, the error is partly theirs in not being more vigilant in such things.

I also doubt that there is much you can do about it other than to ask the publisher of the thesis to withdraw it and promise a better version "soonish", if that is your desire.

The publishers of the original works might complain and then you would have to deal with that as a matter of copyright if you have given up your rights.

How hard it would be to provide a better version depends on how much you "copied" from the earlier papers. If it is within acceptable bounds then adding citations might be enough. But that isn't a plagiarism issue, but a copyright one. A simple note that the thesis is 'based on' the earlier papers covers you on plagiarism, but over copying remains a copyright issue.

Alternatively you can just ignore the issue until and unless a problem arises, though, as I said, it is unlikely to come from the university.

The journals are from Elsevier, and Elsevier gives permission to reuse part of the articles or even the full article in the doctoral dissertation, however, they ask that reference be made to the article. In my case, a full reference to the article is missing. The only reference is the title of the article, which exactly matches the title of the chapter. – Pachita Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 22:28
Then you are probably clear with them if you can add a reference to the published thesis, even as an erratum. – Buffy Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 22:30
I had this idea too and will do it! Thank you so much for the advice – Pachita Commented Nov 30, 2023 at 22:34

I don't think this is a big issue. Although there are common standards regarding plagiarism and self-plagiarism, these are ultimately customary norms, meaning your university and advisor decide if you've plagiarized. If they thought you were fine, then you were fine. As for me, I just submitted my thesis, and my advisor asked me to list my publications, like 'This thesis is based on these publications,' in the preface so I could include content from my publications in the thesis. I also see students from renowned institutions, like CMU, doing the same thing. If this were problematic, then half of the theses in our field would have to be revoked. However, I see that some places require stricter citations, where you have to cite precisely at the point where you reused the content. I believe that if you adhered to the guidelines from the institution you graduated from, it should be totally fine. Don't overthink it.

Thank you! But do you think that the fact I have not declared it clearly can represent a problem? The title of each chapter is the same title of each publication, but it missess a clear reference to them. I was not really trying to hide something. – Pachita Commented Feb 2 at 13:00

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Attribution…. Self Plagiarism
How to avoid self-plagiarism in PhD Thesis || Own Published Papers in PhD Thesis || Hindi || 2023
This could help students to understand the difference between deliberate and accidental
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COMMENTS

Self-Plagiarism in PhD thesis
Sep 1, 2013 at 17:48. 1. Correction: you are mostly right about plagiarism issues, but not about copyright. Self-plagiarism is a real thing (and misconduct in some cases)—but reusing your papers in your thesis (with citation!) is completely fine.
What Is Self-Plagiarism?
Scribbr's Self-Plagiarism Checker. Online plagiarism scanners do not have access to internal university databases, and therefore cannot check your document for self-plagiarism. Using Scribbr's Self-Plagiarism Checker, you can upload your previous work and compare it to your current document: Your thesis or dissertation; Your papers or essays
Text Recycling / Self-Plagiarism in NPS Theses and Dissertations
Text Recycling / Self-Plagiarism in NPS Theses and DissertationsSelf-plagiarism, as defined by the Office of Research Integrity, "occurs when authors reuse their own previously written work or data in a 'new' written product without lett. ng the reader know that this material has appeared elsewhere."Publishers have varying policies ...
What is self-plagiarism and what does it have to do with ...
Self-plagiarism—sometimes known as " duplicate plagiarism "—is a term for when a writer recycles work for a different assignment or publication and represents it as new. For students, this may involve recycling an essay or large portions of text written for a prior course and resubmitting it to fulfill a different assignment in a ...
recycling your thesis text
revision - the "make it better" exercise →. The term self-plagiarism is usually associated with re-using your own work, recycling slabs of material already published, cutting and pasting from one text to another, producing something which duplicates something that has already appeared elsewhere. Self-plagiarism is not the same as ...
How to avoid self-plagiarism when adapting dissertation into a paper?
The dissertation is not a published work in the same sense as a journal or conference paper. It is normal for a recent graduate to take large chunks of their thesis, with minimal or no modification, and use the excerpts in more formal publications. You do not need to worry about self plagiarism in this context.
When is 'self-plagiarism' OK? New guidelines offer ...
The guidelines usefully recast these issues in terms other than self-plagiarism, says Lisa Rasmussen, a research ethicist at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. "It's causing a problem to focus too much on self-plagiarism," she says. Some researchers who spend decades working on a particular topic, for example, might use very similar ...
Self-Plagiarism
Self-Plagiarism. Image Credit: Cyanide and Happiness. Plagiarism is one of the issues of academic integrity covered in the UNC Honor Code. The UNC Instrument of Student Judicial Governance defines plagiarism as the:. Deliberate or reckless representation of another's words, thoughts, or ideas as one's own without attribution in connection with submission of academic work, whether graded or ...
Is Recycling Your Own Work Plagiarism?
So, in the Webster definition, recycling one's own papers would fall under "to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source" and is, therefore, considered plagiarism. But what is more important than the definition of plagiarism, and whether it is possible to "self-plagiarize," is the ethics behind self-plagiarism.
Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
Self-plagiarism is a real issue, in the sense of recycling you previous work as though it were wholly original, in a context where a certain level of originality is essential. The key to avoiding this danger is very similar to avoiding any kind of plagiarism: You need to be scrupulous about citing your own previous work where you are quoting ...
Self-Plagiarism
Self-Plagiarism. Self-plagiarism is a tricky issue and understanding the importance of avoiding it is crucial for writers, especially writers in an academic setting. Students often commit self-plagiarism without realizing it, thinking that if the work is their own, they cannot "steal" it from themselves. This is not exactly true, however ...
Self-Plagiarism in Research: What it is and How to Avoid It
Self-plagiarism refers to reusing parts of your own previously published articles and papers without properly citing it in your new work. Like plagiarism in research, self-plagiarism misleads the audience by presenting previously published work as new and original. This academic dishonesty undermines your credibility as a researcher as it ...
PDF Information for Avoiding Self-Plagiarism in Your PhD-Thesis
Self‐plagiarism is a type of plagiarism, in which the writer republishes a work in its entirety or reuses portions of a previously written text in a new manuscript without proper citation (American Psychological Association, 2010). The controversial term "self‐plagiarism" often leads to the assumption that data which has been published ...
What is Self-Plagiarism, What is the Impact and How do you Avoid It
It's ultimately your responsibility as the author of the research publication that you do not end up copying previously published material in your text. If you're in any doubt about the rules surrounding self-plagiarism, then avoid the use of any duplicate publication in your material. Self-plagiarism is when you try and pass off work that ...
What Is Self-Plagiarism?
Revised on 26 July 2022. Plagiarism often involves using someone else's words or ideas without proper citation, but you can also plagiarise yourself. Self-plagiarism means reusing work that you have already published or submitted for a class. It can involve: Resubmitting an entire paper. Copying or paraphrasing passages from your previous work.
What is the Impact of Self-Plagiarism for Researchers?
Self-plagiarism can block your publication or subject your publication to retraction --both of which directly affect your reputation. Researchers with retractions may have challenges with future research as well as publication and see a decline of 10-20% in citation rates ( Mika, 2017 ). Furthermore, not only is self-plagiarism an ethical issue ...
What is self-plagiarism?
Self-plagiarism means recycling work that you've previously published or submitted as an assignment. It's considered academic dishonesty to present something as brand new when you've already gotten credit and perhaps feedback for it in the past. If you want to refer to ideas or data from previous work, be sure to cite yourself.
Self-citation and self-plagiarism
Self-citation and self-plagiarism. Referencing your own previously published work is known as self-citation. It is important to give citations when ideas, data, etc have been discussed in your previous publications. Correct self-citation conveys the level of originality in a publication accurately and enables readers to understand the ...
Self-Plagiarism Research Literature in the Social Sciences ...
Self-plagiarism is a contentious issue in higher education, research and scholarly publishing contexts. The practice is problematic because it disrupts scientific publishing by over-emphasizing results, increasing journal publication costs, and artificially inflating journal impact, among other consequences. We hypothesized that there was a dearth of empirical studies on the topic of self ...
Is it Self-Plagiarism to paraphrase my own published work in my thesis
The student I'm helping questioned whether this approach might be considered self-plagiarism. I can't advise on that, but it suddenly makes me realize this might not be appropriate from a point of view. Then, I scanned my thesis with an online plagiarism checker, which showed that some parts of my thesis involved plagiarism.
Self-Plagiarism in Project Studies: A Call for Action and Reflection
As Callahan (2018, p. 306) states, "whether a real issue of ethical concern or a moral panic, self-plagiarism has captured the attention of authors, editors, publishers, and plagiarism-detection software companies," and has led to fierce debates on the judgment of fair reuse of one's own work. This editorial will revisit these debates and explain the views and expectations of the Project ...
Guidance on incorporating published work in your thesis
Remember to follow these guidelines to ensure the appropriate use of published work in your doctoral thesis while avoiding self-plagiarism. What is Self-Plagiarism. The UCL Academic Manual describes self-plagiarism as: "The reproduction or resubmission of a student's own work which has been submitted for assessment at UCL or any other ...
Copyright issues and Self-Plagiarism in the PhD Thesis
I don't think this is a big issue. Although there are common standards regarding plagiarism and self-plagiarism, these are ultimately customary norms, meaning your university and advisor decide if you've plagiarized. If they thought you were fine, then you were fine.