The Ethics of Self-plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is an area of increasing importance within scholarly research. Self-plagiarism may be one of the most dangerous forms of misconduct due to the lack of understanding of the ethics involved. The pressure to publish, combined with an ever-growing body of scholarly research, makes it difficult for publishers and institutions to investigate and prevent cases of such duplication. 

iThenticate's paper, The Ethics of Self-Plagiarism, offers a clear definition of self-plagiarism and how authors and publishers can avoid this issue and the costly retractions associated it.

  • Clear definitions of self-plagiarism and a better understanding about the ethics involved in repurposing one's own work
  • How self-plagiarism can infringe upon a publisher's copyright
  • How to avoid self-plagiarism and retractions

Follow the discussion about the white paper and share your thoughts by posting a comment on the iThenticate Blog.

I had not thought much about this issue beyond not wanting to publish the same words twice for myself. This is an important ethical concern, and as you pointed out, is a concern given the amount of publishing single people do over a short time.
- Marcie Zinn Ph.D., Research Consultant in Experimental Neuropsychology and Quantitative Electroencephalography, Stanford University Medical Center, Dept. of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Executive Director, Society for Neuroscience and Psychology in the Performing Arts, Performing Arts Psychophysiology Research Institute

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