Think I accidentally plagiarised. Advice?!
I'm in final year and recently submitted an assignment. I'll admit I rushed this and was very last minute about it mainly from burnout from doing my dissertation.
What's basically happened is, I've taken something and only changed one or two words. I've referenced it, but I've put the wrong reference. When I click on the highlighted part, I basically quoted one paper and then used the reference THEY used, not referenced them.
To make this easier to understand I'll give an example:
Jones et al 2016 wrote "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (Smith et al, 2016)."
I put "The brown quick fox jumped over the lazy dog (Smith et al 2016). I basically attributed a quote to the wrong person and also didn't put it in quotations marks. I took content from Jones but referenced Smith.
Is this plagiarism?! It was genuinely accidental and I'm terrified of what'll happen because in year 3 they say accidental plagiarism shouldn't be a thing. It was my fault for rushing it but I genuinely didn't mean to steal content and I DID reference but with the wrong person. Will this be seen as a mistake or plagiarism?!
What's basically happened is, I've taken something and only changed one or two words. I've referenced it, but I've put the wrong reference. When I click on the highlighted part, I basically quoted one paper and then used the reference THEY used, not referenced them.
To make this easier to understand I'll give an example:
Jones et al 2016 wrote "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (Smith et al, 2016)."
I put "The brown quick fox jumped over the lazy dog (Smith et al 2016). I basically attributed a quote to the wrong person and also didn't put it in quotations marks. I took content from Jones but referenced Smith.
Is this plagiarism?! It was genuinely accidental and I'm terrified of what'll happen because in year 3 they say accidental plagiarism shouldn't be a thing. It was my fault for rushing it but I genuinely didn't mean to steal content and I DID reference but with the wrong person. Will this be seen as a mistake or plagiarism?!
(edited 7 years ago)
It can be both imo. is thios for work that counts to your degree i.e actual %? When did you hand it in and has it been marked?
If not, then I would just assemble an e-mail notifying them of the error so as to cover your back. Explain you just discovered it and it was a mistake in referencing and show what you should have put and what you actually put.
Otherwise dont panic. If the e-mail is sent before its been marked or before youve been brought up, then that should be enough to cover you. In any event I dont think its serious or significant. You tried to reference it, just made a mistake and can easily show where the mistake came from.
If not, then I would just assemble an e-mail notifying them of the error so as to cover your back. Explain you just discovered it and it was a mistake in referencing and show what you should have put and what you actually put.
Otherwise dont panic. If the e-mail is sent before its been marked or before youve been brought up, then that should be enough to cover you. In any event I dont think its serious or significant. You tried to reference it, just made a mistake and can easily show where the mistake came from.
Thanks for your response. I've looked back on my essay again and actually, I think I'm okay. I went to the source I'd cited and it turns out they are the original authors and I have quoted them properly (edit: well not properly, I forgot the quotation marks. Will this matter?), but the paper that's showing up on turnitin is actually directly quoting the same passage I've used and for some reaons (they didn't use quotations so maybe that's why?) turnitin is attributing to Jones what is actually Smiths. I've cited and referenced Smith so I think I'm okay.
Turnitin sure knows how to scare a person though. I nearly had a stroke when I first saw it!
Turnitin sure knows how to scare a person though. I nearly had a stroke when I first saw it!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Rae18
Thanks for your response. I've looked back on my essay again and actually, I think I'm okay. I went to the source I'd cited and it turns out they are the original authors and I have quoted them properly (edit: well not properly, I forgot the quotation marks. Will this matter?), but the paper that's showing up on turnitin is actually directly quoting the same passage I've used and for some reaons (they didn't use quotations so maybe that's why?) turnitin is attributing to Jones what is actually Smiths. I've cited and referenced Smith so I think I'm okay.
Turnitin sure knows how to scare a person though. I nearly had a stroke when I first saw it!
Turnitin sure knows how to scare a person though. I nearly had a stroke when I first saw it!
I've done what you've done before (similarly at least), deliberately - original author much better.
Think you'll be fine, if they even notice it probably won't be plagiarism, just shoddy citing if anything.
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