Dealing With Accidental Plagiarism

In academia, plagiarism occurs when an author uses the work of another writer without crediting them. Whilst some students do this intentionally (not a good idea) it is possible to accidentally plagiarise. This is when a person commits plagiarism without intending to. More often than not this is due to a simple mistake such as including quotes without quotation marks or forgetting to reference a source. 

Unfortunately, all forms of plagiarism are considered to be serious academic offences even if this was accidental. If you ever find yourself in this situation there are some things you can do to avoid academic sanctions and perhaps improve your grade. 

Accept what has happened and take ownership

It is understandable that you will feel angry, confused and upset about what has happened. After all, no one would ever deliberately plagiarise their assignment. 

However, the best thing you can do is take ownership of the problem and accept responsibility. This will improve your chances of convincing your lecturer to deal with the situation as leniently as they can.  Remember, plagiarism is still considered an academic offence even if was accidental. Demonstrating maturity and that you can learn from your mistakes may save you from facing a more serious penalty. 

Apologise 

Apologise to your teacher, lecturer or professor and acknowledge your mistake. This lets your teacher know that you are an honest student and that you have not plagiarised intentionally. 

In some cases apologising sincerely may help your situation. After all, some universities and colleges take disciplinary action against students found to have plagiarised (even accidentally). By apologising and convincing your teacher that it was a genuine mistake that won’t happen again they may be persuaded to deal with your case more leniently. 

For instance, instead of receiving a 0, they may just reduce your grade. 

Review your paper carefully 

What exactly was it that constituted plagiarism? It could have been a number of things including: 

• Not referencing a source properly 
• Paraphrasing was too close to the original version 
• Not writing quotation marks 
• Your work being too similar to another student’s 

Your assignment feedback may indicate the specific areas which have been flagged as plagiarism. If you are unsure you should ask your teacher to talk you through your paper and highlight the areas which they consider to be plagiarised. 

Ask if there is anything you can do 

Ask your lecturer if there is anything you can do to recover your grade. However, you should be prepared for the answer to be no. Remember, your teacher’s decision is final and you should respect this. Arguing will not do you any favours. 

If your professor knows you are an honest hardworking student with a good work ethic who would never dream of intentionally plagiarising they may be prepared to help you rather than penalise you.  

In some cases (especially accidental) you may be granted the opportunity to gain some of your marks back. For instance, you may be permitted to resubmit your paper. 

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Read up about plagiarism 

Read over your university or college’s plagiarism policies and double-check what constitutes plagiarism. Make sure all future assignments are reviewed carefully to ensure they are free from plagiarism. 

See our guide to avoiding plagiarism. 

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