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May 10, 2010
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Eye on the Nation

Plagiarizing Myself?
Recycling your own published material can be a risky undertaking.

I was asked by a journal in my field to review a manuscript submitted by colleagues from another institution. As I was examining the figures in the manuscript, I couldn’t help but think that I had seen them before in a recent publication in another journal. Sure enough, after investigating, I found that the same authors published an article on a similar topic several months ago, and two of the published figures are duplicated in the article that I am currently reviewing without attribution to the previous publication. This seems wrong to me, but then again, these authors initially developed the figures, so it seems like they should be able to use them in subsequent publications. What should I do?

Understandably, it does seem that authors should be able to reuse figures, tables and text from previously published manuscripts. After all, the figures in question resulted from their own original research. However, what you describe is called “self-plagiarism” and it is not an appropriate way to report research.

You are probably familiar with the concept of plagiarism—the appropriation of someone else’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving proper attribution. As it implies, self-plagiarism involves reusing one’s own work without proper citation. In addition, once a journal accepts a submission for publication, it requires the authors to assign copyright to the journal. The words and figures in the manuscript then become that journal’s property.

This is not to say that it is inappropriate to reuse original figures and text. However, it’s important to cite the publication in which the material was originally published. In cases involving methods sections, reusing text is almost unavoidable, as it can be difficult to find a new way to describe what is often a highly technical process, and details are necessary so that an independent researcher may replicate the results. Typically, such recycling of text would not be deemed self-plagiarism, but again, it is important to cite the original publication source.

To answer your question, you should alert the journal editor of your concern. Journal editors depend on careful reviewers to bring such issues to their attention. The editor may in turn alert the research integrity office at the authors’ institution or may simply ask the authors to cite the original published source of the figures.

For more information on self-plagiarism and other questionable publication practices, visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Research Integrity’s Web page on “Avoiding Plagiarism, Self-Plagiarism, and Other Questionable Writing Practices”. You may also contact Sheila Garrity, Director, Division of Research Integrity at (410) 516-5560 or sgarrity@jhmi.edu.

 
            
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