What Is Incremental Plagiarism?

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Date: October 14, 2024

Many people know that copying others’ entire work verbatim and pretending it is their own is plagiarism. However, they are unaware of the fact that plagiarism can appear in different forms in their work. Some types are really hard to detect. 

Incremental plagiarism is also one of those types of plagiarism that usually goes unnoticed. Unlike direct plagiarism, which is easy to spot in work, people often fail to identify incremental plagiarism in their content. 

Wondering why? 

Well, keep calm; this article will answer all your questions regarding incremental plagiarism. In this post, we will cover this specific type of plagiarism in detail, from the basic definition to methods to avoid it. So, let’s ride on an informative journey. 

Understanding Incremental Plagiarism 

Incremental plagiarism, also called mosaic plagiarism or patchwork, refers to using quotes, passages, or excerpts without citations. To put it simply, it is an act of including small portions of others’ work in your content and passing it off as your own. These copied pieces can be either from the same source or multiple sources. 

Unlike verbatim or direct plagiarism, where you steal entire sections, incremental plagiarism involves copying just some parts. These copied sections fall into the category of patchwork when you don’t provide proper credit to the original authors. The accumulation of uncredited pieces of content forms incremental plagiarism in work. 

Is Incremental Plagiarism Accidental? 

Incremental plagiarism may or may not be accidental. It depends upon the circumstances and the person’s familiarity with the types of plagiarism. It will be considered intentional if someone copies different sections from others’ content knowingly. 

On the other hand, incremental plagiarism will be perceived as accidental if a person has vague concepts about plagiarism. For example, if someone doesn’t know what constitutes plagiarism and how to cite sources, it is unintentional. However, whether it is intentional or accidental, it is not allowed in any case. No matter how you fall victim to this type of plagiarism, you will have to face the same consequences. 

How Does Incremental Plagiarism Occur? 

There are several ways in which incremental plagiarism can occur. Some of them are mentioned below. 

Direct Copying Of Small Parts 

Imagine that you are writing an essay on a social issue and somehow discover relevant evidence on an educational site. Then, you copy that particular part and place it in the respective part of your work without injecting your voice and attributing the author. This is when you actually commit incremental plagiarism. 

Due To Common Sentence Rearrangements 

Sometimes, you might try to be smart and rearrange the copied sentences to make them appear original. But remember, rearranging a few words doesn’t make the idea unique. The use of slightly paraphrased sentences without giving credit to the original source still falls under incremental plagiarism. 

Using Quotes Without Citations 

Another practice that leads to incremental plagiarism is using quotation marks with borrowed material without proper citation. Many students, content creators, and writers think that quoting the copied part is enough to make fair use of information. However, it is their big misconception. If you don’t cite the source, that particular sentence is still considered plagiarism. 

Is Incremental Plagiarism A Problem? 

The straight answer to this question is yes, definitely. Many people have misunderstood that they will only face dire consequences if they copy the entire material from others. However, they don’t know that using small parts of others’ resources also has the same outcomes. 

Incremental plagiarism may seem less egregious, but it is still a serious offense. Here are reasons why it is a problem: 

Undermines Academic Integrity 

Institutions and teachers expect students to complete their assignments on their own. However, when you copy someone else’s sentences without proper attribution, it violates the principles of academic integrity. Although incremental plagiarism includes copying just some small sections, it still goes against the fair use of information. On committing this type of plagiarism, you might face low grades, failure in assignments, and unwanted revisions. 

Decreases Professional Credibility

The consequences of incremental plagiarism are not limited to just the academic realm. It can also lead to serious problems in your professional life. Among them, the loss of credibility is at the top of the list. If you are caught committing patchwork in your writing, especially as a journalist or researcher, you may lose your professional image. This can damage your reputation among colleagues, seniors, and readers. 

Leads to Serious Legal Consequences 

Just like in the case of other types of plagiarism, you may also be sentenced to legal penalties for committing incremental plagiarism. Remember, the copyright owners can file lawsuits against you to stop you from stealing their work. In server cases, you may also have to pay hefty fines for using the copyrighted material without permission or proper attribution. 

How To Avoid Incremental Plagiarism? 

As a student, researcher, or writer, you can avoid incremental plagiarism by following the practices mentioned below. 

Make A Record Of The Sources Attentively

Creating a comprehensive record of sources can save you from falling victim to incremental plagiarism. When you have details of all the external authors in your hands, the chances of missing to attribute anyone are eliminated. The better the record you have, the easier it will be for you to cite the sources. So, whatever sentence you borrow from anyone, make sure that you take notes to save their details. 

Practice Effective Paraphrasing With Quotations

Paraphrasing is an effective technique for avoiding plagiarism, but it is only beneficial if done right. Rearranging just a few words cannot make your work original. You must practice proper paraphrasing with sufficient replacements of words and restructuring of sentences. Also, you must use quotation marks with paraphrased text to clearly show that the quoted sentences are not yours. However, you still need proper citations so that the borrowed parts don’t fall under incremental plagiarism. 

Cite All The Sources Carefully 

Citing sources is key to avoiding incremental plagiarism. It is the best way to acknowledge the contributions of others to your work. When you cite every source from which even you borrow a single sentence, your content doesn’t contain incremental or any other kind of plagiarism. So, make sure you cite all the sources carefully. If you are a student or researcher, don’t forget to follow the citation style mentioned by your instructor. Otherwise, your work may still be perceived as plagiarized. 

Use Plagiarism Checker To Spot Unnoticed Patchwork 

As discussed earlier, you might sometimes forget to cite a source of a particular part, leading to incremental plagiarism. In such cases, the plagiarism can go unnoticed and cause problems for you. So, it is better that you use a plagiarism checker to discover all the copied parts and see if they are cited properly or not. If the tool highlights a section as plagiarized and you find that you didn’t cite the source of that part, immediately cite it. 

Wrapping Up 

After going through this article, we hope that your concepts about incremental plagiarism are clear. We have thoroughly explained what it is, how it occurs, its consequences, and how to avoid it. We hope that you have read every point with keen focus. Now that you are familiar with incremental plagiarism and its outcomes, we hope that you will try your best to avoid it.