What is Self-Plagiarism? | Avoiding Self-Plagiarism | eSupport for Research | 2022 | Dr. Akash Bhoi

Self-plagiarism is treated as a form of plagiarism where authors reuse their own previously published text—either in full or in part—without adequate citation or acknowledgement, then present the newer work as fresh or original for academic advantage. Under this framing, “text recycling” is not considered acceptable because it undermines the credibility and quality of research outputs, especially in higher education where promotion, selection, and awards depend on publication integrity.

The transcript anchors the definition in guidance associated with Turnitin’s discussion of self-plagiarism and then connects it to Indian academic policy. It references a 2020 UGC public notice on research and publication ethics, tied to UGC’s regulation on promoting academic integrity and preventing plagiarism in higher educational institutions. The emphasis is practical: institutions and committees must screen submissions for self-plagiarism, and credit should not be granted if the work is found to be recycled without proper disclosure.

To avoid self-plagiarism, the guidance stresses proper citation and acknowledgement when reusing one’s earlier work in a thesis or dissertation. If an author previously published papers during an MTech or PhD and later wants to incorporate that material into the thesis, the author should cite the earlier publications in the relevant sections (including footnotes) and clearly acknowledge the prior work. The transcript also recommends seeking safeguards such as obtaining a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) from the relevant journal or publisher when reusing previously published material, and including that documentation alongside the thesis submission.

Beyond the basic definition, the transcript lists several common forms of self-plagiarism. These include republishing the same paper elsewhere without full citation; publishing an abridged or “extracted” version of a longer earlier work without adequate citation; reusing data already used or communicated for publication in another venue without proper acknowledgement; and “salami slicing,” where a larger study is broken into smaller parts and each part is presented as a new work to inflate publication counts. It also flags paraphrasing without citation—when an author believes they have rewritten text but fails to reference the original source.

Finally, the transcript addresses how academic governance should respond. Vice-chancellors, selection committees, screening committees, and IQAC members are expected to apply these norms when evaluating applicants for promotion, selection, credit, or awards. The goal is straightforward: only work that is not self-plagiarized should receive due credit, protecting both authors’ reputations and the integrity of institutional evaluation.

Overall, the core message is that reusing prior work is not automatically wrong; the problem is undisclosed reuse presented as new. Proper citation, acknowledgement, and—when needed—publisher permissions are positioned as the main safeguards.