Unintentional Plagiarism
Unintentional plagiarism refers to instances where a failure to properly attribute sources is a result of a writer's simple mistake or a failure to properly understand particular academic norms (as in some instances of plagiarism by international students--see Plagiarism and Cultural Norms).
Duke University offers five examples of unintentional plagiarism, quoted below:
- Failure to cite a source that is not common knowledge.
- Failure to "quote" or block quote author's exact words, even if cited.
- Failure to put a paraphrase in your own words, even if cited.
- Failure to put a summary in your own words, even if cited.
- Failure to be loyal to a source.
You may notice that many of these overlap issues related to Patchwriting and poor paraphrasing.
Jonathan Bailey, writing for Plagiarism Today, offers an excellent essay that analyzes both what unintentional plagiarism is as well as why it must be distinguished from negligence. He focuses on why the concept of Unintentional Plagiarism can be misused in an attempt to cover negligence, and often is by prominent plagiarists and students.
