How do reuse a sentence without plagiarizing? If you add a citation, are minor changes to the sentence enough, or should you paraphrase more? These are fuzzy lines! Check the Table below for a few example sentences reused in two ways: with and without committing plagiarism. Also find an explanation further down.
| Sentence | Original Sentence | Reuse with plagiarism | Reuse without plagiarism |
| 1 | Unlike traditional methods, 3D laser scanning monitoring has a certain degree of accuracy, and noncontact measurement points are more digital and information-based. | The authors argue that unlike traditional methods, 3D laser scanning monitoring has a certain degree of accuracy, and noncontact measurement points are more digital and information-based. | 3D laser scanning monitoring appears to be more accurate than traditional methods of measurement (Guo et al., 2022). |
| 2 | The slope monitoring method of 3D laser scanning is suitable for slope monitoring during operation as well as slope monitoring during construction. | The slope monitoring method of 3D laser scanning is suitable for slope monitoring during operation as well as slope monitoring during construction. | According to Guo et al. (2022), the slope monitoring method of 3D laser scanning is a suitable option for slope monitoring during both operation and construction. |
| 3 | It can be widely used in geological disaster warning and engineering construction projects in the future. | It can be widely used in geological disaster warning and engineering construction projects in the future (Guo et al., 2022). | Guo et al. (2022, p. 13) argue that the slope monitoring method “can be widely used in geological disaster warning and engineering construction projects in the future.” |
| 4 | The successful application of 3D laser scanning technology in the deformation monitoring of Shunguoshan slope further demonstrates the feasibility of 3D laser scanning technology, … | The success of 3D laser scanning technology to monitor deformation of Shunguoshan slopes illustrates the utility of 3D laser scanning technology. | The success of 3D laser scanning technology to monitor deformation of Shunguoshan slopes illustrates the utility of 3D laser scanning technology (Guo et al., 2022). |
Explanations
- The plagiarized sentence is repeated almost verbatim, in a copy-paste fashion. The addition of ‘the authors argue’ at the beginning isn’t enough, as what follows is a direct quote that ought to be within quotation marks. A citation should also have been added. Conversely, the non-plagiarized sentence is a complete rephrasing of the sentence and also includes a citation at the end.
- Similarly to the previous sentence, here the original sentence is entirely copied and pasted in the plagiarized version. The non-plagiarized version of the sentence addresses the problem in two ways: by rephrasing the original sentence, and acknowledging the source of the idea (‘According to Guo et al. (2022)’).
- Although a citation is added at the end, the sentence ‘It can be widely used in geological disaster warning and engineering construction projects in the future’ is reused word for word. To avoid plagiarism here, either quotation marks should have been added, or the sentence should have been paraphrased. The correct version solves the issue by adding quotation marks around the borrowed sentence.
- Here, the sentence has been successfully rewritten using the writer’s own words, but it is still plagiarism as the source of the idea isn’t acknowledged. Adding a citation at the end of the paraphrase solves the issue.
Also read our blog post on how to avoid plagiarism here.
Reference
Original sentences taken from:
Yanwei Guo, Xiongwei Li, Shangwei Ju, Qifeng Lyu, Tao Liu, “Utilization of 3D Laser Scanning for Stability Evaluation and Deformation Monitoring of Landslides”, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2022, Article ID 8225322, 14 pages, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8225322)