Self-plagiarism

Self-plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is a complex and sometimes misunderstood issue and one that students and supervisors may struggle to navigate. There is the actual issue of plagiarism which would be considered research misconduct whether you plagiarised yourself or others.  However as theses are published online and as students are actively encouraged to publish their research, there are issues of copyright to consider. Violation of copyright would also be considered misconduct. 

The guidance below is broadly based and in no way should be taken as legal advice. You may find that you need to seek more specialist advice depending on your individual circumstances.  The links on the right as well as under the 'Additional Resources' section will guide you to additional material which should provide a starting point. 

There are broader issues that are considered self-plagiarism as well as poor research practice with regard to publication, such as duplicate, redundant or segmented publication. These are explored more fully in some of the resources provided. However, there are several different issues that apply specifically to PGR students and the submission of their thesis.