What's plagiarism?
Definition, forms, risks, penalties and detection

Understanding Plagiarism to Avoid It

What Does Plagiarize Mean?

To plagiarize is to copy an author by improperly attributing passages of his or her work to yourself, without quoting the author. Plagiarism may be unintentional, but its consequences remain serious: academic sanctions, damage to credibility, questioning of intellectual integrity, and, in some cases, legal risks.

Examples of plagiarism: copied-and-pasted text, paraphrasing, translating, recycling an assignment, etc.

What is the Definition of Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work as one's own. In documentary research and writing (dissertation, internship report, thesis, etc.), you're allowed to use another author's ideas, provided that the source of the idea is mentioned.

Definition of plagiarism according to Martin Hutchison: "Plagiarism is an act that can be committed intentionally, unintentionally, or inadvertently, and consists of using, in part or in whole, a work or idea produced by oneself or another person, without indicating the source." Definition taken from the webinar Prevention of Plagiarism in Secondary Education: Urgency Required!

Copying a text generated by an AI, such as ChatGPT, and reusing it as is may constitute a fraudulent act similar to plagiarism. Generative AIs are considered third-party authors and must be cited.
AI-generated content can be detected using an AI Detector.

Detect Plagiarism with Compilatio Studium

Why is it Important not to Plagiarize and to Respect Copyright?

To attest to honest behaviour
Being careful not to plagiarize means making a point of being an honest person who does not try to cheat.
To promote original creations
Have you been inspired by a source you liked? Quote it to pay tribute to its inventor.
To contribute to research
Developing your own ideas and thoughts based on the work of experts helps to feed research.
Demonstrate your skills
Challenging an existing idea proves your ability to think critically.

Universities Raise Awareness of Copyright
among their Students!

Combating plagiarism

University of Lyon website

« Plagiarism is everyone's business! Raising awareness is aimed primarily at students, but plagiarism pertains to all school staff, whether they are teachers, researchers or administrators. It is part of a comprehensive approach that includes signing a charter, specific training, the use of plagiarism-detection tools and recommendations regarding disciplinary actions. »

Anti-plagiarism

Website of the University of Pau and the Adour Region

« Plagiarism violates the rules of academic ethics and constitutes a misrepresentation in the work being graded. Plagiarism also constitutes an infringement of copyright and intellectual property, which could be equated with a crime of infringement. »

Plagiarism? Not for me!

University of Liège website

« Teachers want to assess the student's own abilities - not those of another author. Plagiarism raises doubts about the expected qualities of a university student (critical mind, creativity, honesty, ability to develop a personal argument and articulate it, etc.) and is considered a serious violation of scientific ethics. Plagiarism brings the plagiarist into disrepute, calling into question not only the work in which they plagiarised but also the plagiarist's entire body of work and, by extension, their skills. »

What Types of Plagiarism Exist ?

Plagiarism can be intentional, unintentional, or fall within a specific academic context. In all cases, it takes different forms. Are you familiar with all types of plagiarism?

1) Translation

Translating a text without mentioning its creator is considered plagiarism. This is called translation plagiarism, translingual plagiarism or cross-language plagiarism.

2) Paraphrasing

It is not enough to simply change a few words but rather to rephrase the whole sentence, words and structure, while still providing a citation.

3) Self-plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is also a form of plagiarism. You are allowed to use your own words taken from another document, provided you mention the source.

4) The use of images

If you reuse an image or visual, the author must be cited (Last and First Name), as well as the date of publication and where the information was found (website, book, newspaper, etc.).

5) A primary source cited by a secondary source

Hence, both the primary and secondary sources should be included in the citation.

6) Common knowledge

Common knowledge, of a fact or event, corresponds to its wide recognition, namely, if it is known to a large majority of people.

7) Anonymous sources

The uncited use of information from unknown authors is a form of plagiarism. An anonymous source is just as important as a known source.

8) Global plagiarism

Global plagiarism is the most blatant form of plagiarism.

of students were tempted to plagiarize in a research paper

of students do not know how to cite sources

of students rephrase text without citing the author

of students think the teacher does not check for plagiarism

What is an Acceptable Plagiarism Percentage? What is the Authorized Percentage of Plagiarism in Universities?

Compilatio Plagiarism Software (or other plagiarism detectors) calculates the percentage of text taken from external sources found in the analysed document. This score is called the “similarity rate".
The document's corrector interprets this similarity rate to decide whether or not there is plagiarism.

The percentage of plagiarism that is acceptable depends on your institution's policy. Most universities accept a plagiarism rate of less than 10%.

Compilatio supports teachers and students with plagiarism detection and checking tools.

Learn more about the acceptable plagiarism rate

How to Detect Plagiarism?

To detect plagiarism in a document, you need access to plagiarism checking software.

Some of these tools, also called plagiarism detectors, include AI-detection features, allowing them to identify texts that may have been generated by artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude.

The Compilatio Studium software for students and Compilatio Magister+ for teachers include an AI detector!

Detect Plagiarism

For teachers

Compilatio Magister

Raise awareness among your students with a reliable plagiarism checker, useful anti-plagiarism resources and support tailored to your educational project.

Discover Compilatio Magister

For teachers

Compilatio Magister+

Take advantage of all the features of the Magister program, including AI detection, multilingual plagiarism checks, and other advanced features.

Discover Compilatio Magister+

For students

Compilatio Studium

Choose the best anti-plagiarism software for students: plagiarism checker, AI detector, and educational resources to avoid plagiarism in your work.

Discover Compilatio Studium

For editors

Compilatio Copyright 1D345

Check your texts and protect your copyright with a plagiarism and AI checker, specially designed for publishing and writing professionals.

Discover Compilatio Copyright

Penalties for plagiarism

Taking quotes without indicating sources is a violation of academic regulations. The consequences can be severe.

Here are some examples of punishments related to plagiarism.

Academically

- Invalidation of the assignment impacted by plagiarism.
- Warning/blame.
- Temporary or permanent expulsion from any public higher education institution.

Legally

- up to 10 years' imprisonment.
- $250,000 fine.

What can be the consequences of plagiarism?

Consequences that can affect the future:

- Reputational damage to the institution and student.
- Cloud of suspicion that follows the plagiarist for a long time and that raises questions for all the other students.
- Calling into question the value of the school's diploma and the quality of teaching.
- Impact on future opportunities, such as admission to advanced programs or access to certain jobs.

[Article] Plagiarism: Risks, Consequences and Sanctions

How to avoid plagiarism?

Don't be fooled, click here.

FAQ

What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism consists of using someone else's ideas, words, or work without properly citing them, presenting them as your own. It can be intentional or unintentional.

What are the most common types of plagiarism?

The main types of plagiarism include: direct plagiarism (word-for-word copying), paraphrasing plagiarism, translation plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and plagiarism of anonymous sources.

How can plagiarism be detected in a work?

Plagiarism can be detected using anti-plagiarism software, also called similarity detectors, which analyze texts and compare their content with published sources. Examples of anti-plagiarism software include Compilatio Magister, Compilatio Magister+, and Compilatio Studium.

Is using AI considered plagiarism?

In principle, using generative AI such as ChatGPT is not automatically considered plagiarism. AI-generated content is often original, except in certain cases where it reproduces existing content. However, copying AI-generated text and reusing it as-is may be considered fraudulent, with consequences similar to plagiarism. Refer to your institution’s regulations for guidance.

How can AI-generated content be detected?

To detect AI-generated content or texts, it is necessary to use an AI detector. Some anti-plagiarism software, such as Compilatio Magister+ and Compilatio Studium, include this feature to identify automatically generated texts.

Deepen your Knowledge about Plagiarism

18 aug. 2025