Plagiarism can be difficult to define and even more difficult to detect. The line between acceptable use of another creator's work and plagiarism can be fuzzy (as well as susceptible to misconceptions), and recent prominent cases of "inadvertent plagiarism" make intent all but impossible to discern. This document clarifies how the SWG, on our archive and all of our social media sites, defines plagiarism and handles plagiarism accusations.
Plagiarism is the use of another person's words or work without attribution. Plagiarism tends to manifest in two ways:
- Copying significant portions of unique text without credit or citation. This is the "copy/paste" plagiarism that tends to come to many people's minds when they hear the word plagiarism. Note that text does not have to be entirely identical to be plagiarized, so changing a few words or making minor syntax modifications does not negate a charge of plagiarism.
- Claiming original ideas, characters, or details as one's own or failing to provide credit or citation for those uses. This type of plagiarism often occurs in nonfiction or meta writing, in not giving credit to the source of an idea or research developed by another fan. However, it can also occur in creative writing when using elements such as original characters that are the invention of another fiction writer without giving credit to the original creator.
With this in mind, it is also important to be aware of what is not plagiarism.
- Similar or identical plotlines.
- Similar or identical themes.
- Using original characters and ideas with credit to the original creator. Note, however, that it is customary and considered courteous to ask before using original characters belonging to amateur writers, including fanfiction writers. Failing to do so, as long as you give proper credit, won't count as plagiarism but may run you afoul of fandom norms.
- Similar or even identical phrases, used sparingly.
- Failure to cite common knowledge in a nonfiction or meta fanwork. While it can be tricky to determine what is "common knowledge" and what is not, for the purposes of Tolkien studies, we consider facts from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion to be common knowledge--although, again, if a detail is obscure, it does not hurt to cite where it came from. Details from other works by Tolkien should be cited.
What to Do If You Suspect Your Work Has Been Plagiarized on the SWG
If you suspect that your work may have been plagiarized by an SWG member on SWG, please contact a moderator immediately. Be prepared to provide a time-stamped copy of your work that has been plagiarized, showing it is older than the work on our site, and a link to the work on the SWG that you believe has plagiarized your work.
You will hear from a moderator within twenty-four hours that we have received your message and to ask for any additional information we may need. If, after twenty-four hours, you do not hear from us, feel free to query.
Under no circumstances should you address the issue with the alleged offending author, nor should you encourage others to do the same. SWG members who use SWG resources, including comments, private messages, social media platforms, or any communication features that may be offered through SWG in the future to harass, accuse, or defame another SWG member due to plagiarism allegations will face disciplinary action that might include account suspension, removal of account privileges, and account termination.
Our moderator team will use text comparison tools to identify similar and identical passages between the two works. If we believe we may have a case of plagiarism, we will contact the other author at that time to provide them with the opportunity to provide their own evidence, showing their work is their own. Site moderators will, after gathering evidence, make a determination of whether the evidence supports the conclusion that plagiarism occurred. Large sections of identical or nearly identical text or recurring instances of the same are generally a good indication that a work is plagiarized. Evidence will be shared, separately, with both authors. Note that we will not remove a fanwork from the site on the basis of an accusation alone.
If we determine that a fanwork was plagiarized, at that point we will remove it from the site and the author who plagiarized will be issued a strike in the three-strike system described in our Site Etiquette and Terms of Service. In special cases, the SWG moderators reserve the right to modify this.
How to Avoid Plagiarism
Being wrongly accused of plagiarism is an author's nightmare. Authors work hard on their writing, and to have implied that writing was stolen rather than the result of personal effort is devastating. Likewise, an accusation of plagiarism is an insult to an author's integrity and could negatively color readers' responses to his or her work indefinitely.
As such, along with knowing how to recognize plagiarism, it is to every author's advantage to understand how to avoid it. Most of us, at some point, will want or need to use another author's work as part of our own. It is not plagiarism to use another author's work--in fact, both creative and nonfiction writing depend on the appropriate use of the ideas, conventions, and other elements from work that preceded it. It is plagiarism to claim or appear to claim that that work is your own.
- Credit. Most importantly, always give credit to the original author for the use of his or her work. Unless an author or creator asks you specifically not to credit their work, you should acknowledge their part in creating your story or research article. Err on the side of giving too much credit. If you wonder if you should credit--credit!
For fiction, credit usually takes the form of an author's note at the beginning or end of the story, in a place where it can be clearly seen by readers. In nonfiction writing, credit requires clear attributions or citations every time you reference another author's work. The citations should be in the text of your nonfiction and should point to a list of the references you used in writing your nonfiction. Your reference list should include enough information that a reader can find the original author's work, whether book, periodical, website, or something else entirely. While entire books have been written on how to properly cite various sources, our Resources for Authors in the Reference Library also offers a good starting point.
- Ask first. When using an amateur work of creative writing, such fanfiction, it is customary to ask the author first before using characters, distinct worldbuilding elements, and other unique details from their work. As noted above, failing to do so does not constitute plagiarism, and indeed, it can seem unusual--even hypocritical--to do so when no one is asking permission of the Tolkien Estate to write fanfiction based on his legendarium. However, as amateur authors do not receive the kinds of compensation that professional authors do, it is generally regarded as a mark of respect to ask before using amateur work in your own work.
Note that this does not apply to nonfiction, which often builds by definition on the ideas of other researchers and thinkers. However, you should again use sensitivity and discretion. A post on a private blog that is clearly intended to be read only by the author's friends is different from an article published on a widely read website, and the author may not want the attention that a link to their work may bring. Here, it is best to consult with the author, if possible, about how best to acknowledge their ideas in your own work.
- Quote. Using quotes from another author is fine. In fact, well-placed quotes can elevate both nonfiction and fiction. Quotes should be clearly marked as such, however, using correct punctuation, and the source of the quote should be clearly identified. Be aware also of the amount of the original work that you are quoting. While the oft-cited rule that fair use covers usage of up to 10% of the original work is a myth (and "fair use" is a concept specific to U.S. copyright), it does provide some reasonable guidance about when you're quoting too much of a work.
- Use care when paraphrasing. As noted above, lightly changing the words or syntax of a passage can still constitute plagiarism. When you are using another author's ideas, you should substantially rewrite them in your own words, not simply paraphrase the author's writing. Even if you correctly attribute or cite your source, readers will read this attribution as applicable to the ideas, not the writing. If an author has expressed an idea in such a way that rewriting in your own words will diminish the impact of those words, you should quote the writer instead.
