How to Handle Text Recycling When You're Writing a New Research Paper

Science researcher–authors, you need to know this information about text recycling, which is sometimes called self-plagiarism. The term text recycling means reusing some of the text from your previously published papers in new papers you intend to submit for publication.

Says an open access article in the journal Science Editor:

"Deciding whether any instance of text recycling is ethical, legal, and appropriate—and possibly even desirable—depends on factors such as the amount and nature of the recycled material as well as copyright laws and any limitations on reuse that are part of an author–publisher agreement. Thus, there is a need for clear and consistent guidelines on text recycling. ...

"The Text Recycling Research Project (TRRP) defines text recycling as the reuse of textual material (prose, visuals, or equations) in a new document where (1) the material in the new document is identical to that of the source (or substantively equivalent in both form and content), (2) the material is not presented in the new document as a quotation (via quotation marks or block indentation), and (3) at least one author of the new document is also an author of the prior document."

The project has now developed the document "TRRP Best Practices for Researchers," which will help you understand how to reuse and how not to reuse your own work. Please note that, as the document says, "[t]hese recommendations apply only to reusing [your] own work, not using material written by others. Authors should not engage in plagiarism. For advice on avoiding plagiarism, consult" guides available in your science discipline.

_____________________

Editor colleagues, please also see "Understanding Text Recycling: A Guide for Editors." Information about members of the advisory board for the TRRP can be found here.

#ResearchPaper #science #authors #writing #TextRecycling #plagiarism #editing #editor #EditorMom