Is Recycling Your Own Paper Plagiarism?

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Recycling an old paper for a new assignment raises concerns about academic integrity, even if the work is original. While some argue that reusing one's own work isn't plagiarism, others emphasize that it may violate university policies on self-plagiarism. The discussion highlights the importance of refining and tailoring the old paper to better fit the new assignment, as well as the potential need to cite the original work. There is a suggestion to inquire about the professor's stance on this issue to avoid any repercussions. The conversation also touches on the frustration of mandatory courses that feel unproductive, with some participants encouraging a more proactive approach to learning, suggesting that writing a new paper could lead to greater insights. Overall, the consensus leans towards caution in reusing old work without proper acknowledgment and adaptation.
MikeHK
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What do you think about recycling one of your old papers? I don't see how it would be plagiarism if it was your original work in the first place. Heres my situation - I wrote a 5 page on the history of a topic I am studying in my freshman intro class. Now, a few years later, I am in this non-technical Bacc core class (same dept) and the professor wants a 3-5 page paper on a topic of our choice that relates to the class. My old paper would work well, and honestly, I just want to be done with the class since I haven't learned a single new thing, its just a timesink.

Does anyone see a problem with this? Since it was all my own 100% original work, I don't see an issue. Opinions?
 
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I don't think there's anything wrong with that, since, like you pointed out, it is your own work. I would, however, remedy any guilt by taking at least some time to refine and tailor the paper. Chances are, you could make the thesis more fitting than the original and maybe even add some new information so it's not a complete recycle. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
 
While not plagiarism, it is not really in the spirit of academic honesty to resubmit a paper you earned a grade for in another class... If you were submitting a paper to a journal you wouldn't publish the same article in Nature AND Science.

It might be a good idea to get somebody else to pose a hypothetical situation to the professor so you can find out what the policy is.

PS - If the class was such a waste of time, why did you bother with it?
 
I tried to get out of it, wasn't going to happen. Its one of the "Baccalaureate Core Courses". Everyone at the university has to take a certain amount of them. This is my "science and technology" bacc core class. I figured if I picked the one in my major, it might be interesting being in there with people from all different majors, not just engineering. Turns out its just stuff I learned in my freshman year, only without any math. Seriously boring, but at this point I need it to graduate. The head advisor can waive just about any course in the curriculum if he wanted, except for the baccalaureate core courses.

oedipa maas said:
PS - If the class was such a waste of time, why did you bother with it?
 
It is ironic that you complain about not learning anything, and also do not want to do any work writing the paper for it. If you write the paper maybe you will learn something.
 
Mike - whether or not you think it is plagiarism, your university almost assuredly defines what you are doing as self-plagiarism. Proceed at your own risk.

If you make it clear what you are reusing and cite your old paper it might be okay, but at that point you professor might not be okay with it, either.
 
write a new paper, you'll be glad you did.
 

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