As a content writer or student, you may wonder, is there an acceptable plagiarism Level? I am knowingly or unknowingly crossing the acceptable percentage plagiarism level? Well, the answer may vary from institution to institution and also while maintaining content originality, one might encounter irrelevant writing issues. With the world constantly changing so are our beliefs about it. Accordingly, this is why we need to establish an independent mindset and critical thinking to rely on. Our manifestation is originality which includes writing that is a very crucial part, therefore educators and content creators must check their papers for similarity to avoid plagiarism.
Understanding Acceptable plagiarism Level rate
First, we need to understand what plagiarism is? Plagiarism is defined as taking or using someone else’s work and claiming it to be your own. It is academic cheating. When you are asked to write a research paper, it is always crucial that you back up your thoughts and ideas. Additionally, be extra careful how you write your text so that you avoid plagiarism. Often students may take information from books, a friend, or online documents, however, the information obtained should be referenced correctly.
Sadly, usually students find themselves involved in plagiarism either intentionally or unintentionally. For instance, students are accused of plagiarism for minor errors like forgetting or being unable to cite their source of information correctly, and in extreme cases they can be thrown off the course. But what percentage of plagiarism is allowed? This question is worth billions of search results.
How Much Plagiarism Rate is Allowed?
As a scholar, you should keep in mind that the similarities found in your paper may be unintentional plagiarism. At times, you can accidentally copy someone’s content and ideas out of pure coincidence or based on the resources that they have studied without realizing they are repeating the information.
Plagiarism In Academic Writing
In academic writing, plagiarism checkers such as turnitin ( A well-known tool in academic institutions that checks for plagiarism and provides a similarity report), grammarly (Apart from its grammar-checking features, Grammarly has a plagiarism detection tool as well), Quetext (This tool provides deep search plagiarism detection with easy-to-understand results), Copyscape (Primarily used for checking duplicate content on the web, often by writers and bloggers) and Plagscan (An advanced tool for professionals and students that checks for similarities in academic papers and other content) among others are used in detecting plagiarism.
Notably, in many institutions, although educational professionals may tell students that the allowed percentage is zero, the maximum allowed percentage of plagiarism that academic institutions generally consider acceptable in the submission of assignments is 15%. Below are some of the famous universities and the acceptable plagiarism level and corresponding penalties.
The acceptable plagiarism levels can vary across universities depending on their academic integrity policies. Here are a few examples:
- University of Reading (UK): There is no specific acceptable percentage for plagiarism, but the similarity index in Turnitin is classified into color codes. For example, a green score (1% to 24%) is common and may still include plagiarism if not properly cited. Yellow (25%-49%) or above indicates a need for further investigation
University of Reading
. - UGC Guidelines (India): As per UGC regulations, the acceptable plagiarism level is divided into several levels:
- Level 0: Up to 10% similarity – no penalty.
- Level 1: 10% to 40% similarity – the student may revise their submission.
- Level 2: 40% to 60% similarity – the student will be barred from revising for a year.
- Level 3: Above 60% similarity – registration may be canceled
PhDTalks.
- University of California, Irvine (UCI): Accepts a 10-15% similarity index depending on the context of the content and type of work
Plagiarism Checker & AcademicHelp.net - Oxford University (UK): Maintains a 10% threshold for plagiarism, particularly in student essays and research work, ensuring originality while allowing for unavoidable similarities like common knowledge.
- Stanford University (USA): Similar to many top-tier institutions, Stanford enforces a 10-15% similarity limit, depending on the extent of citations and use of common phrases. AcademicHelp.net
- Harvard University (USA): Follows a strict zero-tolerance policy but often tolerates a 5-10% similarity in practical terms, acknowledging overlap in citations and references.
- Technische Universität München (Germany): Generally accepts a 10-15% similarity index in engineering and technical reports, particularly where common terminologies or methodologies are used.
- University of Heidelberg (Germany): For most courses, especially in humanities, under 10% plagiarism is acceptable, although stricter guidelines apply for doctoral theses and research papers.
- University of Melbourne (Australia): Allows up to 10% similarity but expects rigorous citation practices, especially in research papers.
- Freie Universität Berlin (Germany): Enforces a 10% limit on plagiarism but makes exceptions for some technical work where industry-standard terminology is necessary.
- University of Cape Town (South Africa): Accepts a 5-10% similarity, particularly for undergraduate work, where there’s an allowance for accidental overlap.
- National University of Singapore: Follows a strict 5-10% rule, ensuring that students adhere to originality, especially in scientific and technical fields
As showcased above, generally academic institutions interpret the <10-15% statistics as unintentional plagiarism and there is also a small percentage allowance for software fault. So a plagiarism score of over 15% indicates that the scholar’s work contains a significant amount of plagiarized content and that 1% more can be the difference between academic integrity and plagiarism. Worryingly, a percentage that is often higher than 20% is an immediate indicator that the text is intentionally plagiarized to deceive their academic instructor and a penalty may be applied.
Plagiarism in thesis and dissertation.
On the other hand, when it comes to theses and dissertations, plagiarism is closely monitored and should ideally be zero but 5% or under will normally be accepted. There are instances where you may find yourself creating sentences that are similar to those seen in other academic papers which your lecturer may overlook at first, but if it happens regularly then you may face a penalty.
Plagiarism in published journals
Often in a published journal, plagiarism should be at 0 and a score over 5% would be possibly unacceptable, but in the case of a published journal, legal action can be taken against the plagiarise.
Plagiarism in blog.
Writing blogs is one of the most relaxed forms of writing that allows a core of 30% or under to be considered acceptable.
However, when producing your content, originality plays a pivotal role be it writing articles, producing videos, or crafting engaging blog posts.
Why maintain plagiarism free papers/why adhere to the acceptable plagiarism levels?
It is important to maintain originality when writing for the following reasons:
To maintain uniqueness:
Reading original content is like taking a breath of fresh air in a crowded digital landscape. It usually stands out because it hasn’t been published online in the same way before. Whether you are introducing a novel idea, product, or viewpoint, original content is quite crucial in capturing attention and setting you apart from the competition.
Search Engine Optimization
When you consistently come up with high-quality and unique content, it signals to search engines that your website is valuable. It is quite crucial to create original content as it contributes to a strong backline profile, which improves your site’s search ranking.
Credibility and Authority.
Originality builds credibility. How? When you create content that has not been reused from elsewhere, you are established as an industry expert. Your audience will recognize and appreciate the effort you put into crafting something fresh and valuable.
Therefore if you happen to come across plagiarized content in your students’ work, it is time to talk to them, figure out the reasons, and map the possible ways out. Therefore, to help you curb plagiarism, we have prepared a checklist that students can use.
Tips to Avoid Plagiarism
Avoid Direct Quotes and Paraphrasing
Say goodbye to copy-pasting and rephrasing someone else’s thoughts, instead, read different sources of information you intend to use in your research.
Proper Citation
with all those formatting styles driving you crazy, citing sources might be a boring and difficult part of your academic assignment. To make it easier, there are systematized guidelines on each citation style, MLA, APA, AMA, ASA, IEEE, and Chicago.
Proofreading
To err is human. Spotting and fixing mistakes can make you human. Therefore, doublechecking the text can enable you to find those parts that need correction.
Use Plagiarism checkers
To be on the safe side when submitting your papers, try checking your work with specialized tools like PlagiarismCheck.Org.
Well with all that is said, there is no magic number that constitutes what is acceptable in plagiarism and what is not. Often, depending on how the paper is written, the number of references used, the type of paper, the number of direct quotes used, the percentage of originality in the paper can vary quite significantly. In terms of how much plagiarism is allowed, the answer should be none. When you are writing your research ensure that your work is properly cited and attributed.
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