Proofreading Tips: Plagiarism in Business Writing

While plagiarism is less obviously a problem in business writing than in, say, creative or academic writing, it can still be an issue. And a good proofreader may need to highlight plagiarism in their client’s work.

But what does plagiarism look like in the context of business writing? And how do you address it? In this guide, we’ll take you through the basics.

What Is Plagiarism in Business Writing?

Plagiarism occurs when a writer intentionally or unintentionally copies someone else’s work, data, or ideas and passes them off as their own. In business writing, this can manifest in various ways.

In formal business writing (e.g., business plans and reports), you may find that a client has copied words or information from another source without an appropriate citation. And assuming that the document is only intended for internal use, this may not seem problematic.

However, even if the consequences aren’t as obviously negative as with academic or literary fraud, it is still worth highlighting passages that could be interpreted as plagiarism in formal business writing.

If nothing else, presenting a document that contains plagiarized text or information could make your client look unprofessional or suggest that they don’t fully understand what they’re writing about. And this could have serious repercussions for the author’s career.

In marketing materials and other commercial content, plagiarism may have more severe consequences. For example, if a business attempts to copy a turn of phrase associated with another brand or even entire passages of text from a competitor’s website, it could:

• Undermine the company’s credibility and lead to customers losing trust in their products, services, or expertise in their industry.
• Negatively impact SEO because search engines value unique content.
• Hinder attempts to differentiate your client’s company from its competitors.
• Lead to legal issues related to copying of trademarked or copyrighted material.

For these reasons, it’s important to highlight potential cases of plagiarism for your clients if you spot anything suspicious in business writing.

How to Spot Plagiarism

Plagiarism in business writing can be hard to identify. The only sure sign is recognizing something as having been copied from elsewhere (e.g., if you have seen it used in another source), which is obviously not possible in most cases. However, there are some things you can look for when proofreading a business document that could indicate plagiarism:

• Inconsistent formatting – If a section of your client’s document is formatted differently from the rest of the work, this may suggest it has been copied and pasted from another source.
• A shift in style or tone – A sudden change in how information is presented, such as a different perspective or level of formality, can be a sign that your client is copying another source.
• Statistics, figures, or quotations presented without a source – Figures in business reports, financial documents, and other formal business writing should be properly attributed.

If you spot any of these, it may be worth searching online to see if the passage in question occurs elsewhere.

What to Do About Plagiarism in Business Writing

As a proofreader, you are not strictly required to correct plagiarism. However, you can still assist your client if you spot potential plagiarism.

The first thing you should do in this situation is politely comment to note your concerns. You might also want to note where the information or text seems to have come from (e.g., by including a link to a website or article and specifying the passage in question).

However, be careful not to make it sound like you’re accusing your client of anything malicious. Direct accusations of plagiarism are rarely received well! It is better to say that “There seem to be some similarities between X and Y here” than to say, “You have copied X from Y!”

You can then offer some advice on how to address the problem. The best solution will usually depend on the situation at hand.

In a business report, for example, you might need to gently urge your client to provide an appropriate citation and place direct quotations within quote marks (or paraphrase the quoted material in their own words).

With marketing materials, such as a product description, citations aren’t likely to be relevant. The best option, then, might be to suggest that the client rewrites the problem content in their own words (or possibly even draft a revised passage if that is within the limits of your brief).

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