Plagiarism from Wikipedia
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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
Contributors to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, often referred to as Wikipedians, license their submitted content under a Creative Commons license, which permits re-use as long as attribution is given. However, there have been a number of occasions when persons have failed to give the necessary attribution and attempted to pass off material from Wikipedia as their own work. Such plagiarism is a violation of the Creative Commons license and, when discovered, can be a reason for embarrassment, professional sanctions, or legal issues.
In educational settings, students sometimes copy Wikipedia to fulfill class assignments.{{Cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/article/965525/should-students-be-allowed-use-wikipedia-source|title=Should students be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source?|work=South China Morning Post|access-date=2018-08-13|language=en|archive-date=2018-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813175249/https://www.scmp.com/article/965525/should-students-be-allowed-use-wikipedia-source|url-status=live}} A 2011 study by Turnitin found that Wikipedia was the most copied website by both secondary and higher education students.{{Cite news|url=https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/11/03/wikipedia-number-most-common-destination-for-plagiarists/|title=Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers Tops for Academic Copying - Plagiarism Today|date=2011-11-03|work=Plagiarism Today|access-date=2018-08-13|language=en-US|archive-date=2018-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813175353/https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/11/03/wikipedia-number-most-common-destination-for-plagiarists/|url-status=live}}
Notable instances
Many notable individuals and institutions have been credibly said to have committed plagiarism from Wikipedia.
- David Agus{{cite news |title=A famed oncologist's bestselling new health book about 'animal secrets' got yanked off the shelves after the LA Times discovered he copied from Wikipedia |url=https://news.yahoo.com/famed-oncologists-bestselling-health-book-215904656.html |work=Yahoo News |date=6 March 2023 |access-date=6 January 2024 |archive-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127153225/https://news.yahoo.com/famed-oncologists-bestselling-health-book-215904656.html |url-status=live }}
- Chris Anderson{{citation|title=Chris Anderson apologizes for plagiarizing Wikipedia|first=Motoko|last=Rich|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 24, 2009|url=https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/chris-anderson-apologizes-for-plagiarizing-wikipedia/|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208124158/https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/chris-anderson-apologizes-for-plagiarizing-wikipedia/|url-status=live}}
- Jill Bialosky{{citation|title=Poet Jill Bialosky Faces Plagiarism Accusations Over New Memoir|first=Talya|last=Zax|date=October 4, 2017|work=The Forward|url=https://forward.com/culture/384344/poet-jill-bialosky-faces-plagiarism-accusations-over-new-memoir/|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208184254/https://forward.com/culture/384344/poet-jill-bialosky-faces-plagiarism-accusations-over-new-memoir/|url-status=live}}
- Monica Crowley{{citation | title=Trump pick Monica Crowley plagiarized multiple sources in 2012 book | website=CNNMoney | date=2018-02-07 | url=https://money.cnn.com/interactive/news/kfile-trump-monica-crowley-plagiarized-multiple-sources-2012-book/index.html | access-date=2018-02-07 | archive-date=2020-06-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621112733/https://money.cnn.com/interactive/news/kfile-trump-monica-crowley-plagiarized-multiple-sources-2012-book/index.html | url-status=live }}{{citation | title=Why plagiarism took down Monica Crowley, Trump's pick for a top national security post | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=2017-01-16 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/10/monica-crowley-joe-biden-and-when-plagiarism-is-a-capital-political-crime/ | access-date=2018-02-07 | archive-date=2018-02-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208064231/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/10/monica-crowley-joe-biden-and-when-plagiarism-is-a-capital-political-crime/ | url-status=live }}
- Elsevier retracted a 2020 book for plagiarizing many large passages from Wikipedia{{cite web | title=Elsevier retracts entire book that plagiarized heavily from Wikipedia | website=Retraction Watch | date=2021-05-28 | url=https://retractionwatch.com/2021/05/28/elsevier-retracts-entire-book-that-plagiarized-heavily-from-wikipedia/ | access-date=2022-09-24 | archive-date=2022-09-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924030326/https://retractionwatch.com/2021/05/28/elsevier-retracts-entire-book-that-plagiarized-heavily-from-wikipedia/ | url-status=live }}
- Five Star Movement (Italian political party){{citation|title=Italy's Five Star Movement accused of plagiarizing Wikipedia and rivals' political speeches in election programme|date=February 8, 2018|url=https://www.thelocal.it/20180208/italys-five-star-movement-plagiarism-manifesto-wikipedia|newspaper=The Local Italy|access-date=August 13, 2018|archive-date=August 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813210501/https://www.thelocal.it/20180208/italys-five-star-movement-plagiarism-manifesto-wikipedia|url-status=live}}
- Jane Goodall{{citation | last=Flood | first=Alison | title=Jane Goodall book held back after accusations of plagiarism | newspaper=The Guardian | date=2013-03-25 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/25/jane-goodall-book-accused-plagiarising-wikipedia | access-date=2018-02-07 | archive-date=2018-02-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209063102/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/25/jane-goodall-book-accused-plagiarising-wikipedia | url-status=live }}
- Kamala Harris[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/kamala-harris-smart-on-crime-plagiarism-claims-everything-we-know/ar-AA1sgag6?ocid=BingNewsSerp Kamala Harris 'Smart on Crime' Plagiarism Claims: Everything We Know] Newsweek{{cite news|title=Kamala Harris Accused Of Plagiarism In 2009 Book About Being 'Smart On Crime'|author=Bhavya Sukheja|date=October 15, 2024 |publisher=NDTV|url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/kamala-harris-accused-of-plagiarism-in-2009-book-about-being-smart-on-crime-6795921|quote= Austrian professor [Stefan Weber] alleged that one particular mention of New York City's Midtown Community Court in the book pertains to its use of language and structure that closely mirrors a Wikipedia article, indicating a lack of proper citation and paraphrasing.}}
- Michel Houellebecq{{citation | last=Lichfield | first=John | title=I stole from Wikipedia but it's not plagiarism, says Houellebecq | newspaper=The Independent | date=2010-09-08 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/i-stole-from-wikipedia-but-its-not-plagiarism-says-houellebecq-2073145.html | access-date=2018-02-07 | archive-date=2010-09-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911081659/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/i-stole-from-wikipedia-but-its-not-plagiarism-says-houellebecq-2073145.html | url-status=live }}
- International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) was accused of copying confidential examiner marking guides from Wikipedia{{citation|title= IB lifted exam marking guides from Wikipedia|last=Stewart|first=William|work=The Times Educational Supplement|date=October 8, 2010|page= 1 |quote= An IB examiner who spoke to The TES said they were "shocked" to discover there were "serious examples of academic dishonesty", throughout the document with guides for 14 of the 24 questions containing large sections copied wholesale from unattributed websites, including Wikipedia. The TES has learned that the mark scheme is one of at least three being urgently investigated by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) over plagiarism allegations as part of a "wide review" into the issue.}}
- Internet Research Agency{{cite news|last=Alba|first=Davey|author-link=Davey Alba|date=March 29, 2020|title=How Russia's Troll Farm Is Changing Tactics Before the Fall Election|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/technology/russia-troll-farm-election.html|quote=The Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency, which interfered in the 2016 election, is using different methods to hide itself better...Now Russian operators are trying to avoid detection by copying and pasting chunks of texts from other sources directly into their posts. When Facebook took down 50 accounts linked to the Internet Research Agency in October [2019], many of the posts featured text copied from Wikipedia.|access-date=March 30, 2020|archive-date=January 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102051615/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/technology/russia-troll-farm-election.html|url-status=live}}
- Benny Johnson{{citation|title=Plagiarizing Wikipedia Is Still Plagiarism, at BuzzFeed or the New York Times|first=Joe|last=Coscarelli|date=July 29, 2014|work=New York magazine|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/new-york-times-buzzfeed-wikipedia-plagiarism.html|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208123903/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/new-york-times-buzzfeed-wikipedia-plagiarism.html|url-status=live}}
- Siniša Mali, Serbian Finance Minister, who was found by the University of Belgrade to have plagiarized his Ph.D. thesis{{citation|title=Serbia finance minister plagiarised thesis - university|date=November 21, 2019|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/serbia-finance-minister-plagiarised-thesis-university.751480|work=Times of Malta|access-date=January 22, 2020|archive-date=November 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122154657/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/serbia-finance-minister-plagiarised-thesis-university.751480|url-status=live}}
- John McCain{{citation|date=September 11, 2008|title=Did McCain Plagiarize His Georgia Speech From Wikipedia?|work=The Huffington Post|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/11/did-mccain-plagiarize-his_n_118207.html|access-date=January 14, 2018|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202424/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/11/did-mccain-plagiarize-his_n_118207.html|url-status=live}}
- Yana Milev{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Stefan |date=2022-11-21 |title=Plagiatsfall an der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien |url=https://plagiatsgutachten.com/blog/dissertationsplagiat-bildende-wien/ |access-date=2022-11-23 |website=DOZ. DR. STEFAN WEBER |language=de-DE |archive-date=2022-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122103642/https://plagiatsgutachten.com/blog/dissertationsplagiat-bildende-wien/ |url-status=live }}
- Okayama Prefectural Assembly{{citation|title=Okayama Pref. lawmakers copied Wikipedia entries in official reports on US trip|date=January 31, 2018|url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180131/p2a/00m/0na/015000c|newspaper=Mainichi Shimbun|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313093739/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180131/p2a/00m/0na/015000c|archive-date=2018-03-13}}
- Oxford University Press{{citation|title=The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia—for Pay|date=August 11, 2015|publisher=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/wikipedia-editors-for-pay/393926/|access-date=December 25, 2019|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601002855/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/wikipedia-editors-for-pay/393926/|url-status=live}}
- Neri Oxman{{Cite news |last1=Long |first1=Katherine |first2=Jack |last2=Newsham |first3=Narimes |last3=Parakul |date=5 January 2024 |title=Academic celebrity Neri Oxman plagiarized from Wikipedia, scholars, a textbook, and other sources without any attribution |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/neri-oxman-plagiarize-wikipedia-mit-dissertation-2024-1 |access-date=2024-01-06 |work=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106005802/https://www.businessinsider.com/neri-oxman-plagiarize-wikipedia-mit-dissertation-2024-1 |url-status=live }}
- Rand Paul{{citation | last=Peters | first=Jeremy W. | title=Senator Rand Paul Is Accused of Plagiarizing His Lines From Wikipedia | newspaper=The New York Times | date=2013-10-31 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/us/politics/senator-rand-paul-is-accused-of-plagiarizing-his-lines-from-wikipedia.html | access-date=2018-02-07 | archive-date=2023-02-19 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219125348/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/us/politics/senator-rand-paul-is-accused-of-plagiarizing-his-lines-from-wikipedia.html | url-status=live }}
- The Pentagon{{citation | last=Wong | first=Kristina | title=Intel chairman: Pentagon plagiarized Wikipedia in report to Congress | newspaper=The Hill | date=2016-11-17 | url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/306555-intel-chairman-pentagon-gave-plagiarized-work-to-congress/ | access-date=2018-02-07 | archive-date=2018-02-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208064101/http://thehill.com/policy/defense/306555-intel-chairman-pentagon-gave-plagiarized-work-to-congress | url-status=live }}
- Rachel Reeves{{cite news| last1= Keynes| first1= Soumya| last2= Parker| first2= George| date= 26 October 2023
| title= New book from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves lifts from Wikipedia| url= https://on.ft.com/3scQoJh| newspaper= Financial Times| location= | access-date= 26 October 2023| archive-date= 6 January 2024| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240106051652/https://www.ft.com/content/e4c190b0-cc4e-4dc4-945b-9f680ce1c67f?shareType=nongift| url-status= live}}
- Santa Clara County grant writer{{cite news|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|title=Bay Area woman paid to write county history book reportedly plagiarized from Wikipedia, SF news outlets|author=Amanda Bartlett|date=June 5, 2022|url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Jean-McCorquodale-plagiarizes-Bay-Area-book-17221009.php|quote=After the 580-page manuscript was finally submitted by Jean McCorquodale last January, the Mercury News found that many excerpts were allegedly copied word-for-word from the websites she was drawing her research from, including a section from the Wikipedia page for politician Jonathan D. Stevenson, a paragraph from a History Channel article about the Spanish-American War's Treaty of Paris and segments from another page on the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation website.|access-date=January 6, 2024|archive-date=May 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510030448/https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Jean-McCorquodale-plagiarizes-Bay-Area-book-17221009.php|url-status=live}}
- Peter Schweizer, in his 2018 book Secret Empires{{cite news|last=Markay|first=Lachlan|title=Book Alleging Biden Corruption in Ukraine Lifted Passages From Wikipedia|newspaper=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/peter-schweizer-book-alleging-biden-corruption-in-ukraine-appears-to-have-lifted-passages-from-wikipedia|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191003182907/https://www.thedailybeast.com/peter-schweizer-book-alleging-biden-corruption-in-ukraine-appears-to-have-lifted-passages-from-wikipedia|archive-date=October 3, 2019|quote=The Daily Beast found more than a dozen instances in which Secret Empires, the bestselling book by investigative journalist Peter Schweizer, copied nearly complete sentences or sizable portions of them verbatim or near-verbatim from other sources. In a number of instances, those sources were uncited Wikipedia pages created before the book’s publication in early 2018.}}
- Government of the United Kingdom, in its 2022 "Levelling Up" white paper{{Cite web|date=2022-02-04|title=Parts of Michael Gove's levelling-up plan copied from Wikipedia|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/levelling-up-plan-copied-wikipedia-michael-gove-b2006757.html|access-date=2022-02-04|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-date=2022-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213080622/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/levelling-up-plan-copied-wikipedia-michael-gove-b2006757.html|url-status=live}}
- Gerónimo Vargas Aignasse{{citation|title=Argentinian Politician's Proposal For New Anti-Plagiarism Law Plagiarizes Wikipedia|first=Mike|last=Masnick|publisher=Techdirt|date=May 14, 2010|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100514/0133339425.shtml|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208124823/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100514/0133339425.shtml|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url= http://www.clarin.com/diario/2010/05/16/um/m-02195673.htm |title= Un diputado K presentó un proyecto de ley contra el plagio, plagiado. |trans-title= A deputy who presented a bill against plagiarism, plagiarized |date= May 14, 2010 |newspaper= Clarín |access-date= February 8, 2018 |archive-date= May 19, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100519132812/http://www.clarin.com/diario/2010/05/16/um/m-02195673.htm |url-status= dead }}{{cite web |title= Gerónimo Vargas Aignasse - Presentó un proyecto contra el plagio y plagió a Wikipedia. |trans-title= Gerónimo Vargas Aignasse-presented a project against plagiarism and plagiarized Wikipedia|work= Todo Noticias |date= May 16, 2010|url=http://www.tn.com.ar/2010/05/16/politica/02196262.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521192249/http://www.tn.com.ar/2010/05/16/politica/02196262.html |archive-date= May 21, 2010}}
- Fabiola Yáñez{{Cite web|date=2021-05-31|title=La Primera dama de Argentina plagia presuntamente 20 páginas de Wikipedia para su tesis|url=https://www.abc.es/internacional/abci-primera-dama-argentina-plagia-presuntamente-20-paginas-wikipedia-para-tesis-202105311437_noticia.html|access-date=2021-09-22|website=abc|language=es|archive-date=2021-06-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601141638/https://www.abc.es/internacional/abci-primera-dama-argentina-plagia-presuntamente-20-paginas-wikipedia-para-tesis-202105311437_noticia.html|url-status=live}}
- Alejandro Zaera-Polo{{citation|title=Princeton accuses former architecture dean of making "inaccurate" plagiarism statement|work=Dezeen|date=20 March 2015|first=Marcus|last=Fairs|url=https://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/20/princeton-university-former-architecture-dean-alejandro-zaera-polo-inaccurate-plagiarism-statement-accusations/|access-date=14 January 2018|archive-date=8 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208123645/https://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/20/princeton-university-former-architecture-dean-alejandro-zaera-polo-inaccurate-plagiarism-statement-accusations/|url-status=live}}
See also
- Index of plagiarism articles
- {{Section link|Circular reporting|Circular reporting on Wikipedia}}