Plagiarism on Mibba
Plagiarism is a big deal. No writer wants their hard work to be stolen, and it can be devastating to learn that it has been. However, a piece of work can only be considered plagiarised if it meets certain criteria, and simply sharing a general idea does not count. Here is more information about what plagiarism is, and how it’s handled on Mibba.
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and crediting it as your own. This can be direct copy and pasting, or rewording of sentences.
Sharing a similar idea with another writer is not plagiarism. In the creative writing world it’s very difficult to have a 100% unique idea, so if you spot someone with a similar plotline during a chapter, or the same main character’s name, similar character traits, etc, it doesn’t mean it’s plagiarism. This tends to happen frequently in fan fiction, as certain plots or character traits are often reused.
The same goes for clichés, stereotypes, and popular phrases. These are things overused in all kinds of stories, and if you find two stories that share some of those aspects, it is not a case of plagiarism. If two users write two fan fictions about a television show, movie or a book, and their stories follow the same plotline, they are not plagiarising each other or the show, movie or book. It is very likely that two writers will come up with very similar ideas if they are writing a fan fiction about the same people, but this doesn’t mean they are stealing each other’s work.
Plagiarism on Mibba
If anyone plagiarises your work, you should immediately contact the appropriate editor (either a Story Editor or a Poem Editor) or an Admin and provide them with links to the pieces of work. Use private messaging, and do not confront the person who is plagiarising your work. The staff member will then decide whether or not it is a case of plagiarism, and then take the appropriate action.
There is a zero tolerance for plagiarism on Mibba. If someone is caught plagiarising a story, they will be permanently banned. Plagiarised articles will not be published, but repeated offenders will be temporarily banned.
More Info
For more information about Mibba’s rules, visit the Knowledge Base. For further questions, ask a staff member (under their headings in the Members section) or post in the Help forum.
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