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Recycling an old essay

Blogs > billy5000
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billy5000
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States865 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-28 02:06:57
February 28 2011 02:03 GMT
#1
So my professor wants us to write a type of essay I've written last semester. Since the topic is fairly broad, I feel like I can "recycle" my old essay.

Could this action lead to a serious consequence? I know it's unethical and whatnot (in the sense that I'm not starting for scratch unlike my classmates), but it is in fact my writing and I may edit a few things here and there.

EDIT: I had a different prof when I wrote the essay.

Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand. Vonnegut
Sleight
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
2471 Posts
February 28 2011 02:06 GMT
#2
Where I went to school, that counts as violation of the honor code. Now I am not sure exactly why. But I remember being told that.

That said, do it, if it's good. Ethics should be reserved for things that matter. If it was someone else's old paper, I'd might bat at an eye. Your work is your work is your work.

Cheers.
One Love
motbob
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
United States12546 Posts
February 28 2011 02:11 GMT
#3
Mmm. Just spend a lot of time rewriting and improving it. Make it unrecognizable from its previous state. Then, if you get caught/in trouble, you can point out that you spent a lot of time on it.
ModeratorGood content always wins.
mikeymoo
Profile Blog Joined October 2006
Canada7170 Posts
February 28 2011 02:12 GMT
#4
I'm pretty sure this is illegal first, then unethical. Why not just ask your prof if you can edit some previous work of yours?
o_x | Ow. | 1003 ESPORTS dollars | If you have any questions about bans please PM Kennigit
emperorchampion
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Canada9496 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-28 02:19:50
February 28 2011 02:15 GMT
#5
On February 28 2011 11:11 motbob wrote:
Mmm. Just spend a lot of time rewriting and improving it. Make it unrecognizable from its previous state. Then, if you get caught/in trouble, you can point out that you spent a lot of time on it.


I don't think that pointing out that you "spent a lot of time on it" will fly. If you spend a lot of time on it (ie. re-write it, using the same ideas) then you should be ok, I'm not really sure where they draw the line. It would be best to contact your student affairs office or the prof first.

edit:

But yeah, that is illegal. Depending on the school, consequences could range from an F in the course to expulsion/suspension.
TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
3clipse
Profile Blog Joined September 2008
Canada2555 Posts
February 28 2011 02:20 GMT
#6
If you've already submitted a paper for a class, you generally can't use it again. It doesn't count as being original. I think the justification our Office of Student Conduct gave was that you had an unfair advantage above the other students since the essay has already been marked with constructive feedback possibly given.
Pengu1n
Profile Blog Joined October 2004
United States552 Posts
February 28 2011 02:22 GMT
#7
i once reused a 10 page paper i wrote junior year in highschool for a college course. not sure if its a good idea to reuse one in the same college department though..teachers could talk.
billy5000
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States865 Posts
February 28 2011 02:29 GMT
#8
Thanks for the suggestions/warnings everyone. Time for an all-nighter and less SC2, I guess
Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand. Vonnegut
MuffinFTW
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States235 Posts
February 28 2011 02:36 GMT
#9
I think you can recycle it to be honest, I recycled one of my old essays from previous years before. It's not plagiarism if it's your own paper and writing. :3
billy5000
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States865 Posts
February 28 2011 02:41 GMT
#10
On February 28 2011 11:36 MuffinFTW wrote:
I think you can recycle it to be honest, I recycled one of my old essays from previous years before. It's not plagiarism if it's your own paper and writing. :3


There's a possibility that you're right, but because of the ambiguity in this topic, I'd rather not take my chances--unfortunately.
Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, 'Why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand. Vonnegut
KurtistheTurtle
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
United States1966 Posts
February 28 2011 02:43 GMT
#11
you could do that, but wouldnt it be better not to worry? and you could just do something youre genuinely interested in
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears."
emperorchampion
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Canada9496 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-28 02:49:04
February 28 2011 02:48 GMT
#12
From our school's policy:

A student is taking a course this semester that is related to a previous course he took. His final paper for the previous course was on a topic that is central to the present one. Due to the overlap, he decides to hand in the paper as one of his assignments for the current course. Is this permitted?


-NO

The justification:
One of the objectives of your studies is to build on your education by applying concepts and knowledge acquired in previous courses to current ones. But the work
produced for each course must be original, and the resubmission of an old paper
does not build on previous knowledge; it recycles it.



No student shall:
Submit in any course or program of study, without both the knowledge and approval of the person
to whom it is submitted, all or a substantial portion of any academic writing, essay, thesis, research
report, project or assignment for which credit has previously been obtained or which has been or
is being submitted in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere
TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
ToFu.
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
331 Posts
February 28 2011 02:49 GMT
#13
i know it sounds stupid, but one of my professors said that doing what you just described constitutes plagiarism because you're presenting something derived from something else as an original production.
Constipation Zerg Fighting!
jpditri
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States86 Posts
February 28 2011 02:49 GMT
#14
I wouldn't do it-- even if it isn't blatantly against the rules. On the off chance you were found out, your prof would probably see it in a negative light regardless. You'd basically be sending the message that you don't take their class and their assignments seriously.

Instead, I'd recommend writing a new paper with an expanded thesis with citations to your older paper. You get the all the benefits of writing an essay on a topic you are familiar with, and you get to be a self-referential baller.
munchmunch
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada789 Posts
February 28 2011 03:03 GMT
#15
Believe it or not, this is considered a type of plagiarism called self-plagiarism. It would be against "rules" (honor code, code of conduct, whatever) at almost any school.
OpAndroid
Profile Joined July 2010
United States84 Posts
February 28 2011 03:18 GMT
#16
As many have said, this is against many school's code of conduct, and considered an act of plagiarism. Is anyone likely to find out? No. If you do could you be in really big trouble. Yes. You should probably ask the professor, worst case scenario they say no, best case, yes, middle, you have to write a fresh version, but shouldn't be too bad.
mizU
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States12125 Posts
February 28 2011 03:22 GMT
#17
I don't know why hardly anyone said this, but really, just ask your prof.
if happy ever afters did exist <3 @watamizu_
Torte de Lini
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Germany38463 Posts
February 28 2011 05:03 GMT
#18
Take it and reiterate it differently and switch up the order.

New Intro
New Conclusion
Reiterated arguments
Jumble Sources.

You're done.

I've done the same essay/topic 3 times in a row in about 3 different classes (so that's 9 times), teachers love it.

Then again, political science, sociological and psychological professors just eat up anything about the corporation and society. Gotta love how liberal and skeptic they are :3
https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
emperorchampion
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Canada9496 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-28 05:14:22
February 28 2011 05:14 GMT
#19
On February 28 2011 14:03 Torte de Lini wrote:
Take it and reiterate it differently and switch up the order.

New Intro
New Conclusion
Reiterated arguments
Jumble Sources.

You're done.

I've done the same essay/topic 3 times in a row in about 3 different classes (so that's 9 times), teachers love it.

Then again, political science, sociological and psychological professors just eat up anything about the corporation and society. Gotta love how liberal and skeptic they are :3


Well, you could probably hand in a piece of toilet paper and get an A at Concordia.

Trololololol :p

+ Show Spoiler +
k, i'm done we <3 you guys
TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
Torte de Lini
Profile Blog Joined September 2010
Germany38463 Posts
February 28 2011 05:18 GMT
#20
On February 28 2011 14:14 emperorchampion wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 28 2011 14:03 Torte de Lini wrote:
Take it and reiterate it differently and switch up the order.

New Intro
New Conclusion
Reiterated arguments
Jumble Sources.

You're done.

I've done the same essay/topic 3 times in a row in about 3 different classes (so that's 9 times), teachers love it.

Then again, political science, sociological and psychological professors just eat up anything about the corporation and society. Gotta love how liberal and skeptic they are :3


Well, you could probably hand in a piece of toilet paper and get an A at Concordia.

Trololololol :p

+ Show Spoiler +
k, i'm done we <3 you guys


Oh bro, cheap shot, cheap shot.

And this was at Vanier College to Concordia.
https://twitter.com/#!/TorteDeLini (@TorteDeLini)
DeckOneBell
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States526 Posts
February 28 2011 05:19 GMT
#21
It's already been stated, but for any university, this would be considered plagiarism for the class.

Up to you whether or not to do it, though.
lutarez
Profile Joined November 2010
United States65 Posts
February 28 2011 05:54 GMT
#22
On February 28 2011 11:49 ToFu. wrote:
i know it sounds stupid, but one of my professors said that doing what you just described constitutes plagiarism because you're presenting something derived from something else as an original production.


Everything, particularly in academia, is derived from something else. What is considered original work? -_-

To the OP: Don't recycle it. Is it an opinion piece? If so, you could perhaps re-write arguing the opposite side.
Deja Thoris
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
South Africa646 Posts
February 28 2011 14:11 GMT
#23
On February 28 2011 14:19 DeckOneBell wrote:
It's already been stated, but for any university, this would be considered plagiarism for the class.

Up to you whether or not to do it, though.



Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as "the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them as one's own original work."

You can't plagarise yourself.

QuanticHawk
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
United States32132 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-28 14:32:58
February 28 2011 14:31 GMT
#24
On February 28 2011 23:11 Deja Thoris wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 28 2011 14:19 DeckOneBell wrote:
It's already been stated, but for any university, this would be considered plagiarism for the class.

Up to you whether or not to do it, though.



Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as "the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them as one's own original work."

You can't plagarise yourself.



it's a shitty use of the word, but you'll get in trouble for it at virtually any school. I mean it does make sense... you can debate if it's ethical, but it is without question lazy as shit and that's enough for a school to look down on it.

You can even get in trouble if it's just use of the same concepts on a subject you've written about before. My one professor made me jump through all sorts of hoops after realizing one of my papers was essentially a recycle of something I had done previously for another class (he asked how I knew the subject matter, I said I had done something on it before, he says bring in the old work or you get a zero).

I didn't get in trouble, because I was smart enough to edit my recycled paper thoroughly and make sure sentence structure and all that shit was changed. But I still had to go through all sorts of extra bullshit just cause I said I had used an old paper as inspiration for something. If he were to find word for word sentence usage, I probably would have brought before the school board formally or whatever.

On February 28 2011 12:22 mizU wrote:
I don't know why hardly anyone said this, but really, just ask your prof.


No definitely don't, because of what this guy says. You'll look dumb for asking

just do what this guy says, it aint that hard. And just don't do what I did and acknowledge that you did the following

On February 28 2011 11:49 jpditri wrote:
I wouldn't do it-- even if it isn't blatantly against the rules. On the off chance you were found out, your prof would probably see it in a negative light regardless. You'd basically be sending the message that you don't take their class and their assignments seriously.

Instead, I'd recommend writing a new paper with an expanded thesis with citations to your older paper. You get the all the benefits of writing an essay on a topic you are familiar with, and you get to be a self-referential baller.


PROFESSIONAL GAMER - SEND ME OFFERS TO JOIN YOUR TEAM - USA USA USA
calgar
Profile Blog Joined November 2007
United States1277 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-28 15:06:11
February 28 2011 15:05 GMT
#25
I had roughly the same prompt for a class last semester as one I had already done and ended up taking large parts of the old one and reusing it. I had to rework it a good bit but if I had the chance to turn the exact same one in then I definitely would without any qualms. As long as you remember to change the header
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