Plagiarism policy
What we check, and what happens when we find something.
Everything 5Talents publishes must be the work of the person whose name is on it. That applies to commissioned pieces, to unsolicited submissions, and to writing republished from our own 2012–2014 archive.
The standard
We follow the University Grants Commission’s guidelines on plagiarism. In practice that means: quoted material is marked as a quotation and attributed; ideas and findings taken from someone else are cited even when the words are our own; translated passages are treated as quotations, not as original writing; and self-plagiarism — republishing your own work as new — is disclosed rather than hidden.
Similarity to an existing source is not by itself misconduct. A common phrase, a standard definition, or a Scripture reference will match, and should. What we act on is unattributed substance: passages, structure or argument taken from a source the reader is not told about.
How we check
- Every submission is checked before publication, and anything quoting or closely following a source is traced back to that source.
- Anything drawn on for a piece is named in it. Where a writer builds on published research, the research is cited.
- Archive pieces get the same treatment before they are republished, and the republished version carries a note explaining what was rewritten and why.
- Where a piece was supplied by an advertiser or a sponsor, that is disclosed above the headline — a label generated from the article’s record rather than added by hand. See advertising and disclosure.
When we find something
A piece found to be plagiarised is withdrawn. We do not quietly delete it: the article page stays, marked as retracted, carrying an explanation of what was wrong with it. That record is public on our corrections page, because a magazine that removes its mistakes without trace is asking to be trusted on nothing but its own word.
Where the piece came from an outside contributor, we tell them what we found and why it was withdrawn, and we do not commission from them again.
Telling us about something
If you think we have published something that is not original, write to us through the contact page with the piece and the source you believe it came from. We will check it and reply, and if you are right we will say so in public.