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Isn't this plagiarism?

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by Ajeet, May 2, 2010.

  1. #1
    Recently, I hired a writer on DP to write original articles for me. One of the topics was "Health Benefits of Grape Juice." As is my practice when hiring a new writer, I sent a list of conditions that the writer must agree to. One of them was "You will write original articles only. No rewriting, no repurposing, etc." The writer agreed to all my conditions.

    Now, the writer has sent me articles that are plagiarized, blatantly. But the writer insists that my definition of plagiarism is unreasonable. I have had a lot of to-and-fro with the author over the past two weeks. That is what brings me here. One of the articles in question is approx 450 words. Here are 176 of those words, and the original content that I claim he plagiarized (with minor tweaks).

    Could you please share your thoughts on whether this is plagiarism. I have NO doubt in my mind that this is blatant plagiarism and cannot be called "original content that is not rewritten or repurposed." But I am also the person who ordered that article, and do not want to appear to be squirming out of my obligation to pay. At the same time, if you disagree with me, I would like to hear that too.

    Article by DP author
    A clinical study presented in the publication “Circulation” revealed that subject patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease who drank a glass of grape juice each day exhibited remarkably lower cholesterol levels after 15 days. The patients also showed promising improvements in their blood circulation and arterial wall conditions.

    One health compromise in drinking wine is attributable to its alcohol content. While it is true that wines help prevent blood clotting, it only happens at levels high enough for wine drinkers to be declared legally drunk. But with grape juice, no such risk exists. According to Jane Freedman,, MD from the Georgetown University, “with grape juice, you can dink enough to get the benefit without worrying about becoming intoxicated.”

    Another problem with wine is that it generally has more free radicals that when consumed at high levels, increase damage to tissues at the cellular level as it blocks body’s natural antioxidants from, doing their job. Another study conducted at the University of California, Davis, has shown that people who consume grape juice enjoyed better and longer antioxidant protection.



    Article at: http://www.googobits.com/articles/p...alth-benefits-of-grapes-when-hunger-hits.html
    A study published in Circulation reported that participants who already showed signs of cardiovascular disease and who drank a glass of grape juice everyday showed a significant reduction in cholesterol levels after only 15 days. Additionally, these participants also displayed positive changes in their artery walls, improving circulation.

    One drawback for wine may be that you may not be getting enough. Wine only prevents blood from clotting [when it is consumed] at levels high enough to declare someone legally drunk, states Jane Freedman, M.D., a researcher at Georgetown University. With grape juice, you can drink enough to get the benefit without worrying about becoming intoxicated.

    Another drawback to wine consumption is that alcohol actually generates free radicals, increasing free radical damage caused in the body. Alcohol may also increase the breakdown rate of antioxidants in your body. A study conducted at the University of California, Davis, reported that volunteers who drank grape juice versus those that drank wine enjoyed longer antioxidant protection.


    Edit: I logged in again and found that there were 3 posts below this one. And they were not on the topic of this thread, but largely about the relevance of this thread in this sub-forum. I did think about it a lot, before posting. And since I know that my post is about standards related to copywriting, I think this is the only place it can be posted. But there might be those who think otherwise.

    2nd Edit: The above-mentioned 3 irrelevant posts have been deleted. Thanks to the mod who did that (Smyrl?)
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2010
    Ajeet, May 2, 2010 IP
  2. Smyrl

    Smyrl Tomato Republic Staff

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    #2
    Smyrl, May 2, 2010 IP
    Ajeet likes this.
  3. williammfelix

    williammfelix Peon

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    #3
    Mmmhh... yes... the content is similar... no doubt about it...
     
    williammfelix, May 2, 2010 IP
    Ajeet likes this.
  4. zacdavis

    zacdavis Well-Known Member

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    #4
    Smyrl is right. Don't pay that person.
     
    zacdavis, May 2, 2010 IP
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  5. WebBuddy

    WebBuddy Well-Known Member

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    #5
    well, clearly all that person has done is rewrite the content ONLY hoping that it doesn't get caught in the CS check. That's not even proper repurposing. You can clearly tell the person that if you needed amateurish rewrites you'd have ordered them yourself at much lower rates. You asked for original articles and these are not that . Period.
     
    WebBuddy, May 2, 2010 IP
    Ajeet likes this.
  6. zacdavis

    zacdavis Well-Known Member

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    #6
    confused_freelancer doesn't seem to confused here. (Couldn't resist)
     
    zacdavis, May 2, 2010 IP
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  7. WebBuddy

    WebBuddy Well-Known Member

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    #7
    @zacdavis - have been mulling over getting a new DP id for the precise reason of avoiding such digs LOL. Would you care to loan me $25 for that ? But I guess as long as my client's don't care about how confused or 'unconfused' I am, it barely matters . Also, so many clients would only recognize this id of mine ... anyways, what do you say about the 25 bucks loan , eh??? ;)
     
    WebBuddy, May 2, 2010 IP
  8. zacdavis

    zacdavis Well-Known Member

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    #8
    @confused_freelancer - I'll loan you the $25 with 5% compounding interest each day. Cool?
     
    zacdavis, May 2, 2010 IP
  9. WebBuddy

    WebBuddy Well-Known Member

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    #9
    hawww!! that's too steep an interest ... well I guess I will stick to being confused some time more .. unless I can find somebody more generous :D
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2010
    WebBuddy, May 3, 2010 IP
  10. Perry Rose

    Perry Rose Peon

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    #10
    Just out of curiosity, how much did you pay him, Ajeet?
     
    Perry Rose, May 3, 2010 IP
  11. WebBuddy

    WebBuddy Well-Known Member

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    #11
    well, IMO OP should abstain from telling that, else everybody here would pounce upon him about getting what he paid for .. :) LOL even if he paid 2 cents per word, which is rather on the high side of average DP rates :)
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2010
    WebBuddy, May 3, 2010 IP
  12. Ajeet

    Ajeet Well-Known Member

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    #12
    I had agreed to pay him his asking price subject to his meeting a set of criteria. That is where this thread came into being -- I said he did not meet his commitment of originality, while he maintained that he did. If you are looking for a number, I would rather talk on PM.

    Weighted average DP rates are probably under a penny a word :)
     
    Ajeet, May 3, 2010 IP
  13. Perry Rose

    Perry Rose Peon

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    #13
    Nah, it's alright. From the sound of things, I have a pretty good hunch what the rate roughly is.

    It's all too typical.

    I hope you have better luck next time.
     
    Perry Rose, May 3, 2010 IP
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  14. TMG Enterprises

    TMG Enterprises Well-Known Member

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    #14
    What was paid is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that the writer agreed to give original content and did not. I would not pay for that article. I would also take a much closer look at the rest of the articles provided as it's highly likely they did them all the same way. Too many people think that as long as it's not word-for-word, then it doesn't count as plagiarism. That is from the numerous marketers who say to simply lift an article off the web and rewrite it.
     
    TMG Enterprises, May 3, 2010 IP
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  15. kvirrueta

    kvirrueta Peon

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    #15
    Ajeet,

    As a copywriter myself, I would never think of trying to pass of someone else's work, rewritten, as my own original content. Your copywriter has blatantly and insidiously plagiarized. There are no doubts in my mind about that. As far as payment goes, your writer is in breach of contract and should not receive any money at all for rewriting and re-purposing that stolen work.

    I hope my post will give you some peace of mind. You were right to call them out on their plagiarism and to not pay them.
     
    kvirrueta, May 3, 2010 IP
    Ajeet likes this.
  16. iz3lvlix

    iz3lvlix Member

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    #16
    Yep, thats plagiarized content.
     
    iz3lvlix, May 3, 2010 IP
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  17. Warner

    Warner Active Member

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    #17
    It is complete plagiarism, to my mind. I can't stop surprising by such a behavior - that "author" even didn't make any effort to change the text!
     
    Warner, May 4, 2010 IP
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  18. dyadvisor

    dyadvisor Peon

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    #18
    Ajeet, maybe be you consider me dumb, but I found the answer with 2 mouse clicks. Will gives you sources if wanted, or how you can do it also.

    Wine vs. Juice
    ... disease and who drank a glass of grape juice everyday showed a significant reduction in cholesterol levels after only 15 ... Additionally, these participants also displayed positive changes in their artery walls, improving circulation. ... “Wine only prevents blood from clotting [when it is consumed] at levels high enough to declare someone legally drunk,” states Jane Freedman, ... A study conducted at the University of California, Davis, reported that volunteers who drank grape juice versus those that drank wine ...

    Not Your Average Snack: Reach for the Health Benefits of Grapes ...
    ... disease and who drank a glass of grape juice everyday showed a significant reduction in cholesterol levels after only 15 ... Additionally, these participants also displayed positive changes in their artery walls, improving circulation. ... “Wine only prevents blood from clotting [when it is consumed] at levels high enough to declare someone legally drunk,” states Jane Freedman, ... A study conducted at the University of California, Davis, reported that volunteers who drank grape juice versus those that drank wine ...

    So is this a discussion topic? Or a need to know? It took 5 seconds to find out.
     
    dyadvisor, May 4, 2010 IP
  19. SwimFinn

    SwimFinn Peon

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    #19
    He might quibble about the meaning of plagiarism, but you said no rewriting. He rewrote. Reject it using the same phrasing as the condition which he agreed to.
     
    SwimFinn, May 5, 2010 IP
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  20. omarabid

    omarabid Well-Known Member

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    #20
    @Ajeet

    Just by curiosity. If you are hiring someone to write about health issues, then shouldn't him be a doctor or someone who studied or deeply amateur of biology or health?
    If you are looking for someone with good English, it would be probably from a first world country where doctors salaries are as high as $300K per year!! So the price the word will cost you easily $1! assuming he'll write original content (given that he needs knowledge, so he can write about it).

    That being said, I doubt you paid such rate, I doubt also that most of the writers knows well about health issues, so most of the time they'll be just re-writing.
     
    omarabid, May 6, 2010 IP
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