Common Misconceptions about Text Recycling in Scientific Writing

Experienced scientists know there is often a need to repeat some content from their papers, especially when the same methodological approach, experimental apparatus, or statistical analyses are used in related studies. Reusing material from one's published article in a new article is one kind of text recycling. Others include reusing material from a published article in one's dissertation, reworking a conference paper into a journal article, and translating one's work into a different language. Given the wide variety of ways that scientists might recycle text, it isn't surprising that they are often unsure about what is and isn't appropriate. This essay explains common misconceptions about text recycling in scientific writing.