Unintentional plagiarism in my writing sample

[gradattack]

Hello,

I recently found out that three sentences in my writing sample haven't been paraphrased properly, although I have cited my sources both in-text and in my bibliography. According to turnitin, this contentious portion is just 1% of my article, which has no other problems besides this. Do you guys think it is worth sending an updated copy of my writing sample? I have already sent all the grad schools I applied to an updated copy of my CV after the deadline, because of a change in my employment status and most didn't respond. The ones that did reply accepted the updated version, except Princeton which has a strict 'no updated materials' policy. I am wondering if these multiple emails from one candidate with updated materials will leave a bad impression. Perhaps anyone who is familiar with the process could weigh in?

Thanks a lot!

[bht]

According to my intuition, and my understanding from previous graduate school experience, the graduate offices are not that into this process. At the end, professors will decide. So I do not think that it leaves bad impression. They are responsible for answering our questions.

Also I do not think that this three sentences create a big issue for you. So chill out. Best of luck!! 

[politics 'n prose]

Yeah, I’m inclined to say this is not a big deal. Obviously plagiarism is a no-no, but if you properly cited the paraphrase and just didn’t utilize language unique enough from the original source, that’s probably what’s tripping up Turnitin (which is by no means the be-all, end-all of academic integrity checks). Now, if you actually used a direct quote from the source but neglected to put it in quotation marks, that’s some sloppy citation, and certainly something to be more cognizant of in the future, but still not a sign of ill intent on your part. (Not that plagiarism is defined solely by intent, but it’s good to remind yourself that you were not trying to pull the wool over any adcoms’ eyes.)

Without more information on the exact nature of the less-than-perfect paraphrase, though, I’m not sure we can really tell you whether or not this rises to the level of having to inform your schools. As a chronic over-thinker myself, I think you may be overthinking this—but I also understand the impulse to notify schools and submit a corrected draft, and I don’t think it would necessarily hurt your chances to do so. (And, for whatever small comfort this may provide: I don’t think you’re the only PhD applicant who’s ever submitted a writing sample with some dodgy citations. We’re none of us perfect, and we’re all still learning—go easy on yourself, and just be more careful next time!)

[gradattack]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and considerate responses. I've decided to let it be since it seems like this is not going to be the end of the world!

Edited January 1, 2020 by gradattack