Plagiarism, Influence, and Tribute

These three terms are sometimes confused in academia, and I think it’s important to be able to distinguish between them. Okay. I’m going to make this pretty simple. Being influenced by something does not mean plagiarising. Let’s unpack that a little.

Plagiarism is directly copying someone else’s work without giving credit to the author. It’s when someone steals someone’s intellectual property without permission or credit. An easy way around that is just to cite one’s sources.

Influence, on the other hand, is when someone has been impacted by earlier writers, books, or artistic movements so much that it spills into the style, themes, and creative choices of later authors. For example, someone who writes fantasy - like me - might be influenced by Rick Riordan and JK Rowling. In addition to that, since I like supernatural stories, I’m influenced by things like Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and Teen Wolf. I draw from these works without copying from them. There might be similar themes because this is where my ideas and inspiration originally came from. But the story is mine.

The third point is about paying tribute to the creators of a work you are inspired by. I think this is kind of an extension of influence. It could even be writing something that is similar in style to their work. You could use their name in your original work in their honor. I also think fanfiction is a type of tribute. You basically acknowledge that you have not created something completely new, but taken what exists - the world and the characters - and used them in your own story.

The reason I’m writing this is that influence is sometimes misinterpreted as plagiarism. In reality, admitting influence and paying tribute is a way of honoring the author’s legacy and letting them know that their work has touched you. As an author myself, I think this is one of the greatest things a reader or new writer could do.