Plagerism on Hub Pages!

1. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Apparently there are those who do not know what plagerism is!  But I am sure they know that copying, pasting, maybe spinning an article written by another is not "Original Content."  Plagerism is against TOS of Hub Pages, and can get you in trouble for copyright infringement as well.
   
   Those who want to post hubs that are full of plagerized material, really need to start their own sites or blogs and put it there. 
   
   It may take awhile to catch plagerism.  It may take a few seconds to catch the plagerism.  No matter how long it takes, it will be discovered by HP or writers here, and then reported to HP! 
   
   Plagerism is a good way to have your account shut down and banned from HP.
   
   I hope we all continue to the fight against Plagerized hubs!

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   1. 41

      ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Plagiarism is a problem all over the place.  If you feel you've had a hub stolen and placed here on HP; I would contact staff directly and report that particular hub.  That being said, there are several hubs on similar topics and similar doesn't always mean it was plagiarized.  I've written hubs on retouching photos in Photoshop for example and so have others.  Many of the steps are the same so the text is similar in parts - but overall, the hub and other tutorials are quite different because it's different people sharing their experiences creating their own projects.  Similar, but still different is not plagiarism.  Paraphrasing and spinning is and so is obviously cut and paste.  If it didn't trip the dup. content filters, but you're sure it is plagiarized; definitely contact HP staff.  We don't need that going on around here.

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      1. 84

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         ChristinS:
         
         How would you approach this situation:
         
         I write an article in a niche subject.  Another writer reads it, waits a few weeks or months and then takes the idea, spins it in with other, almost unrelated information, uses the same videos and some of the same images at times.  When I check to see how many times this person has read my articles, the number 500 appears.
         
         It is aggravating because it has happened several times with this same person, but I am not sure whether to report it or not.  What think you?

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            Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            That's called copycatting and it is all over the site, which hurts the site as a whole in the eyes of Google.  Reporting this to HP doesn't seem to help.

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         2. 41

            ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            If you are convinced it is another hubber or person spinning your work into new hubs and not merely having similar ideas/experiences as you; then I would bring it to the staffs attention via email.  If they use the same images and videos - the exact same ones; this tells me maybe there is some copycat/spinning going on.  As for the views from that person - how can you tell?  It could be that the views are from the "related hubs" section at the bottom of their hubs?  It's difficult sometimes to tell what is "spun" from what is just writing on the same topic, but when too much duplication is going on, I think I would report it, especially if it's regularly from the same person.

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   2. 87

      Cardisaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I  have been going on about this problem for quite some time. I'm glad I'm not the only one who notices this. There is a lot of cut and paste OR spinning going on at HP and it needs to stop.

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      1. 60

         LindaSmith1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Yes it does Cardisa.  I have been here for 3 years, it never seems to stop.  How are people able to post hubs that are not even in their profile yet, and they only joined 20 minutes ago.

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            Cardisaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Linda, it goes deeper than that. There are hubbers here for years that survive on copying and rewriting other's hubs. The last time I mentioned it and wrote a hub on the matter I got a lot of flack about it.

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               deathwalk60posted 9 years agoin reply to this

               I have and plan on rewriting my articles or Hubs to get and keep them featured.  This keeps traffic coming to my Hubs and to HUbPages, which gets paid through advertising.  In translation, the more traffic comes to HubPages the more money they make.  If you own the copyright, you can do what you want with it.  If you didn't write it, and try to publish it.  I hope you get caught.  I came to HubPages because I didn't have have to worry about that.  I had plan to keep writing new articles and Hubs now I'm not too sure.  I am I safe here?  Are my articles safe?  I work hard on my writing, I don't want somebody,  who takes the easy way out to come around to just steal my article.  I thought HubPages had precautions in play to prevent this from happening.

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               1. 87

                  Cardisaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  You are never safe from plagiarism anywhere online and in print. Once you are a published writer you are at risk of having your work stolen. That said, this should not hinder writers from having their work published, but they should be prepared to fight for their copyright. At least here at HP, you have a community of support from people with the same agenda - fighting scrapers and plagiarists. We stick by each other and you are never alone if and when you find your work stolen.

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                  1. 60

                     deathwalk60posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     That's good to know, but how do you catch them.  I love writing and publishing.  I've publish a few books.  I deleted my bubblews account because stealing articles became so thick.  Before I deleted the account, I deleted the essays, most I couldn't use anywhere except bubblews, anyway.  It was the thought.  When I write for HubPages it's new writing, when I write for another site it's new writing, and I write new stuff for my blogs.  For my books, I might include writings, from everything.  My blogs I promote  writing my books.  I can't here, HubPages, because it's spam.

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                        LindaSmith1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        Spammers here usually don't have any hubs, any profile or pic.  They do spam over and over, sometimes under various names
                        
                        Plagerists do the same.  When you read something they have written, a bell goes off.  For instance, format is horrible,  headings if any are in small letters, yet the piece they are passing off  as their own, reads a lot better then it looks.  Most of the time you can copy and past in plagerism checker, or copy a paragraph and put it in your search browser, and it comes right up.  I then go to that site to see how much material was copied from there. Usually the entire article is plagerized unless it is poorly spun.

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                     2. 84

                        TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        deathwalk60
                        
                        HP has a gizmo on your stats page that will show you any articles it has found that have been copied and when this happens, they give you the name of the site, etc. that did the copying.  They also have a section in the learning center about how to file a DMCA.
                        
                        Also, if you write a sentence or two from the center of any article, put quotation marks around it, and then search it in Google, it should pull up any articles that have copied your work.
                        
                        I'm having a problem right now with four different situations that deal with this and wish I could just shoot all of them and end this stuff.  BUT...it is what it is lol!

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   3. 82

      aerospacefanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I am wondering what's the best way to report plagiarism when it is seen? Also, my understanding that there are different types of plagiarism ( all bad). What's the best way to cite someone elses hub - a link and citation?

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2. 91

   goatfuryposted 9 years ago

   I really don't get it.  We have this amazing opportunity here, and all we have to do is take what's inside our brains and type it up so others can read it.  Why squander that or jeopardize it by plagiarizing?

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      LindaSmith1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly!  These plagerizers can't even do a decent copy and paste either.  Of course, they try to change a word or two if that.  Good way to get slammed by Google Adsense as well.

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3. 69

   Desertdarleneposted 9 years ago

   Unfortunately, this is common on a lot of sites with user submitted content.  But, I'm a bit surprised to find it here because our hubs are supposed to be checked.

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4. 94

   My Bellposted 9 years ago

   I agree and hope that those that plagiarize are flagged and banned. Also, I think it's very important to source specific information that you include in your article (i.e. stats) to give credit to a study or research.

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5. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   I found 2 this morning from accounts using different names, but no published hubs on either.  So I don't even know how they got it to show on news feed.  Every word came from Wikipedia..

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6. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   Chrisitin: What I saw this morning was 3 hubs that were copied from Wikipedia.

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7. 60

   LindaSmith1posted 9 years ago

   If plagerized, spun content is going to be ignored, then why do we have QAP which unpublishes or does not feature hubs over some stupid reason.

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8. 0

   calculus-geometryposted 9 years ago

   It's easy to get away with plagIArism on HP if you copy from old books and magazines or journals.  I have seen hubs with passages lifted from print sources I recognized.  I don't bother flagging anymore because if HP doesn't care to delete the blatant garbage, they certainly aren't going to hunt down a print source to verify plagiarism. 
   
   If it's any consolation, duplicate content won't rank high in the SERPs, so the plagiarists aren't going to gain much.

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9. 60

   deathwalk60posted 9 years ago

   I love HubPages, so I'm going to continue publishing the best I can original material  I can write here.  I love reading Hubs here.  Many hubs are interesting.  My favorite Hubs are How to improve your Hubs?  Are there Hubs on How to protect yourself against plagiarism?

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   1. 93

      Jean Bakulaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I wish there was a warning feature we could put up before the title of the hub that would make potential plagiarists think again before they acted. The ones who take my stuff are so lazy, they don't change a word, take the pictures, and even take my information where I advertise my blog! There used to be an anemic light gray thing on the bottom of the hub with our name and the year the hub was published, but that isn't even there anymore. It only shows when we last made an edit to the hub.

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      1. 89

         mattforteposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         They aren't lazy, and they aren't going to "think again"
         
         If anybody thinks this will ever go away, and/or if you don't think there is a good reason for it happening (It is profitable) then you have a lot to learn about information marketing, and SEO.
         
         Go out and learn some black hat. I'm not saying to use it (Though I really don't care if you do or not, I worry about myself) - but learn it. Until you learn about it, and how it works, you will never be as good as you think you are here.

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      2. 84

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Jean:  If you check some of my hubs, at the bottom you will see a banner that is just what you are talking about.  Suzanne Day created it and gave me permission to use it, and I can place it wherever I like on my hubs, but I'm not sure scrapers even care.

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10. 69

    Desertdarleneposted 9 years ago

    I would think that anyone who steals another's hard work is lazy.

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    1. 65

       Rhonda Lytleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       That tends to be my first thought too but it's not inclusive to all those who are plagiarizing. 
       
       Some of these folks live in other countries, barely understand English and are literally on the verge of starvation.  That's not saying stealing is okay in any way or that their circumstances should excuse their actions.
       
       I do however feel we must all understand this contributes greatly to the problem.  Many of these people really do not understand how what they are doing is stealing.  Of course, many do and there's no changing their minds. 
       
       For those who really need to make money and want to be good writers but just don't know English well enough, I think it would behoove us all greatly to educate them.  This will be difficult due to the language barrier.  Picture lessons would most likely be the best way to do it. 
       
       There are a lot of teachers here w/ software like Boardmaker.  Anyone looking for a hot niche would most likely get tons of traffic from an article series targeted at teaching small chunks of English writing and composition through pictorially supported media to non English speakers who wish to write.

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11. 59

    Kiss andTalesposted 9 years ago

    I agree . But remember the difference cut and pasting exist for a purpose as well, not to steal any ones work ,even though people do that it should be unlawful, but I see cut and pasting a reply copy of statement , I find it very useful to preserve the original quoted words ,not replacing with opinion or thoughts of my own. Because many times people get stated words wrong, and misunderstood.
    So I do agree no one should ever take credit for other people's work. That would be stealing for some kind of selfish gain. And disrespectful.

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12. 65

    cfinposted 9 years ago

    "Plagiarism" is piracy of intellectual property. It is the easiest and most heinous way of stealing someones work. That's why if any of us see it, we should be reporting it and calling the person out on it.
    
    2 of my creative writing articles were ripped off recently. They don't gain many views, but it is still frustrating.

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13. 88

    MizBejabbersposted 9 years ago

    What about people who go to websites, copy their photos and rewrite the copy beside those photos? Do we turn them in or wait for them to be discovered. I found one recently because she had misidentified a photo in an area in which I was familiar. Then I looked at her other sources and found that some of them had been completely faked. She is a very prolific hubber, and now I know why.
    While that isn't exactly plagarism, because she does rewrite their copy, it is still theft of content, and it was done in a way that the hub computers are unlikely to discover. This is very disturbing to me because of the faked sources and the misidentified photo.

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       PegCole17posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Photos are also protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you see blatant misuse of photos here on HubPages I hope you will report it using the report flag feature on every hub.
       
       Just this week I filed another DMCA on an article which has been copied on several different sites over the years. The response from the hosting company was immediate and effective. They took down the site within 2 days of my report.
       
       To find out who is hosting the copy cat site, type in WhoIsHostingThis into Google and follow the site instructions. Then send a DMCA notice to the host of the infringing copy cat. It works.
       Peg

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          MizBejabbersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks, Peg, I'll check it out. This woman is a very prolific hubber and seems to be well-liked. Needless to say, I was shocked and I want to check out some of her other hubs to see if she is doing that habitually. I suspect that she is.

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             Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Here are the guidelines for reporting Hubs:
             http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/how- … p-hubpages
             
             On that link, here are the guidelines for reporting photos:
             When NOT to Report Hubs
             
             "When images lack attribution information (this is not a violation)
             
             "When an image has been used in violation of copyright (we cannot typically verify this, so it is up to each Hubber to ensure he or she is using images properly and to accept the legal ramifications of violating others' copyright)"
             
             You are encouraged, however, to report Hubs with "watermarked or pixelated images."

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          relacheposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Unless you are the rights holder of the photos in question, this will not be pursued by the moderators.

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             Valerie P Davisposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Right, that's something that needs to be better understood. Nobody---not Google, not anybody--is going to remove anything on the accusation of a third party. (If they did, we would all be exposed to false, unprovable accusations.)
             
             If a third party wants to take action, they can notify the copyright holder, who can file a claim if they wish.

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14. 65

    Rhonda Lytleposted 9 years ago

    I can only speak from experience.  I had a hub stolen from here word for word once.  I did not know what to do and was understandably upset. 
    
    I emailed the hub team and in all honesty, they could not have been more helpful.  They told me exactly what to do and even helped me do it. 
    
    The article was removed from the hosting site in less than a day.  Of course, this negates not that the thief in question had already made more money off my writing than I ever did.
    
    The point though, is the hub team really came through for me.  They listened.  They helped. 
    
    Until I see something to the contrary for myself, I have to go with reporting politely to the team any issues of plagiarism be it in house, out, text or photos. 
    
    Remember, when reporting, be as polite and detailed as possible.  You most likely are annoyed and know the situation well.  They don't and are just trying to help.  Prove your case in the email and I honestly and truly believe you will be listened to.

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       TIMETRAVELER2posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Rhonda Lytle: 
       
       You are spot on with this comment.  I just had the exact same experience, and the team has been very helpful.

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15. 83

    psycheskinnerposted 9 years ago

    You can report some third party pictures such as those watermarked and pixelated because they are using stock thumbnails. Or ones that you know do no license other users or require things the hubber is not doing (e.g. attribution) and you can link to their source page with the CC license.

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       Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Photo attribution is not a requirement on HubPages.  It is only a requirement for HOTD. The same is true for links to sources.

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          psycheskinnerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          "license ... requires things the hubber is not doing (e.g. attribution)"
          
          Attribution is always required when the photo is CC licensed with an attribution requirement. If you report that and link to the license, Hubstaff will act on it.

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             Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             It's the copyright holder who requires attribution.  And, yes, attribution should be given.  However, unless you are the copyright holder making a complaint, HP will do nothing about unattributed photos and have requested us not to report those.  (See link I posted above about when to report a Hub.)
             
             The staff is busy enough right now and nobody should report images unless they are porn, watermarked or pixelated.

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                psycheskinnerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                The the unpublishing of some hubs I have reported is extremely coincidental. I hit the 'copied content' reason and link the the license, and those hubs have a habit going away. As with watermarked etc.  If they did not want it reported it is odd they they have it set up to enable those reports, and they act on them. 
                
                I figure if they are too busy at some point, they won't act on these reports any more or a member of Hubstaff will remove that option or announce that they don't want us doing it.  That's their choice. Until then, when I see a picture by an artist I know that I know is being used incorrectly, I will report it.

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                   Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   Maybe that's not the reason the Hubs disappeared, since HP says they ignore those requests.

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                      psycheskinnerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                      I read that as meaning random accusations about unattributed art.  Not specific links to the CC license for the work.  They respond to those like clockwork.

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                   colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   I checked on a hub I reported last week for using a copyrighted logo, and that hub is no longer featured.
                   
                   My report was simply that it was a copyrighted logo from ________.
                   
                   Typically, those images are easy to verify on the sites they are taken from by anyone.

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16. 77

    Lee Hansenposted 9 years ago

    I am copyright holder on images I've found used without attribution on a hub. I've written to the author AND tried using the report button but the content is still published, and there is no attribution or link. I guess I have to file a DMCA to get it resolved. Not liking that; would rather HP admin would address my report and issue.

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       Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       File the DMCA.  I've done this before and it gets removed promptly.
       email to:
       copyright@hubpages.com with the subject line "DMCA Complaint". Due to security concerns, please do not send an email with attachments. Any notification of infringement email sent with an attachment will not be received or processed.

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          Lee Hansenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks Writer Fox. I'm a newbie on the HubPages block and don't want to make unnecessary waves, but my image use must be attributed. I'll send along the DMCA. Peace ... Lee

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             Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Right click on the image and copy the URL (both on your Hub and the other one) so HP will know which image you are filing about.

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                Lee Hansenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                Oh, I know how to ID image URLs. I sent plenty of detail. I filed DMCA today with HubPages.

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                   Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                   I bet it's removed as soon as California wakes up.

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                      Lee Hansenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                      Yep - unpublished.

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                         Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                         Good for you!!!

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17. 84

    hazelbrownposted 9 years ago

    I am also having problems with plagiarism. My most-viewed hub was copied almost word-for-word on another site, but I can't find contact information for anyone there so I can report them. The contact email doesn't work, and HubPages doesn't have DMCA information for them. It's so frustrating. My traffic for that Hub is way down, too, so I wonder if people are finding the copycat site instead of mine. Woe!

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       ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       
       You can report them to Google or you can do a free "whois" search on the domain that will pull up information on it - who is hosting it, and file a complaint with the web host.  Here is HP's information on the process.  http://hubpages.com/learningcenter/how- … -complaint

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          hazelbrownposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Awesome, thanks! It's really been bugging me.

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             Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             You're welcome.  Go get 'em!  Remember to be polite to the host.  The host didn't steal your stuff; the website owner did.

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       Writer Foxposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Find out the name of the company hosting the website (not the owner) here:
       http://www.whoishostingthis.com/
       
       Then, search for the hosting site on Google.  When you find it, follow the instructions on the hosting site for filing the DMCA request.

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       Rhonda Lytleposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       You might try emailing Google on this one.

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