IB IA Plagiarism

The IB places a strong emphasis on academic honesty, and it's crucial that your Internal Assessment is free from any form of plagiarism. In this post, we'll guide you through how to avoid plagiarism and maintain academic integrity in your work. 

IB IA Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when you present someone else's work, ideas, or words as your own without proper acknowledgment. This could be copying text from a book, website, or another student’s work without citing it. Even rephrasing someone’s ideas without crediting them still counts as plagiarism. Whether it's a direct quote or a paraphrased idea, if it didn’t come from you, it needs to be cited. 

How to avoid plagiarism in your IA

The best way to avoid plagiarism is by citing your sources properly. Citing means giving credit to the original source of an idea, fact, data, or phrase that you used in your writing. The IB doesn’t mandate a specific citation style, but commonly used ones include Harvard, APA, and Chicago. Whichever one you use – be consistent. 

When Quoting 

Quoting is when you use the exact words from a source. You need to put the words in quotation marks and include an in-text citation. 

For example (Harvard referencing style)

''Maya Angelou uses powerful imagery to convey resilience, stating, “But still, like dust, I'll rise” (Angelou, 1978).''

When Paraphrasing 

Paraphrasing is when you put someone else's ideas into your own words. Even though you're not using their exact wording, you still need to cite the source.  

For example (Harvard referencing style): 

''According to literary critic Jane Smith, Angelou’s use of symbolism and rhythmic repetition in Still I Rise enhances the emotional impact of her message of empowerment and resistance (Smith, 2015).''

In this case, you’re not quoting Smith directly, but you’re rephrasing her analysis in your own words – so a citation is still required.

AI and plagiarism

With tools like ChatGPT and other AI platforms becoming more common, it’s important to understand their place in academic work. Copying and pasting content generated by AI and passing it off as your own is still plagiarism. Even though the words weren’t written by a human, they weren’t written by you either.  

Can You Use AI in Your IA? 

Yes – but only responsibly and transparently. If AI tools helped you brainstorm ideas, clarify concepts, or suggest structure, that’s okay. But if you’re using any content generated by AI – whether it’s a sentence, paragraph, or a full explanation – you must cite it.  

How to cite AI

When citing AI, follow the same process as you would for any other source. Include an in-text citation or footnote where you reference AI-generated content and provide a full citation in your bibliography.     

Below is an example of a ChatGPT citation using Harvard referencing style:

(Describe the use of symbolism in ''Still I Rise'' by Maya Angelou, 2025)

For a more in-depth guide on how to cite AI tools, make sure to check out this post.

The bibliography

Your IA must end with a bibliography – a full list of all the sources you consulted during your research, whether or not you directly quoted them. It should be on a new page at the end of your work and titled clearly as “Bibliography” or “References”.  

Organise your sources alphabetically by the author’s last name. Use a consistent citation style throughout (e.g. Harvard) and make sure all entries are properly formatted. Do not use bullet points or numbering. 

Example (Harvard style): 

Angelou, M. (1978) And Still I Rise. New York: Random House. 

Describe the use of symbolism in ''Still I Rise'' by Maya Angelou (2025). ChatGPT (GPT-4). [Accessed 11 April 2025)

Smith, J. (2015) ‘Symbolism and Rhythm in the Poetry of Maya Angelou’, Journal of Contemporary Literature, 12(3), pp. 72–85.

Checking against plagiarism

Before you submit your IA, it’s a good idea to double-check that your work is free of plagiarism. One effective way to do this is by using an online plagiarism checker, like Turnitin or other similar tools. These tools compare your work to a large database of sources, including academic journals, websites, and other students' papers, to detect any matches.  

If the tool flags any content, take the time to review it. Ensure that all quoted or paraphrased material is properly cited and that any potential unintentional plagiarism is corrected.

We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.