What risk do authors face when reusing text from their earlier work?

When authors reuse text from their earlier work, they face the risk of being accused of self-plagiarism. Self-plagiarism occurs when authors present their previous work or significant portions of it as new or original without proper citation or acknowledgment. This is a significant ethical issue in academic writing and publishing because it can mislead readers and editors about the originality of the work.

Self-plagiarism can violate the integrity of the academic record, as it essentially revisits the same content under the guise of new research, which can affect how the work is perceived in terms of novelty and contribution to the field. Many journals and academic institutions have strict policies against self-plagiarism, and authors may face severe consequences, including retraction of the published work or damage to their academic reputation.

In contrast to self-plagiarism, co-authorship is unrelated to reusing one's own text, and while denial of publication can occur for a variety of reasons, it is not directly tied to reusing text. Additionally, while copyright infringement could arise if the reused content is not the author’s own, this is generally not the case when authors reuse their own previously published material, provided proper citation practices are followed.