A writer I'm acquainted with via the internet runs a blog (among other things) and often takes "guest" articles etc.
Today she was stating that she'd tested for plagiarism by putting into a search engine (don't ask me where I'm not sure) a sentence in quotes and subsequently rejected the article for plagiarism.
I pointed out that once I was testing a couple difference grammar type sites, etc. with paragraphs that I had just constructed to test them and was told a couple of my sentences were plagiarizing something (of course they don't tell you what).
These were sentences like: "She waved at her parents from the bus window." As I write fantasy "He raised his sword and rode, screaming, into battle."
Basically sentences that you stand a fairly good chance of finding in someone else's work. I mean, really "She held the treat out to her dog." I think that's been written before and will be written again.
I once was told a whole article I'd written was plagiarized. It was, from myself. It was an article that had been submitted and published by one magazine and 8 months later (past the "do not submit elsewhere for 6 months" clause in the contract) I had sent it out for a reprint. And.... this was the kicker... I told them it was a reprint. I had a junior editor (trainee I think) keep saying "but, it's plagiarized" I kept telling her it was a reprint of an article I'd written. She clung to that internet definition like it was the last cookie on the plate. I understood her concern but... I finally got through to the head editor but by then I didn't want to deal with the magazine.
Plagiarism is bad, bad, bad, there is no doubt. But what's even worse, to me, is when someone's work gets labeled because of one sentence, when the chances of an innocuous filler sentence being reproduced by multiple authors are pretty good. You can't go on one sentence or even a paragraph. You need to check further.
Somewhere along the line common sense has to come into play. How many times have you read something and thought, "that sounds familiar" only to realize yes, you have read it or something very close to in in another book. "He reached for her and felt his hand tremble."
As to this author who checks only one sentence or paragraph in a work? When faced with my comments their defense was "no one accidently plagiarized." I hate to tell you this, babe, but if it's only one sentence... ymmm.. I opted out of receiving further posts from them.
Thoughts?